PG 373 - Freedom, Equality, and Democracy in American Political Thought

The idea of America is sometimes said to be the greatest contribution made by the United States to the history of political thought. But how can we reconcile America as it is imagined—as the land of the Free home of the Brave—with the America that actually exists—with its history of forced migrations, slavery, and internment camps? This tension between the idea/ideal of America and the reality of life in the United States echoes throughout the works of great American thinkers and forms the basis for our explorations in this class. Although we will be reading many texts familiar to students of American history, this is not a history class. Rather, it is an attempt to look at how three key political concepts (freedom, equality and democracy) have been adopted/altered/reinvented for the American context. We will explore these concepts through a variety of historical texts written by prominent American political thinkers and actors, as well as through contemporary manifestations of American political thought. Group I Writing