Narratives of democracy, or history without subjects

Narratives describing the history of democracy in the US should be democratized by using strategies such as abandoning biographical narration, placing the setting in the foreground, focusing on the interaction of groups rather than individuals, and not insisting on a conclusive ending. An examination of the characters, plot and setting of several works on Jacksonian democracy uncovers the common problems with historical narratives of democracy. Authors discussed include Arthur Schlesinger Jr., Charles Sellers, Richard Hofstadter, and Alexander Saxton.