South Cook Area Wide Institute Day 2026

How democratic should the United States be? This question vexed the founders and continues to be a major part of contemporary debates about American politics and culture. Using challenges and changes to voting rights, this presentation examines how the United States went from the democracy crafted by the founder to our contemporary system. We will look not only at rights won, but those lost to understand the fluid nature of what it means to be part of “we the people” and who has been left on the outside.