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Quote by Kevin Mattson

“Contemporary political theorists continue this type of thinking about democracy by arguing that the development of "public judgment" among regular citizens should be made the central concern of modern politics. Public judgment, in the words of Benjamin Barber, is a function of commonality that can be exercised only by citizens interacting with one another in the context of mutual deliberation and decision.”

Quote by Kevin Mattson

Book:Creating a Democratic Public: The Struggle for Urban Participatory Democracy During the Progressive Era
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Creating a Democratic Public: The Struggle for Urban Participatory Democracy During the Progressive Era

The book delves into the historical context of the Progressive Era, examining the struggle for democratic participation in urban settings. It analyzes the various movements and figures that contributed to shaping urban participatory democracy during that period. more

Author

Kevin Mattson
Kevin Mattson

Kevin Mattson is an American historian recognized for his contributions to labor history, political history, and the Cold War era. He has authored several books and articles that delve into the social and political dynamics of the United States during the 20th century. more

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“A democratic public forms when citizens gather together to deliberate and make public judgments about local and national issues that affect their lives. By associating together for public discussion, citizens learn the skills necessary for the health of a democratic public; listening persuading, arguing, compromising, and seeking common ground. When these skills are nurtured within the institutions of a democratic public, citizens educate themselves in order to make informed political decisions.”

TogetherFormPoliticalOrderDecisionCommonDemocracyIssuesListeningCitizensSkillsJudgmentInstitutionsDemocraticSeekingArguingLocalsCompromiseDiscussionLive ByEducateDeliberateCommon GroundPersuadingPolitical Decisions
Author:Kevin Mattson
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“From these activists we can learn a crucial lesson: without citizens creating the institutions necessary for facilitating the growth of public deliberation, democracy will be a meaningless term. Without political leaders articulating this idea and acting upon it, public life and citizenship will continue to stagnate.”

IdeasPoliticalGrowthTermActingLeaderDemocracyCitizensLessonsCreatingInstitutionsActivistCrucialMeaninglessCitizenshipPublic LifePolitical LeadersDeliberationArticulating
Author:Kevin Mattson
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“At the 1894 ALA conference it was fairly well agreed that the primary goal of the public library must be to teach good citizenship. Libraries recognized that such "Americanization" could be achieved through literacy. Thus, teaching immigrants to read was not just a benefit in and of itself; literacy would also serve the interests of democracy.”

WellsGoalInterestTeachDemocracyTeachingBenefitsLibraryPrimariesImmigrantsCitizenshipLiteracyConferencesPublic LibraryGood CitizenGood Citizenship
Author:Kevin Mattson
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“Alliances are crucial to success in the political sphere. However, if we are to approach other organizations to propose alliances for the public good, we must be prepared to assert a far more important role for the library. We must clearly define what we do and establish and assert the relationship of libraries to basic democratic freedoms, to the fundamental humanistic principles that are central to our very way of life. . . .”

IfsWayImportantPoliticalPrinciplesRolesDemocracyApproachOrganizationFundamentalsDemocraticPreparedLibraryCrucialSpheresBe PreparedProposeAlliancesPublic GoodHumanistic
Author:Arthur Curley
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“When the function of libraries is put in terms of their contributions to the community, people see their centrality. The challenge to us is to continue to help them see it in those terms to describe our larger purposes. We must assert that libraries are central to the quality of life in our society; that libraries have a direct role in preserving democratic freedoms. Free access to information and the opportunity of every individual to improve his or her mind, employment prospects, and lifestyle are fundamental rights in our society.”

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Author:Arthur Curley
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“One of my greatest sources of pride as president of the New York Public Library is the continuance of the library's open, free, and democratic posture, the fact that we are here for Everyman, that we are indeed Everyman's university, the place where the scholar who is not college-affiliated can come and work and feel at home.”

FeelsFactsHomePresidentDemocracyNew YorkCollegeSourcePrideDemocraticLibraryUniversityScholarPosturePublic LibraryContinuanceEveryman
Author:Vartan Gregorian
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“Democracy is a way of life controlled by a working faith in the possibilities of human nature. . . . This faith may be enacted in statutes, but it is only on paper unless it is put in force in the attitudes which human beings display to one another in all the incidents and relations of daily life.”

WayHumansMayForceHuman BeingsAttitudeDemocracyHuman NaturePossibilityPaperRelationDaily LifeControlledDisplayIncidentsStatutes
Book:The Later Works, 1925-1953
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