The National Narrative of the United States

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Sally Kohn: America has had a national narrative that is historically allowed it to hold together despite all of those historical divides you've been talking about. She says we don't really have a good story of the United States right now, which could be dangerous and destabilizing. Kohn: We need to get our act together as to what we stand for and what the answers to those questions are.

Colin Woodard is an American journalist. He is the author of American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Colin Woodard discuss the ideals of America’s settlers and why they remain influential many years later; how the tension between individual freedom and concern for the public good has shaped America’s regional divides; and whether a shared national narrative can help to unify our divided groups.

This transcript has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

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