LDR 201 - Leadership & men in granite

Much can be learned about a regime from the leaders it chooses to honor publicly. This may be especially true in a democracy that deliberately promotes a proliferation of interest groups or factions. In America, the faces that were so painstakingly carved into Mount Rushmore represent four of the greatest leaders this nation has ever produced. But what made Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln such exceptionally able leaders? What do their words, actions, and examples have to say to the citizens of the late 20th century - particularly about contemporary leadership? What can we learn about character, democracy, and the limits of politics and self by studying these leaders? Are contemporary liberties the direct consequence of having once had leaders such as Washington? If so, what does this say about the possibility of founding moderate regimes now or then?

Credits: 1-3

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