Barack Obama’s political vision for the future of America, written two years before he became president the New York Times bestseller.

These shared values are often considered so natural that people take them for granted.Īmerica is currently suffering from a lack of empathy. The Audacity of Hope - Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama - paperback (9781847670830) published by Canongate 7 February 2008. The attitudes of Americans today continue to be strongly shaped by the founding fathers’ spirit. Communal values bringing people together, keeping their democracy alive.The idea of individual liberty and affording every citizen the same chances, regardless of race, religion, or class.Still today, all Americans subscribe to two main notions: Never in America’s history should a king, general, or pope alone be able to shape the path of the American people. Another prerequisite was that power be diffused and all absolute authority rejected. Thus personal freedom seemed only possible in a society which also upholds communal values, such as family, religion, patriotism.

Still, the founding fathers faced the reality that liberty was not without its challenges: never before in human history had a stable democracy worked for a large nation for any long period of time. Barack Obama, quote from The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. If we fail to help we diminish ourselves. The founding fathers had the foresight to write two masterpieces, which directly reflect how they envisioned the American ideal: the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.Īt the very core of these documents is the idea that every man and woman is born free, with the same rights and chances in society. After all if they are like us, then their struggles are our own.

The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama