The One and the Many: America's Struggle for the Common Good America's Struggle for the Common Good

E pluribus unum no longer holds. Out of the many have come as many claims and grievances, all at war with the idea of one nation undivided. This text gives a judicious account of how the body politic has been torn between the imperative of one people, one voice and the separate urgings of distinct identities - racial, ethnic, religious, gendered, ideological, and economic. While the grand story of oneness is elusive, the text reminds the reader that there is a growing and ever more inclusive repertory of myths, symbols and histories on which to draw. The author envisions steps one might take to carry America past the new turbulence.