After the American Revolution, the daily life of democracy happened in small towns across America as ordinary people, forgotten to history, stepped up to serve their communities. Neem offers a story about the ordinary citizens who contributed to the public good. A story that includes men and women, free and enslaved, rich and poor, it is about Americans who stepped up so that things could get done. They joined school committees, built roads, attended meetings, and cared for their neighbors. Some went on to fame, but most did not. Some went on to elected office, but most did not. These citizens express what it means to be a citizen in a democracy. At a time of intense partisan conflict, it is worth remembering that our democracy depends not just on those with the loudest voices, but those who take time out of their busy lives to do what needs doing in their communities.
Johann Neem is Professor of History at Western Washington University and the author of What’s the Point of College? Seeking Purpose in an Age of Reform (2019); Democracy’s Schools: The Rise of Public Education in America (2017); and Creating a Nation of Joiners: Democracy and Civil Society in Early National Massachusetts (2008). He is co-editor of the Journal of the Early Republic.
This will on Thursday, March 20 from 4-5:30pm in 255 Old Horticulture.