Steven Hahn at Harvard Book Store

Harvard Book Store welcomes STEVEN HAHN—Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Nation Under Our Feet—for a discussion of his new book Illiberal America: A History. He will be joined in conversation by ALEXANDER KEYSSAR—Matthew W. Stirling Jr. Professor of History and Social Policy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.   

About Illiberal America

A storm of illiberalism, building in the United States for years, unleashed its destructive force in the Capitol insurrection of January 6, 2021. The attack on American democracy and images of mob violence led many to recoil, thinking “That’s not us.” But now we must think again, for Steven Hahn shows in his startling new history that illiberalism has deep roots in our past. To those who believe that the ideals announced in the Declaration of Independence set us apart as a nation, Hahn shows that Americans have long been animated by competing values, equally deep-seated, in which the illiberal will of the community overrides individual rights, and often protects itself by excluding perceived threats, whether on grounds of race, religion, gender, economic status, or ideology.

Driven by popular movements and implemented through courts and legislation, illiberalism is part of the American bedrock. The United States was born a republic of loosely connected states and localities that demanded control of their domestic institutions, including slavery. As white settlement expanded west and immigration exploded in eastern cities, the democracy of the 1830s fueled expulsions of Blacks, Native Americans, Catholics, Mormons, and abolitionists. After the Civil War, southern states denied new constitutional guarantees of civil rights and enforced racial exclusions in everyday life. Illiberalism was modernized during the Progressive movement through advocates of eugenics who aimed to reduce the numbers of racial and ethnic minorities as well as the poor. The turmoil of the 1960s enabled George Wallace to tap local fears of unrest and build support outside the South, a politics adopted by Richard Nixon in 1968. Today, with illiberalism shaping elections and policy debates over guns, education, and abortion, it is urgent to understand its long history, and how that history bears on the present crisis.

Praise for Illiberal America

"Steven Hahn has written the definitive history of the illiberalism that informs our 'troubles.' Read this book carefully. Understand what we are up against and find the resources in our traditions to fight for the America we want. An indispensable book for these dark days!" —Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., author of Begin Again

"An instant classic.…Steven Hahn transforms our understanding of the multiple traditions embedded in the American past, including a deeply rooted disdain for the ideals of democracy and equality. If you want to understand the historical origins of our present condition, this is the place to start." —Eric Foner, author of The Second Founding

"Steven Hahn takes full measure of this nation’s entrenched histories of exclusion, inequality, and violence. This is an outstanding book, essential for understanding our own moment." —Kate Masur, author of Until Justice Be Done

Masking Policy

Masks are encouraged but not required for this event.