The Nation That Never Was

Reconstructing America's Story

By: Kermit Roosevelt

Narrated by: Kermit Roosevelt III

Our idea of the Founders’ America and its values is not true. We are not the heirs of the Founders, but we can be the heirs of Reconstruction and its vision for equality.

There’s a common story we tell about America: that our fundamental values as a country were stated in the Declaration of Independence, fought for in the Revolution, and made law in the Constitution. But, with the country increasingly divided, this story isn’t working for us anymore—what’s more, it’s not even true.

As Kermit Roosevelt argues in this eye-opening reinterpretation of the American story, our fundamental values, particularly equality, are not part of the vision of the Founders. Instead, they were stated in Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and were the hope of Reconstruction, when it was possible to envision the emergence of the nation committed to liberty and equality.

We face a dilemma these days. We want to be honest about our history and the racism and oppression that Americans have both inflicted and endured. But we want to be proud of our country, too. In The Nation That Never Was, Roosevelt shows how we can do both those things by realizing we’re not the country we thought we were.

Reconstruction, Roosevelt argues, was not a fulfillment of the ideals of the Founding but rather a repudiation: we modern Americans are not the heirs of the Founders but of the people who overthrew and destroyed that political order. This alternate understanding of American identity opens the door to a new understanding of ourselves and our story, and ultimately to a better America.

America today is not the Founders’ America, but it can be Lincoln’s America. Roosevelt offers a powerful and inspirational rethinking of our country’s history and uncovers a shared past that we can be proud to claim and use as a foundation to work toward a country that fully embodies equality for all.

©2022 the University of Chicago (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing

Thought Provoking

The term “thought provoking” gets thrown around a lot. But this is perhaps the most thought-provoking book I’ve ever read. I’m not sure I totally agree with his argument that the Founding Era America should be viewed as a totally different nation. Why can’t we just call the Civil War and Reconstruction America the Second Founding? Anyway, this book has made me think harder than any book I’ve ever read and question long-held beliefs. If that’s not worth five stars, I’m not sure what is.

SCOTUS

This is the best summary of our constitutional history that I have ever read. Thank you for educating me.

important

wonderful insights into the origins of our discontents with some good and important recommendations on how to move forward. But very repetitive. Bring your patience. it will be worth it.

A Necessary Book.

When America someday wakes up to this book's premise, and Americans are comfortable with this author's reality, America will finally be the America blacks deserve and the America whites pretend it already is. Bring on reparations, AKA, reconstruction -- take three.

Loved It

I especially like how the book draws together events that otherwise seemed singular, but instead were historically related, cause and effect, like beads on a string. It makes you think about things you thought you already knew.

Insightful and brilliant

The author is a great reader with the voice of a podcast star and the book was compelling and enlightening. This book makes a deliberate and systematic argument as to why our traditional ‘standard story’ of the founding of our nation based upon the Declaration of Independence and constitution constricts our ability to move forward appropriately as a nation. The book importantly offers a clear and compelling alternative story emphasizing the Civil War and reconstruction as the true origins of how we (in particular those of us who passively accept the standard story but are against racism) can move forward with a notion of positive heritage and from find consistency in working to achieve justice a nation, in particular racial justice.

A lot of truth, but it does drone on

An interesting, and quite credible, interpretation of the founding documents of the country, and their intent. The book does tend to become repetitive a bit, but the theme is strong. Often upbraided for perceived hypocrisy, perhaps the Declaration and Constitution stated something completely different. And those core beliefs were repudiated in the Civil War, not by the Confederacy, but by Lincoln’s USA (ultimately). Listeners will recognize why “Union” is a problematic term. The single best takeaway is the goal: Justice over Unity.

history in a different light

His perspective is very interesting , I learned a lot from the concept of this book

Enlightening, hopeful and elegant

From word one, this audio book put me in a comfortable place to learn. The author narrates in a soothing and calm tone. I absolutely loved every second of it

Excellent

You can't say better than when it was finished you wish there was more. in this day and age, the hearing what Professor Roosevelt has to say is exceedingly well spent. I recommend his book without reservation and enthusiastic applause.