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:


Featured Research and Evidence

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Will Vanderbilt’s New Unity Lab Hire Me Even if I Dislike Unity?

Stacy Clifford Simplican, Senior Lecturer, Department of Gender & Sexuality Studies  Last week, the Vanderbilt Project on Unity & American Democracy launched the Vanderbilt Unity Lab. They are now accepting applications from students, faculty and staff to fill 25 program training positions.   I applied immediately. But there’s just one problem.   I hate unity.  How could […]

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