Episode 6.8: Seeking the Fifth Voice: A Journey into American History and Democracy

Interviewer: MATTHEW ROTH. In late 2020, in the midst of COVID lockdowns and the national election, speechwriter and opinion columnist FRANCIS BARRY bought an RV and, with his wife Laurel, traveled across from New York to San Francisco via the Lincoln Highway, interviewing citizens along the way to explore what still bound the nation together in divisive times. In his discussion with historian Matthew Roth, he focuses on two possibilities: our history, as memorialized by the monuments that marked his journey, and our democratic tradition. As monuments linked to white supremacy were being torn down in the wake of the George Floyd protests, he sought out the new ways that American history was being memorialized; and as the 2020 elections brought American democracy close to the breaking point, he looked for signs of resilience. The book that resulted from his travels – which recrossed the US near the southern border in the lead-up to January 6 – is Back Roads and Better Angels: A Journey into the Heart of American Democracy.