
Victor Davis Hanson's bestselling "The Dying Citizen" reveals how progressive elites, globalization, and unchecked immigration threaten American democracy. Praised by Mark Levin as "essential reading," this controversial analysis has sparked fierce debates about what happens when citizenship erodes and the middle class disappears.
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The concept of citizenship - the cornerstone of Western democracy - stands at a critical crossroads. In "The Dying Citizen," Victor Davis Hanson delivers a powerful warning: the very idea that founded our republic faces extinction through multiple converging threats. This isn't merely academic concern; it's an existential crisis for American democracy. Citizenship represents more than just legal status - it embodies the delicate balance between rights and responsibilities that has sustained our constitutional republic for over two centuries. Citizenship wasn't invented in Philadelphia but in ancient Athens 2,500 years ago. The concept evolved to mean enjoying "lawful freedom" by consenting to laws, "civil equality" where no person can bind another without reciprocity, and "civil independence" where rights derive from membership in the commonwealth - not from another's whim. Unlike temporary residents, citizens are rooted within constitutional borders with obligations to honor traditions, obey laws, and potentially sacrifice for their nation. The Constitution guarantees security and liberties, but republics can collapse within a single generation without vigilant citizens to preserve them. Western citizenship developed through the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Enlightenment toward greater inclusion, despite periods of retrenchment. By the twenty-first century, after millennia of evolution, citizenship approached its logical fruition with full emancipation of the poor, women, and minorities. What's alarming is how many Americans blame their founders for past illiberalism while failing to appreciate how close we've come to equality. A 2019 poll found 92% of Americans believe their rights are "under siege," yet many cannot name basic constitutional protections or historical facts.