Mount Rushmore, Four Presidents, and the Quest for National Unity
Amid modern-day racial unrest, a national pandemic, and a political divisiveness that seems to have become a dominant feature of American discourse, Harriet F. Senie offers a thoughtful reflection on the complex legacies of the four presidents memorialized on Mount Rushmore. Monumental Controversies presents strategies to create an inclusive narrative that honors the varied stakeholders in a democracy--a vital step toward healing the divisiveness that now appears to be a dominant feature of American discourse. As the public and press reconsider the viability of the American experiment in democracy, Senie offers a thoughtful reflection on the complex lives and legacies of the four presidents memorialized on Mount Rushmore. All four presidents faced some of the most contentious times in our history and yet they championed unity, made possible by acknowledging and accepting opposing opinions as a basic premise of democracy. 256 pages hc