Two years ago, Judy Woodruff began traveling the country to examine the roots of division for her series, America at a crossroads.

Tonight, she returns with a conversation with someone who has spent his life considering such questions.

Fundamentally undermining the American constitutional order, changing us from being a democracy.

Now 84 years old, Harvard Professor Emeritus Robert Putnam has spent decades studying how

American society evolved from one that, however, flawed, was steadily moving towards

greater connection, equality, cooperation, and cohesion.

Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.

To one that in more recent decades has been defined by growing isolation, distrust,

inequality, and political discord.

My recent election is a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal

and all of these many betrayals that have taken place.

To the point that Pottenham now worries these forces threaten to upend the Constitution.

They're talking about not obeying court orders.

I mean, come on.

The court system, better or worse, is currently the last bulwark of our democracy.

So we're awfully close to breaking the bounds that have kept us our democracy safe.

How many in the room are on a bowling team, bowling league?

Paul Salman first profile Robert Putnam on this program 30 years ago, when Putnam published his essay, Bowling Alone,

which would become his groundbreaking book,

showing that since the high watermark of the 1960s,

Americans had become steadily more isolated,

and that this was weakening civic engagement

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