One nation, indivisible? / Sara S. Chapman and Ursula S. Colby.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Chapman, Sara S., 1940- author.

Colby, Ursula S., 1929- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democracy--United States.

Democracy.

Political participation--United States.

Political participation.

Political parties--United States.

Political parties.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiii, 247 p. )

Place of Publication:

Albany, New York : State University of New York Press, [2001]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

A wake-up call to all Americans, One Nation.Indivisible? urges all informed citizens to take action to protect our fragmenting democratic union. The authors claim that the U. S. has strayed too far from the Founders' and the Constitution's vision of federalist government, and that the government—now virtually paralyzed by ideological conflict, partisan extremism, single-issue politics and unprincipled decision-making—is unable to address the people's issues. Chapman and Colby charge Republican Conservatives with particular, though not exclusive, responsibility for weakening our national government just when we most need its strengths to protect Americans' freedom and opportunities in a constantly changing world.Juxtaposing history and history-in-the-making, One Nation.Indivisible? tells the story of early challenges the new nation withstood and probes current failures in several key policy areas: the national and global economy, international relations, and immigration and immigrants. It demonstrates the urgency of returning to our original aims to govern respectively, collaboratively, and deliberately. The authors show that government is not the enemy; divisiveness, the loss of center, is.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Democracy American-Style

Organizing Government in America

What’s at Stake?

A Nation of States: Creating the Constitution

The Union Challenged

Organizing Government in the Twentieth Century

Government, the Economy, and Citizens

Hands-Off (Mostly)

Abiding Issues for Government in a ‘Free’ Economy

Your Money: How Does Government Spend It?

FDR’s New Deal and the Fortunes of Capitalism Reconsidered

The Clinton Years

Government and the Global Economy: New Questions

Foreign Policy: The “Indispensable Nation”?

The United States and Globalization

Current Debates

Reaching the Present: Foreign Policy Through the World Wars

What Next?

Can the Center Hold? A Case in Point: Immigration and Immigrants

Issues in Immigration Policy

Bottom Lines: Economic and Labor Issues

Immigrant Policy: Where Are We Now? Why Does It Matter?

California and Beyond

Conclusion

Endnotes

References

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 235-240) and index.

Description based on print version record.

Includes index.

ISBN:

9780791491287

0791491285