Say, Mean, Matter: The Hope and Fragility of Democracy in
the United States
Directions: Complete the grid below, supporting your ideas with information from the sources on Handout 1: Sources. Use the model in
the first row to help you. In the first column, write a short quotation from the text or read the quote provided. In the middle column, rewrite
the quotation in your own words. In the third column, write which strand(s) of history you think the quote relates to and why the ideas in the
quote matter to you, your community, or the country.
SOURCE 1: Excerpt 1 from “Learning from the Failure of Reconstruction,” the New Yorker
Say
Write a quotation from the text, or read the
quotation that is provided.
Mean
Rewrite the quotation in your own words.
What does this quotation mean? What makes
you say that?
Matter
Which strand(s) of history does this quote relate
to (democratic or anti-democratic)? Why do the
ideas in this quote matter to you, your
community, or the country?
“[T]he thousands who stormed the Capitol
do not believe in political democracy when
they lose. They believe in it when they win,
but that’s not democracy.”
The people who broke into the Capitol
building were trying to overturn a
democratic election because they didn’t like
the results.
This quote relates to the anti-democratic
strand of history. It matters to the country,
because the people who stormed the Capitol
wanted to disrupt the government and
overturn the election. It matters to me,
because the government makes decisions that
impact our lives and the government should
be accountable to voters, not a mob.
“You have these two themes of American
history in juxtaposition [contrast] to each
other. That’s my point. And both of them are
part of the American tradition, and we have
to be aware of both of them, not just the
more honorable parts.”
