|
|
Article: The dissolving American family. (decline in family traditions coincident with rise of democracy; focus on John Adams family)
- Article from:
- U.S. News & World Report
- Article date:
- December 12, 1988
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1988 All rights reserved. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
John Adams's famous clan had black sheep. America's democratic impulse makes Old World traditions of kinship even more difficult to maintain today
In the recent presidential campaign, no slogan had a more sure-fire appeal than the "American family." We are told, and most of us believe, that the strong American family can be a preserver of moral values and a promoter of literacy, while providing a bulwark against sexual promiscuity and the menace of drugs. But the rise of democracy in America has inevitably dissolved treasured Old World family traditions-and not all for bad reasons.
The classic American family in the public service is, of course, ...