Cass R. Sunstein, Columnist

It's a Good Time to Listen to Young Lincoln

A 28-year-old future president saw respect for law as the cure for divisive passions.

July 2, 2017 at 2:00 PM UTC

Cass R. Sunstein is a former Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is the author of “The Cost-Benefit Revolution” and a co-author of “Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness.”

He was younger, then.
Photo by Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

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Independence Day arrives this year during a period of intense political polarization, anger and distrust, potentially jeopardizing the ideals for which the American Revolution was fought.

That’s a problem, but it also signals an opportunity. Nations benefit from the unifying effects of shared memories -- especially if those memories reflect a commitment to ideals. The revolution was inspired by two such ideals: self-government and human liberty.