A major history of American liberalism and the key personalities behind the movement
Why is it that nearly every liberal initiative since the end of the New Dealwhether busing, urban development, affirmative action, welfare, gun control, or Roe v. Wadehas fallen victim to its grand aspirations, often exacerbating the very problem it seeks to solve? In this groundbreaking work, the first full treatment of modern liberalism in the United States, bestselling journalist and historian Eric Alterman together with Kevin Mattson present a comprehensive history of this proud, yet frequently maligned tradition. In The Cause, we meet the politicians, preachers, intellectuals, artists, and activistsfrom Eleanor Roosevelt to Barack Obama, Adlai Stevenson to Hubert Humphrey, and Billie Holiday to Bruce Springsteenwho have battled for the heart and soul of the nation.
