Contested Values: Democracy and Diversity in American Culture

Abstract

Because of their diversity, Americans have differed historically about the optimal way to achieve democratic goals in their society and culture. How can the reform impulse best be realized, for example. Temperance? Birth control? Teaching evolution? The merits of internationalism versus isolation? Environmentalism? Improving race relations and the role of women in the workplace? Disagreements have been overcome even as new ones emerge. What results is an on-going dialogue about the quality and character of American culture itself. Ultimately, that dialogue has been about conflicting and competing values.