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“It’s a marvellous book. Every American should read it and so should anyone who wants to understand America. Henry Adams grew up in an aristocratic family. His grandfather was President. His great grandfather was President. He was a perfectly positioned observer of the political scene. His perspective and his longevity gave him a broad view. In his life, from 1838 until 1918, he saw radical change in America – a lot of it for the worse. He saw the country expand economically but he also saw the rise of a class of robber barons. He saw all kinds of corruption in Washington, where he was based. He saw the end of slavery and the reconstruction era, which brought segregation. As he reviews what he saw, he asks himself the question, ‘Can democracy survive?’ His answer to that question was, ‘What other choice do we have? We have got to make our democracy work.'” Read more...
Stephen Breyer on his Intellectual Influences
Stephen Breyer, US Supreme Court Justice







