In 1831, the then twenty-seven year old Alexis de Tocqueville, was sent with Gustave de Beaumont to America by the French Government to study and make a report on the American prison system. Over a period of nine months the two traveled all over America making notes not only on the prison systems but on all aspects of American society and government. From these notes, Tocqueville wrote "Democracy in America", an exhaustive analysis of the successes...

"Donald Trump's presidency has raised a question that many of us never thought we'd be asking: Is our democracy in danger? Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt have spent more than twenty years studying the breakdown of democracies in Europe and Latin America, and they believe the answer is yes. Democracy no longer ends with a bang--in a revolution or military coup--but with a whimper: the slow, steady weakening of critical institutions,...

"From the Pulitzer-prize winning, New York Times bestselling author, an alarming account of how autocracies work together to undermine the democratic world, and how we should organize to defeat them We think we know what an autocratic state looks like: There is an all-powerful leader at the top. He controls the police. The police threaten the people with violence. There are evil collaborators, and maybe some brave dissidents. But in the 21st century,...

"Appealing text and supportive images introduce young readers to democratic principles, including fairness, equality, and respect for legitimate authority and rules. Young readers will also learn the basic concepts of how a democracy works."--

"Some democracies are highly homogeneous. Others have long maintained a brutal racial or religious hierarchy, with some groups dominating and exploiting others. Never in history has a democracy succeeded in being both diverse and equal, treating members of many different ethnic or religious groups fairly. And yet achieving that goal is now central to the democratic project in countries around the world. It is, Yascha Mounk argues, the greatest experiment...

"Fairness is an increasingly discussed issue in U.S. society today. With growing inequality around the world, a discussion of what is fair is vital to understanding democracy and the kind of culture we want to have. In this critical examination of what constitutes "fairness," students learn the difference between "fair" and "equal" and that sometimes what is fair is not always equal for everyone. While it may be true that "life isn't always fair,"...

"We are in the midst of a full-scale attack on our nation's commitment to public education. From funding, to vouchers, to charter schools, public education policy has become a political football, rather than a means of fulfilling the most basic obligation of government to its citizens. As Derek W. Black vividly illustrates, this assault threatens not just public education, but democracy itself. Black offers both an illuminating history of our nation's...

Respect for the opinions and beliefs of others is not only a critical component of democracy but also of everyday life. Using easy-to-understand concepts such as the 'golden rule,' or treating others as one would want to be treated, this book shows students that respecting others and engaging in reciprocity, even when we disagree, is important and necessary. The ability to 'disagree agreeably' is increasingly important in the current political and...

In order for any democracy to function well, understanding how and when to compromise is a necessity. This book introduces students to how compromise makes governing possible. Using examples of how compromise works in their own lives, students will gain a better understanding of how compromise work on a larger level. Conversely, readers will also learn that compromise may be the wrong course of action in some situations and that some issues are of...

Nothing is what it seems when John Weir, a master of deception in the world of corporate espionage, is framed for murder by powerful forces with the ability to influence and control populations. The series stars Emmy Award Winner, Kiefer Sutherland as private espionage operative John Weir, who finds himself in the midst of a battle over the preservation of democracy in a world at odds with misinformation, behavioral manipulation, the surveillance...