Editor’s note: This is the 56th in a series of essays on the history and meaning of the American political tradition. “The Age of Reform” was an expression chosen by the historian Richard Hofstadter to describe political developments in this country from 1890 through The New Deal. This is the period I am about to enter. 1890 marks the beginning of two political movements, whose names are used frequently today: Populism and Progressivism. It was at the beginning of this era that the word “Populism” was coine … (read more)
America: land of the free; home of the brave; of the people, by the people, and for the people. Most Americans — indeed, a large portion of the world — have heard these descriptions of the United States. We accept them as true … but are they? Do we have, … (read more)
