Includes bibliographical references and index.

Some Founders thought their "enlightenment" came from Rousseau -- Ancient ways -- Trial and error -- They were citing Native Americans? -- Ben Franklin's Enlightenment -- Native Americans changed the world! -- The secular origin of America -- A nation is birthed -- The Electoral College -- The Supreme Court -- The Founders wanted us to have lots of guns to shoot at "tyrannical politicians"? -- Three "equal" branches of government -- The Senate was intended as a democratic institution -- Did rich white guys create the United States just to guarantee their own privilege, power, and slaves? -- How rich is rich? -- The "rich white guys" hypothesis crumbles -- So what did motivate the Framers of the Constitution? -- How political and economic systems interact -- Democracy's modern crisis -- The modern war on democracy and regulated capitalism -- Make voting a right instead of a privilege -- "Regulate" the Supreme Court -- Expand the Senate -- Free high-quality public education for all -- through college -- Provide healthcare for all -- Support organized labor or organize your workplace -- Use tariffs and trade policy to balance labor's playing field -- Bring back the middle class by restoring the tax laws that created it -- Keep Social Security out of corporate hands -- Clean environment and healthy public lands -- Strengthen the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and break up monopolies -- Bust up the media conglomerates and restore a robust free press -- Make the revolving door between industry and regulatory agencies illegal -- Use tax incentives and grants to jump-start alternative energy -- Human rights are for humans, not for "aggregated capital" -- Keep Church and State separate -- Make the US more democratic in its elections : set limits on campaign spending; consider public funding -- Institute "instant runoff" voting, to make minority parties viable -- Abolish the Electoral College -- Get Involved!