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MPR News Staff

The Democracy Test: 'A House Divided'

Civil War-era flag from Minnesota
The large encircled star is meant to represent Minnesota on this handmade Civil War-era flag. It was sewn by a group of women from St. Anthony, Minn. in 1861, and presented to the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
Courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society

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Poisonous partisan politics tore the country apart in the years leading up to the Civil War. What we can learn from history about defusing tribal politics?

In this episode of "The Democracy Test" from the Truth, Politics and Power series, Neal Conan and historian Heather Cox Richardson explore how we can work together to defuse catastrophe.

Philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah has some suggestions to bridge our tribal divisions today. "It isn't going to work if the only time I meet a Democrat or meet a Republican is to argue about politics."

A healthy democracy thrives on ideological struggle, robust debate, dissent and compromise. But, in the 1850s and 1860s, deep splits drove the country to civil war. The same fault lines exist today.

When the "other side" becomes illegitimate, the room for democracy shrinks. When politics is the problem, can it also provide the solution?