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America took a different course in the 1930s not because Americans were immune to authoritarianism, but because they rallied around the language of human self-determination embodied in the Declaration of Independence.

In the book’s introduction, Richardson dismisses the widespread notion that the United States avoided the wave of fascism that swept across Europe in the mid-20th century due to the quality of the American character. Fascism relies on hierarchy, the idea that some people are superior to others. Richardson argues that Americans were able to reject that idea because of the notion of equality expressed in the Declaration of Independence. As marginalized groups have fought to be included in its scope, Americans have remained connected to the ideals of their founding and therefore willing to defend democracy.

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