# What Unites Us by Dan Rather with Elliot Kirschner - Blinkist

What’s in it for me? Rediscover what defines the US.

These days, few Americans seem hopeful about their country’s future. Whether they’re young or old, male or female, on the left or on the right, it seems there’s only one thing US citizens can agree about – and that’s that things are only going to get worse.

But why all this pessimism? Are things really so dire? Is there no resource in the American character that can point the country toward solidarity and success?

These blinks seek to answer that question by examining all that makes America a country worth admiring. Without ever ignoring the dark chapters of America’s past, they suggest a tomorrow built firmly on yesterday’s strengths.

In these blinks, you’ll learn



how the US helped to eradicate a disease worldwide;

what the musical Hamilton can tell us about the arts in America; and

why immigration is as American as apple pie.

A free and undaunted press is essential to America’s wellbeing.

Have you ever read George Orwell’s novel 1984? It tells the story of a society gone mad. A world in which propaganda runs amok, history is constantly revised, and the notion of objective truth has lost all meaning.

Sound familiar to you? Well, if that dystopia reminds you of the world we currently live in, you’re not alone. In fact, a new generation of readers has come to Orwell’s story because they believe the dismal society he envisioned is already taking shape in the US.

Luckily, one important factor helps us to avoid the oppressive atmosphere depicted in 1984. According to the author, it’s America’s press – the reporters, pundits, and political journalists who have long held the powerful accountable.

The key message here is: A free and undaunted press is essential to America’s wellbeing.

After defeating the British, America’s Founding Fathers developed their constitution as carefully as possible. Their main aim was to institute a government of limited powers – with checks and balances to keep would-be dictators in place.

To that end, the very first amendment to the Constitution was designed to guarantee the liberty of the press. And in the centuries since then, America has always been at its strongest when its journalists have felt empowered to question and investigate a political leader’s actions.

Not convinced? Well, take a look at what can happen when journalists stop asking tough questions – like when the US invaded Iraq in 2003.

The press should have scrutinized the government’s reasoning. Was war really necessary? Did the US need to worry that Iraq had “weapons of mass destruction”? Not enough journalists posed these sorts of questions. The majority were quick to merely accept the arguments of those in charge.

In the end, the Iraq war ended up destabilizing a region that was already at boiling point. In recent years, the Middle East has seen a brutal civil war in Syria, the rise of Iran as a global power, and the emergence of ISIS and other groups of terrorists. We might have been able to avert these crises if we’d thought twice before beginning the war on Iraq in the first place.

That’s a lesson worth remembering these days. With reporters being intimidated by top, elected officials, and the press constantly disparaged as “fake news,” it’s worth reflecting on what happens when the media neglect their duties. As Iraq can teach us, it’s rarely good.

Immigration has always been a hallmark of the American experience.

Have you ever tried to trace your ancestors? If you have, and you’re an American, you probably found that your family hasn’t been in the US for very long. 

Most Americans are originally from somewhere else – even Native Americans are thought to have entered the continent over a land bridge from Asia.

That’s why it makes no sense to criticize immigrants for being un-American. On the contrary, there’s nothing more American than immigration itself – with all of the fascinating cultural, social, and racial diversity it has brought to the US.

The key message here is: Immigration has always been a hallmark of the American experience.

Of course, discussing immigration can be fraught, and it often means grappling with some thorny questions. Some concerns are genuine, though. After all, the US can’t welcome everyone who wants to immigrate – the country simply doesn’t have the resources. 

So how should we deal with undocumented migrants, like those who cross the southern border or overstay visas? How can we stop immigration from depressing wages? And how do we strike the right balance between welcoming asylum seekers and protecting national security? These are all tough questions, and they’re certainly worthy of prolonged reflection.

But there are other issues to consider beyond those of law, economics, and security. As we all know, discussions about immigration touch on other, more emotive topics, too – like race, culture, and religion.

This isn’t new. In the mid-nineteenth century, there was a surge of immigration from China, stimulated by the demand for labor in Californian goldmines. These immigrants performed vital work, including laying the tracks for the western section of the transcontinental railroad. Despite their contributions, they still experienced undisguised hostility. Eventually, the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 banned the inflow of laborers from China.

