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11 reviews for:
The Right To Vote The Contested History Of Democracy In The United States
Alexander Keyssar
4.03 AVERAGE
11 reviews for:
The Right To Vote The Contested History Of Democracy In The United States
Alexander Keyssar
4.03 AVERAGE
informative
Expansion of suffrage hardly happens in times of peace, because the elites lack a fire under their asses to secure the loyalty of the marginalized and underprivileged.
It is timely to learn how recently voting rights became universal, all of the tumult that preceded that, and how easily the trend might turn in a different direction. It is yet another thing none of us should take for granted as we move forward in uncertain times
This is a concise history of the “right” to vote in the United States. (Spoiler alert: that right is contained nowhere in the Constitution.) The short version is, there’s always a powerful in-group that doesn’t want a less powerful out-group to vote. Over time, the out-group makes incremental progress at politics and eventually pressures the in-group into granting them the right to vote, usually as a corollary to a war recently fought. Rinse, repeat. This has been the case time and again in American history, with non-property owning white males, non-tax paying white males, black men, women, southern African Americans and the 18 to 21 crowd. For a longer version, read this book.
A well-researched piece capable of conveying the deep and sordid complexity inherent to U.S. voting. As Justice Scalia pointed out, "legal process is guaranteed by the constitution, not legal result".
As a strength and weakness, this book reads like an academic paper. It's great for those who enjoy reading fact-books but lacking in any compelling nature. This gives is significant strength if using it for research text, but it can be a slog.
As a strength and weakness, this book reads like an academic paper. It's great for those who enjoy reading fact-books but lacking in any compelling nature. This gives is significant strength if using it for research text, but it can be a slog.
informative
slow-paced
Great read on the history of the right to vote. I was unaware of how many battles around suffrage and enfranchisement have happened in our country. I can see how this ballooned from a small chapter of a larger book into a large book in it's own right. I am curious how the book would deal with the 2020s since it halts in 2009, but much of what we are seeing he addresses as the beginning of a new battle on suffrage in the last chapter.
informative
slow-paced
Informative and provocative. Challenging my assumption about the history of voting in the US and the philosophical underpinnings of various approaches to voting, to say nothing of the different not so laudatory factors which have been applied as well.
This comprehensive history of the franchise is a solid, well-written analysis of who has the right to vote in free, regular elections, which is an integral component of our democratic republic, who is allowed to excercise this privilege and under what circumstances; and how and by whom the votes are counted. Keyssar explores these issues of political philosophy, social theory, power, and public policy in an engaging manner, although it is clear he has a progressive leanings. Keyssar seems to agree with Marx that politics is about class struggle, and the utopian visions of representative democracy collapse in this struggle. I read part of this book years ago, but in this most contentious political season of my lifetime, it was worth reading the whole book.