Back to the Wild West with Kenneth Manusama: Rights, Racism and Religion

On Super Tuesday, the most important day of the American primaries, the John Adams Institute is doing a deep dive into the weaknesses and instabilities of America’s democratic system. As November’s elections loom, legal, racial, and religious controversies are already stretching the country to a breaking point.

Yes, of course there will be plenty of courtroom spectacle in March, as proceedings against Trump get under way for his role in subverting the 2020 elections. But these troubling times demand that we look further: the very fate of democracy in America hangs in the balance.

In his new book, Democratie van het Wilde Westen (by Bot Uitgevers), Kenneth Manusama does just that. He investigates how the Trump era painfully exposed the structural vulnerabilities in America’s democratic system. And he shows that the problems in American democracy did not start with Trump, neither did they end with his defeat in 2020, nor were they unique in American history.

On March 5^th, Manusama  will give a talk and will delve into the threats brewing within the United States’ own borders. Afterwards, he will be joined by Dr. Markha Valenta (President of the Netherlands American Studies Association and Assistant Professor University College Utrecht) and Manon Portos Minetti (historian, lecturer and curator, specializing in colonial violence in the Americas and Caribbean) for a panel discussion.

We will close the evening with a preview of Boom Chicago’s comedy show, Politically Incorrect featuring Greg Shapiro and Pep Rosenfeld.

Kenneth Manusama is an international lawyer and America expert. He completed his studies at VU Amsterdam and taught at New York University and Amsterdam University College. Kenneth is a regular guest speaker at various Dutch media outlets and programs, and an expert on the US Constitution and legal aspect of American politics. He is also the host of the podcast Amerikaanse Toestanden.