Sadly, the bigotry that motivated such laws still exists in America today. These days, many American Muslims encounter suspicion, hostility, and discrimination solely on the basis of their religious beliefs. But these fears are entirely baseless – just as they were years ago when Chinese immigrants were targeted.

After all, without immigration, there is no America.

The power of transformative books has always shaped American history.

If you were ever an American high school student, the story of America’s existence probably brings a few things to mind – like Redcoats, taxation, and the Boston Tea Party. 

You might not, however, immediately think of books. But you should. After all, the founding of the US was closely bound up with the written word.

In what way? Well, most of the Founding Fathers were thoughtful, well-read, and studious men – and what they discovered in books, they then put into practice. 

The key message here is: The power of transformative books has always shaped American history.

When designing the Republic, the Founding Fathers referred to histories of Greece and Rome. In setting out American political liberties, they drew on the writings of John Locke and others. And in their sense of morality, they owed a profound debt to the Bible and many European philosophers.

But as is often the case with American history, this isn’t an entirely positive story. Consider public libraries – proud symbols of the respect Americans feel for books and learning. Many were built thanks to generous donations made by the famous industrialist Andrew Carnegie. And yet, most libraries in the South were segregated, including those in the author’s hometown.

What’s more, until recently, America’s literary canon focused almost entirely on dead, white men. But that’s not the whole story – although books can be used to exclude others, in the right hands they can also become tools of liberation.

Take the story of Frederick Douglass, who escaped slavery and became a famous abolitionist. When he was still enslaved, Douglass traded food with poor white children in exchange for reading lessons. Eventually, his reading progressed to the point that he could begin to educate himself with the help of books.

When Douglass later escaped to the North and composed his autobiography, he drew on all his eloquence and learning, and ultimately managed to change the tone of national debate. Faced with an intellect as powerful as Douglass’, slaveholders had a difficult task asserting the “inferiority” of the people they’d enslaved.

Ultimately, abolishing slavery required a civil war – but the writings of Douglass had fired the souls of many Northerners. 

Stories like this remind us just how central the written word is to American history. If we want it to remain so, we must teach our young to cherish learning, and enrich national discourse with deep, wide, and thoughtful reading.

Americans should cherish their rich and diverse artistic heritage.

In 1780, John Adams, who was serving as a diplomat in Paris, wrote a letter to his wife, Abigail.

At the time, the Revolutionary War was still in full swing, and the fate of America hung in the balance. But Adams’s mind wasn’t only on military affairs.

“I must study Politicks and War,” he wrote, “that my sons may have liberty to study Mathematicks and Philosophy [...] in order to give their Children a right to study Painting, Poetry, and Musick.”

In other words, Adams saw his focus on affairs of state as a temporary requirement – necessary so that subsequent generations could fully enjoy art and culture, the fruits of peace, and leisure.

The key message here is: Americans should cherish their rich and diverse artistic heritage.

Despite Adams’s grand ambitions, Americans felt a strong sense of cultural inferiority for quite some time. American cities built museums of fine art, but they stocked them with the artistic output of Europe; US symphony orchestras thrived, but they were usually conducted by some aging, Old World maestro. 

On the whole, America seemed content to limp after Europe when it came to cultural matters. But in recent decades, much has changed for the better. It seems Americans have learned to prize the exuberance and diversity that characterize their cultural life.

Consider the musical Hamilton, brainchild of playwright and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda. The musical dramatizes the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, and infuses his biography with the lively music of hip-hop and rap.

Instead of imitating the so-called high culture of other nations, Miranda drew on America’s rich, native musical traditions. What’s more, he deployed these musical techniques to tell the story of a proud American patriot. 

By synthesizing our founding roots and our latest musical innovations, Miranda compelled us to look at American history with fresh eyes. By daring to experiment, he reminded us just how bold and radical the founding of the United States really was.

Americans must unite to protect the environment.

For many, the defining image of America is an urban one. Think, for example, of New York’s stunning skyline, or the grand Capitol building, or the iconic Golden Gate Bridge leading into San Francisco.

These are all impressive sights. But for many others, America will always be defined by its natural landscape. Vast, rugged, and beautiful, the diversity of the environment seems to mirror the variety and eclecticism of American life itself.

