In Pluribus Unum: American Unity in a Fractured World

After Nationalism grapples with the exceptional cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity of the United States, and proposes a plausible way to hold the nation together.

After Nationalism: Being American in an Age of Division, By Samuel Goldman

University of Pennsylvania Press, 2021 • 148 pages

The verdict: Samuel Goldman reminds us that deep divisions are inherent to democracy; the problem comes when rivals do not respect the constitutional rules of the game.

WHY THIS BOOK MATTERS

In a polarized America, we must remember that deep divisions are nothing new. Despite disunity’s sometimes ruinous consequences (slavery, the Civil War, segregation), we’ve always overcome and grown stronger. Now, amid the worldview chasm separating traditionalists from progressives, we must discern the minimum necessary to preserve our nation. Goldman seems to doubt the necessity of a basic belief commitment to fundamental American identity. Instead, he highlights the importance of a procedural commitment to the rule of law under the Constitution.

THE ARGUMENT

Goldman’s survey of the political history and current landscape of the United States buttresses his thesis that the U.S. is and always has exhibited unusually high levels of cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity. He argues that these extensive differences, combined with American mistrust of centralized authority and our political system’s emphasis on individual rights, make it unrealistic to expect some sort of ill-defined unity. Moreover, he asserts that “attempts to impose a monolithic understanding of national unity…decrease trust among…different social groups.” “It is better,” he concludes, “to approach national politics as a tentative exercise in negotiation and compromise rather than as the formation of a community unified by faith, descent or ideology.”