Howard Fineman, one of our most trusted politics journalists, demonstrates every debate, from our nation’s founding to the present day, is rooted in another of thirteen quarrels that-thankfully-defy resolution. It’s the very process of never-ending debate, Fineman points out, that defines us, inspires us, and keeps us free. At a time when most public disagreement appears shrill and meaningless, Fineman makes a cogent case for nurturing the real American dialogue. The Thirteen American Quarrels about The Thirteen American Quarrels: Long lasting Debates That Define and Inspire Our Nation operates the gamut, including

• WHO WILL BE a Person? The Declaration of Self-reliance says “everyone,” nonetheless it had taken a Civil War, the Civil Rights Act, and other movements to create that a reality. Now, what about human embryos and prisoners in Guantanamo?

• The Role of Faith No country is even more legally secular however even more avowedly prayerful. From Thomas Jefferson to Wayne Dobson, the issue persists: Where will God fit in government?

• America in the Globe In Iraq and all over the place else, we ask ourselves whether we should change the globe in order to survive and honor our values-or whether the best way to accomplish both is to cope with the globe as it can be.

Whether it’s the nomination of judges or the limits of free conversation, presidential power or general public debt, the problems that galvanized the Founding Fathers should still inspire our market leaders, thinkers, and fellow citizens. If we cease to argue about these exact things, we stop to be. “Argument is power, not really weakness,” says Fineman. “As long as we claim, there is wish, and as long as there is hope, we will argue.”