Sadly, that natural world is now under threat. In recent decades, the damage we humans have done to the environment has become impossible to deny. Faced with the consequences of our actions, Americans must answer some tough questions: First of all, can things be fixed? And if so, how?

The key message here is: Americans must unite to protect the environment.

One of the biggest obstacles facing environmentalists is that protecting the natural world has become a partisan issue. In many ways, this is disheartening. After all, could there be anything as universally harmful as damaging the Earth that we all share? 

On closer inspection, though, the political divide kind of makes sense. Many Republican strongholds are in oil-, gas-, and coal-producing states – and to many voters in these areas, increased environmental regulation sounds like a threat to their livelihoods. 

This may sound like an intractable problem, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, Republicans actually had a pretty impressive record when it came to environmental issues in the past.

Believe it or not, the Environmental Protection Agency was founded in 1970, under President Richard Nixon. What’s more, George Schultz, the Republican Secretary of State under President Reagan, was one of America’s foremost environmentalists at the time.

In conversation with the author, Schultz pointed out that Republican efforts to protect the environment had a long pedigree, stretching all the way back to Theodore Roosevelt. Until recently, Republican administrations have overseen efforts to tackle acid rain, water pollution, and air pollution.

If America is going to protect the environment, it cannot just be a Democratic project. Republicans will need to re-discover their tradition of environmentalism, roll up their sleeves, and join in.

The virtue of audacity helped propel America to greatness – and we can’t lose touch with it now.

The story of America is a story of bravery, ambition, and daring. How could it be otherwise? 

After all, the country came into existence when 13 young colonies overthrew the might of the British Empire. The budding nation then set out an enduring form of government in a revolutionary constitution, written over two centuries ago. 

But that’s not all. Since then, American inventors, artists, and researchers have been involved in expanding and enriching the realm of human knowledge.

In short, ambition and daring have always been core elements of the national character. But whether they’ll remain so in the future is another question entirely.

The key message here is: The virtue of audacity helped propel America to greatness – and we can’t lose touch with it now.

Americans often pride themselves on their willingness to dream big, take risks, and commit to exploring the unknown – and many examples in US history suggests they’re right to do so. 

More than almost any other story, the tale of the US-led campaign to eradicate smallpox illustrates the nation’s noble sense of ambition. In the twentieth century alone, smallpox took the lives of an estimated 300 million people. And, although by 1949, vaccination had eradicated the disease in the US, it still lingered in many of the poorer countries in the Global South.

But that was to change. Under the direction of an epidemiologist named D. A. Henderson, the US led a WHO-backed campaign to eradicate the disease worldwide. After a tremendous global effort, they succeeded: in 1980, smallpox was declared a thing of the past.

In years gone by, it was such audacity that made America a superpower – but these days, that kind of daring seems hard to come by. The self-confident country that put a man on the moon just a few decades ago seems terribly remote from us now.

Why have things changed? It’s hard to say. One factor is that modern politicians don’t seem to believe that the government should nurture grand ambitions. From the innovation of Silicon Valley to the space exploration of Elon Musk, these days, it seems like audacity has been outsourced to the private sector.

One thing’s for sure, though: it’s not for a lack of challenges. The need for abundant, clean energy has never been more pressing – that’s a project Americans should support with all the enthusiasm once mustered for NASA.

Unless the US is able to regain the audacity that once fired it, it seems destined to lose its historic strength. What’s needed are new ideas, new tasks, and a new, corresponding sense of purpose.

Final summary

The key message in these blinks:

There is much to be admired in America’s history, culture, and character. From a love of books to a tradition of immigration, the US has long combined its cherished convictions with a readiness to change. Now, with many Americans dispirited, confused, and hostile, it has never been more important to reconnect with all that is good in America’s identity.

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What to read next: United, by Cory Booker

Are you convinced that Americans have more in common than they think? That the US is less divided than it seems? That American citizens need to reaffirm their real unity? If not, prepare to change your mind, and read the story of Cory Booker – the New Jersey state senator and former candidate for the Democratic nomination for the 2020 presidential election. Touching on everything from criminal justice reform to environmental action, these blinks suggest how we can find common ground and advance the common good.