Charting a Path
towards Unity

Embracing unity is like exercise: A great and noble idea, but difficult and all too easy to forego. Yet the history of American democracy has proven that in extraordinary moments of unity, Americans can accomplish extraordinary things.

American democracy in the 21st century is struggling amid deep polarization. While disagreement is democracy’s oxygen, not since the Civil War have so many Americans held such radically opposed views not just of politics but of reality itself. The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy, working in concert with the university’s world-class faculty, will elevate the role of research and evidence-based reasoning into the national conversation. Drawing on original content anchored on facts and evidence, the Project seeks to make a meaningful contribution to bridging America’s deepest differences. The Project aims to inform thinking and reframe public discourse through the following initial themes:

Delve into our original research, panels, and content more here:

Seven Pillars

Original Content

Unity Talks: A Summer Series

Unity Talks: A Summer Series

“Unity Talks: A Summer Series” is a series of conversations and interviews featuring the project's co-chairs—Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham, former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Vanderbilt faculty member and entrepreneur Samar Ali—and renowned guests from the media, academia and government. Featuring experts such as Jonathan Martin, New York Times national political correspondent;  Yuval Levin, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd and more.

Episode 3: Bill Haslam and Will Hurd

Events on Demand

Who We Are

Co-Chairs

In the Media