Democracy, an American Novel

novel by Adams

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June 25, 2026

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The novel Democracy: An American Novel was published anonymously in 1880 and is attributed to Henry Adams. It is a political novel that critiques the corruption within Washington D.C. during the Gilded Age. The story follows a woman who becomes involved with a dishonest senator, suggesting that the root of corruption lies in the unprincipled attitudes of the American West. The novel reflects Adams's disillusionment with American politics and society, a sentiment also explored by his brother, Brooks Adams, who questioned the success of democracy in the U.S..123

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Gilded Age
…was followed in 1880 by Democracy, a political novel published anonymously by the historian Henry Adams. Adams’s book deals with a dishonest Midwestern senator and suggests that the real source of corruption lies in the unprincipled attitudes of the wild and lawless West. An American Politician, by Francis Marion Crawford…
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…was followed in 1880 by Democracy, a political novel published anonymously by the historian Henry Adams. Adams’s book deals with a dishonest Midwestern senator and suggests that the real source of corruption lies in the unprincipled attitudes of the wild and lawless West. An American Politician, by Francis Marion Crawford…
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Henry Adams
” His anonymously published novel Democracy, an American Novel (1880) reflected his loss of faith. The heroine, Madeleine Lee, like Adams himself, becomes an intimate of Washington’s political circles. As confidante of a Midwestern senator, Madeleine is introduced to the democratic process. She meets the President and other figures who…
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” His anonymously published novel Democracy, an American Novel (1880) reflected his loss of faith. The heroine, Madeleine Lee, like Adams himself, becomes an intimate of Washington’s political circles. As confidante of a Midwestern senator, Madeleine is introduced to the democratic process. She meets the President and other figures who…
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Washington, D.C.
Literature
Initially published anonymously, Democracy (1886) is considered by some to be the quintessential Washington novel; its author, Henry Adams, lived for many years in Lafayette Square. Margaret Leech won a Pulitzer Prize for her Reveille in Washington, 1860–1865 (1941), about life in Washington during the Civil War. Other…
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Initially published anonymously, Democracy (1886) is considered by some to be the quintessential Washington novel; its author, Henry Adams, lived for many years in Lafayette Square. Margaret Leech won a Pulitzer Prize for her Reveille in Washington, 1860–1865 (1941), about life in Washington during the Civil War. Other…
Read More