David Contosta has done it again. Contosta, 81, a longtime professor at Chestnut Hill College, has written his 27th book. “The Survival of American Democracy: Abuse of Presidential Power and Reforms,” released earlier this year, marks another milestone in Contesta’s 52-year tenure at the college.

Why the need for one more book on the American presidency, the subject of many of Contosta’s courses over the decades?

“One of the themes that I have addressed in these courses is the abuse of presidential powers, especially the alleged war powers,” Contosta said. “I say ‘alleged’ since the Constitution is very clear that the war powers belong almost exclusively to Congress. This concern led to my publishing a book in 2017 entitled ‘America’s Needless Wars: Cautionary Tales of U.S. Involvement in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Iraq.’ All of these conflicts were largely initiated by presidents and largely through deception and even outright lies.”

According to the Chestnut Hill professor, it would probably be surprising to most Americans today that the word “democracy” does not appear anywhere in the Constitution; nor does it state anywhere what form of government the document was attempting to establish.

“At the time,” he said, “the states determined who had the right to vote, and all of them limited that right to white adult males who owned a requisite amount of property, which varied from state to state. Consequently, it has been estimated that only about six percent of the U.S. population had the right to vote when the Constitution went into effect in 1789.”

“Over time,” Contosta continued, “the national government did become more democratic, as the states extended the right to vote by abolishing property qualifications ... Constitutional amendments later extended the right to vote to African Americans, although in theory rather than in practice for many years, and to women.”

Contosta grew up in central Ohio and earned his doctorate in history from Miami University of Ohio in 1973. He moved to Philadelphia when he was offered the job at Chestnut Hill College in 1974. His curriculum vitae would take up at least 20 pages. His previous books include biographies of Charles Darwin, Abraham Lincoln and Henry Adams, a descendant of two presidents, as well as works about religious institutions and higher education, including the history of Chestnut Hill and the Woodward and Houston families. His 26th book, “Happenstance,” released in March of last year, was Contosta’s first work of fiction.

The professor also has written, co-produced and appeared in several documentary films and written dozens of scholarly papers. He has led countless walking tours in the Chestnut Hill area and given many talks to community groups. He was honored with the Chestnut Hill Community Association Award in 2005.

A Fulbright scholar, Contosta has lectured at Nanjing University in China and Pyeongtaek University in South Korea, and also served as a visiting research professor at Cambridge University in England. He was honored with the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in 2006.

Does Contosta truly believe that the future of democracy in the U.S. is in jeopardy?

“Yes,” he said, “since presidents gained more direction over foreign affairs as the United States emerged as a great world power and as the national government necessarily accepted more responsibility over social and economic issues in the modern world.”

The increasing failure of constitutional checks and balances is another reason Contosta believes U.S. democracy is in peril. And the advent of cable news and later social media have created “information silos” that keep voters from forming more balanced views of issues, he said.

Television has also facilitated the rise of President Trump, Contosta said. “The Apprentice” made Trump into a celebrity, he said, which prompted many Americans to view him as a very successful businessman, who would be unlike a typical politician, and would get things done.

“His showmanship at campaign rallies led cable TV networks to cover them as a way of attracting more viewers,” he said, “and thereby more advertising revenue.”

For more information, email contosta@chc.edu. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com.