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Here are some possible questions to think about:
Is neopopulism a fear of the loss of an American identity? And if so, what is the nature of that identity?
Is neopopulism a realization that “American exceptionalism”—the idea of the uniqueness of American values such as freedom, democracy, equality, or justice—has lost its meaning?
Is it a growing sense of disillusionment in the idea of the “American dream” of prosperity, home-ownership, or economic success?
Is it the seemingly irreducible forms of social, economic, or racial inequalities which have permeated the American experience in one form or another for centuries?
Is it that Henry Luce’s idea of the “American Century,” of American global leadership has come to an end?
For this paper, choose among the following primary and secondary sources (or passages from the sources) which support your thesis statement about the rise of neopopulism. You do not have to use all of the readings in your essay. But, you should use at least two to provide evidence to support your thesis.
Richard Hofsta

dter, “The Paranoid Style in American Politics,” Harper’s Magazine, November 1964. (pdf) Download Richard Hofstadter, “The Paranoid Style in American Politics,” Harper’s Magazine, November 1964. (pdf)
Ralph Nader, Green Party Acceptance Speech (2000) (pdf) Download Ralph Nader, Green Party Acceptance Speech (2000) (pdf)
Sarah Palin’s Acceptance Speech, NPR (2008) (pdf) Download Sarah Palin’s Acceptance Speech, NPR (2008) (pdf)
Ravi Batra, “The Occupy Wall Street Movement and the Coming Demise of Crony Capitalism,” Truthout (2011) (pdf) Download Ravi Batra, “The Occupy Wall Street Movement and the Coming Demise of Crony Capitalism,” Truthout (2011) (pdf)
Donald Trump, Inaugural Address (2017) (pdf) Download Donald Trump, Inaugural Address (2017) (pdf)
Bart Bonikowski, “Trump’s Populism: The Mobilization of Nationalist Cleavages and the Future of U.S. Democracy.” When Democracy Trumps Populism: Lessons from Europe & Latin America, edited by Kurt Weyland and Raúl Madrid, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2019) 110-131. (pdf)