Jennifer Abdo’s Reviews > A Resistance History of the United States > Status Update

Force the fight. Never stop. Not through days. Not through generations. Authority will always try to consolidate, to contain, to convince you that the fight is over and you've already won everything you need. The ghosts know better. They've always known better.

Suspicion is a virtue, as long as its object is the preservation of the public good.

"Resistance without clear ideological foundation is easily redirected or co-opted. You must know what you're fighting for, not just what you're against. Liberty of conscience. Authority in a republic exists only on loan from the governed."

"This book takes the side of people who resisted. ... American institutions were designed to protect property and power; the Constitution was an innovation in abusive authority that constitutionally enshrined exclusion;and progress came not from the system working as intended but from people forcing it to work differently--until the system adapted to contain them."

"It's about that potent moment when people, driven by their own will, their volition, move beyond just complaining or wishing within the system and take direct action without asking anyone's permission to demand, even force, fundamental change."