This year, Big Books and Bold Ideas is introducing an occasional series that will feature books on democracy. That series begins as we mark the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection.

To gain context, we invited three historians and authors from different regions of the country to reflect on this American moment. Can history be a guide to where we are? Do we have the chaos and divisiveness we deserve? How do we approach what comes next with clarity and perspective?

Guests:

Carol Anderson a historian and professor of African-American studies at Emory University. She’s the author of many books, including “White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide” and “One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying our Democracy.”

Elizabeth Cobbs is a historian, an author and the Melbern Glasscock Chair at Texas A&M University. Her most recent book is “Fearless Women: Feminist Patriots from Abigail Adams to Beyoncé.”

Eric Foner is one of the nation’s leading historians and the author of many award-winning books on the Civil War and Reconstruction, including “The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution.” He is also a professor emeritus at Columbia University.

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