Against the Grain

Sound Bite

Dynamic individuals, one man or one woman at a time, frequently have played a role in slowing or hastening the forces that make history. Prof. Underhill shows the personalities, strengths and weaknesses of six men whose momentous decisions helped shape society. High school and college students may have heard of Ignatius Donnelly, Theodore Roosevelt, Eugene Debs, Robert LaFollette, George Norris and Henry Agard Wallace; this informal history brings them to life and shows how they split from their friends and party affiliations to advocate ideas that seemed wild at the time but which later became accepted by mainstream America.

About the Book

In history books we read tales of men and women who spoke for ideas well in advance of their acceptance by the public; sometimes such heresy exacted heavy tolls sacrifice of reputation, abandonment of personal goals, and loss of office or fortune.Courage has many faces, and in some ways it is most impressive when one stands alone with only his or her conscience as a guide few to cheer but many to hiss. Such is the plight of the rebel who severs party connections and alienates friends as he voices his moral convictions. The six persons profi led in this book were members of differing political parties, and each of them put aside personal goals by advocating measures unpopular at the time with most of the public.Prof. Underhill shows their personalities, strengths and weaknesses while highlighting their momentous decisions that helped shape society. Eugene Debs was sent to a federal prison for defending freedom of speech amid the hysteria of World War I. Other individuals may be less known, but in speaking their consciences they left indelible marks on the pages of history.