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"Conflict and Democracy in Classic American Fiction" analyzes major conflicts in American history and the quest for democratic means to resolve those conflicts as portrayed in classic works of American fiction. This project builds on my previous studies of civic discourse and deliberative democracy, is informed by recent work in peace studies, and responds to the Bridging Cultures initiative. "Conflict and Democracy" begins with an introduction titled "Regeneration through Nonviolence," which deconstructs today's culture of conflict and presents a counter narrative about American fiction and culture. There are chapters on Cooper, Stowe, and the early peace movement; Adams, Sinclair and Progressivism; the war novels of Hemingway and Mailer; Ellison and Bellow on Tocquevillean democracy; and postmodern democracy in Silko and Didion. I conclude with the Bengali-American writers Bharati Mukherjee and Jumpha Lahiri, who rewrite "The Scarlet Letter" and respond to "Midnight's Children."