To Keep the Republic: Thinking, Talking, and Acting Like a Democratic Citizen

American democracy is at an inflection point. With voting rights challenged, election results undermined, and even the US Capitol violently attacked, many Americans feel powerless to save their nation’s democratic institutions from the forces dismantling them. Yet, as founders like Benjamin Franklin knew from the start, the health of America’s democracy depends on the actions its citizens are willing to take to preserve it.

To Keep the Republic is a wake-up call about the responsibilities that come with being a citizen in a participatory democracy. It describes the many ways that individuals can make a difference on both local and national levels--and explains why they matter. Political scientist Elizabeth C. Matto highlights the multiple facets of democratic citizenship, identifies American democracy’s sometimes competing values and ideals, and explains how civic engagement can take various forms, including political conversation. Combining political philosophy with concrete suggestions for how to become a more engaged citizen, To Keep the Republic reminds us that democracy is not a spectator sport; it only works when we get off the sidelines and enter the political arena to make our voices heard.

Elizabeth C. Matto is a Research Professor at Rutgers University’s Eagleton Institute of Politics. She was lead editor for Teaching Civic Engagement Across the Disciplines (2017)and Teaching Civic Engagement Globally (2021). She is the author of Citizen Now: Engaging in Politics and Democracy.