
Democracy’s strange compromise
Clip: Season 1 Episode 1 | 6m 12sVideo has Closed Captions
Experts discuss times in history when the nation and democracy were at the brink.
Experts discuss how the American Revolution united the states against the common enemy of the British monarchy, versus how Abraham Lincoln’s election and the Civil War brought our democracy and the nation to its brink. “They didn't claim that Lincoln hadn't really won and had stolen the votes,” says Eric Foner. “They just said, we don't accept this.”

Democracy’s strange compromise
Clip: Season 1 Episode 1 | 6m 12sVideo has Closed Captions
Experts discuss how the American Revolution united the states against the common enemy of the British monarchy, versus how Abraham Lincoln’s election and the Civil War brought our democracy and the nation to its brink. “They didn't claim that Lincoln hadn't really won and had stolen the votes,” says Eric Foner. “They just said, we don't accept this.”
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Explore the Preserving Democracy site for news and democracy updates — from all 50 U.S. states to elections around the world.American Democracy's “Achilles Heel”
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“The fiercest fights of our history have been to keep other people from voting.” (4m 26s)
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The January 6 Capitol Riots revealed that democracy is more fragile than many realized. (51s)
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Experts examine how new media and social media are changing politics and journalism norms (6m 3s)
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Experts discuss the long history of the two political parties in the U.S. (6m 30s)
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Experts discuss the worldwide erosion of democracy in recent years. (4m 1s)
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Experts recall instances of violence throughout history aimed at crippling the Republic. (6m 21s)
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Explore issues from the American Revolution to civil rights and the 2021 Capitol riot (30s)
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Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) Discusses January 6, 2021 with Margaret Hoover. (1m 36s)
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