Rarely can a book be called indispensable, but here the term applies. At a time when aspiring autocrats appear to be winning across the globe, it is essential to remind citizens why they should not lose hope. With deft sketches from US history, one of our finest constitutional theorists demonstrates how so-called ordinary people, rather than having to rely on judges or professional politicians to save the system, can themselves play a crucial role in the process of recovering democracy.--Jan-Werner Müller, Professor of Social Sciences and Politics, Princeton University, and author of What is Populism?

Corey Brettschneider traces a stunning pattern right across American history. Again and again, brave citizens wielded the Constitution against power, arrogance, and racism to save the republic. The Presidents and the People challenges our conventional wisdom about the presidents, the people, the courts, and democracy itself. Deeply researched, beautifully written, dramatic, wise, and inspiring--a must-read for scholars, citizens, and anyone interested in how the United States really works.--James A. Morone, author of Hellfire Nation and Republic of Wrath

A welcome reminder, in a time of growing repression, of the power of well-placed dissent.-- "Kirkus Reviews"

An inspired history dramatically rendered: the crises five past presidents inflicted on the nation and the moral sense, political skill, and persistence the people mustered to restore constitutional order. Richard Nixon's abuse of power, however, eluded recovery--why? The Presidents and the People supplies a guide and issues a warning.--Nancy L. Rosenblum, Senator Joseph Clark Research Professor of Ethics in Politics and Government, Harvard University, emerita

[A]n essential survey... [The Presidents and the People] is an invaluable breakdown of present-day concerns in an illuminating historical context.-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Pub date: 2024-07-02

Length: 384 pages