American Struggle

“Jon Meacham has done it again. This collection of pivotal American documents is all about the contrasts that flow from American pluralism over time, but it is even more about poignancies and conflicts which rise over and over in our history. Here are Hamilton and Jefferson, Calhoun and David Walker; Andrew Jackson and the Seneca Falls Declaration; Frederick Douglass and Andrew Johnson. FDR timelessly takes on “fear” and Huey Long “rich people.” Democracy marches in many tongues here but so does authoritarianism, American-style. If there is a soul in American history, it emerges—indeed, explodes—from these pages.”—David W. Blight, Yale University, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom

“Jon Meacham is our era’s preeminent historian of America’s values. In this anthology of brilliant essays and important documents, he weaves a narrative of how our democracy has progressed, in fits and starts, in pursuit of a more perfect union. It serves as a guide for the struggle we still face to preserve our freedoms. This is the one book everyone should read to celebrate our 250th birthday.”—Walter Isaacson, Professor of History, Tulane University, and New York Times bestselling author of Benjamin Franklin, Steve Jobs, and Einstein

“With American Struggle, Jon Meacham gives us exactly what we need as we approach the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding. The documents presented remind us, in this very difficult time, of the country’s sometimes fraught journey toward creating a more perfect union. This volume is inspiring, just at the moment and in the way we need it most.”—Annette Gordon-Reed, Carl M. Loeb University Professor, Harvard University, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family

“With this unique anthology, Pulitzer winner Meacham (And There Was Light) aims to inspire by spotlighting tense moments of political polarization and conflicting viewpoints throughout American history. . . . There’s much powerful thought to soak up here.”—Publishers Weekly

“A panoramic collection of historical writing, illuminating America’s evolving democracy and the dissent that drives it. Broad in scope yet vivid . . . [Meacham] curates a sweeping chronicle of American democracy’s promises and betrayals. . . . By presenting the raw materials of U.S. history with context and moral clarity, Meacham helps readers understand the past and orient themselves in the ongoing fight for a ‘more perfect Union.’ Evocative and impeccably curated—reframing America’s past to inform a more democratic and vigilant future.”—Kirkus Reviews