Williams, Juan

"What would the Founding Fathers think about America today? Over 200 years ago the Founders broke away from the tyranny of the British Empire to build a nation based on the principles of freedom, equal rights, and opportunity for all men. But life in the United States today is vastly different from anything the original Founders could have imagined in the late 1700s. The notion of an African-American president of the United States, or a woman such as Condoleezza Rice or Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, would have been unimaginable to the men who wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, or who ratified the Constitution or the Bill of Rights. In a fascinating work of history told through a series of in depth profiles, prize-winning journalist, bestselling author, and Fox political analyst Juan Williams takes readers into the life and work of a new generation of American Founders, who honor the original Founders' vision, even as they have quietly led revolutions in American politics, immigration, economics, sexual behavior, and reshaped the landscape of the nation. Among the modern-day pioneers Williams writes about in this compelling new book are the passionate conservative President Reagan; the determined fighters for equal rights, Thurgood Marshall and Martin Luther King, Jr.; the profound imprint of Rev. Billy Graham's evangelism on national politics; the focus on global human rights advocated by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt; the leaders of the gay community who refused to back down during the Stonewall Riots and brought gay life into America's public square; the re-imagined role of women in contemporary life as shaped by Betty Friedan. Williams reveals how each of these modern-day founders has extended the Founding Fathers original vision and changed fundamental aspects of our country, from immigration, to the role of American labor in the economy, from modern police strategies, to the importance of religion in our political discourse. America in the 21st Century remains rooted in the Great American experiment in democracy that began in 1776. For all the changes our economy and our cultural and demographic make-up, there remains a straight line from the first Founders' original vision, to the principles and ideals of today's courageous modern day pioneers"--.

Juan Williams argues that African-Americans are once more in crisis, and urges African-American men and women to address the cultural failure of their community and return to the traditional black values of self-help, strong families, and belief in God.

A companion volume to the PBS television series. Describes the events between the Supreme Court's 1954 ruling against segregated schools and the approval of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Chronicles African-American religious history and examines the role of religion in the American civil rights movement.

A biography of Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American to be appointed to the Supreme Court, discussing his work on behalf of civil rights, and his drive to change the country, and offering details of his private life.

The commentator fired by National Public Radio for making controversial comments uses his situation as the basis for a discussion of the ways in which partisanship and political correctness have stifled honest debate about contentious issues.