Since its birth, American society has sought a balance between the rights of the individual and the needs of the community. These essays discuss the tensions between liberty and order that have marked American politics in the 20th century. John Blum addresses specific questions such as the historical relationship between race and poverty and explores particular episodes like the foreign scare after World War I. The essays are reminders of America at its best and worst and serve as lessons for a country still struggling to define social justice.