American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union: An Anthology

by Jon Meacham

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of America unites centuries of essential American voices to understand our national debates and divisions from 1619 to the present, with his signature commentary on the consequential speeches, letters, and essays that led us to this moment.

“Jon Meacham has done it again. If there is a soul in American history, it emerges—indeed, explodes—from these pages.”—David W. Blight, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Frederick Prophet of Freedom

In a polarized era, history can become a subject of political contention. Many see America as perfect; many others argue that the national experiment is fundamentally flawed. The truth, Meacham shows, likely lies between these extremes. America has had shining hours, and also dark ones.

In American Struggle, Jon Meacham illuminates the nation’s complicated past. This rich and diverse collection covers a wide spectrum of history, from 1619 to the twenty-first century, with primary-source documents that take us back to critical moments in which Americans fought over the meaning and the direction of the national experiment. From the founders to Lincoln to Obama, from Andrew Jackson to Theodore Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan, from Seneca Falls to the March on Washington, this chorus—sometimes discordant and always fascinating—tells the story of the country and of its people. As clashes over liberty and slavery, inclusion and exclusion, play out, these voices, brilliantly framed by Meacham’s singular commentary, remind us that contentious citizenship and fair-minded observations are essential to bringing about the more perfect union envisioned in the Preamble to the Constitution, which Frederick Douglass called a “glorious liberty document.”

Conflict is nothing new in our democracy; rather, as Meacham and these texts show, tensions are inherent, stubborn, and perennial. And American Struggle teaches us anew that to know what has come before, to watch as long-running disputes rise and fall, is to be armed against despair.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, American History, The United States Of America, Historical, Adult

519 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 17, 2026

About the author

Jon Ellis Meacham is an American writer, reviewer, historian and presidential biographer who is serving as the Canon Historian of the Washington National Cathedral since November 7, 2021. A former executive editor and executive vice president at Random House, he is a contributing writer to The New York Times Book Review, a contributing editor to Time magazine, and a former editor-in-chief of Newsweek. He is the author of several books. He won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography for American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House. He holds the Carolyn T. and Robert M. Rogers Endowed Chair in American Presidency at Vanderbilt University.

Reviews

[Ryan E · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had I paid closer attention that this was merely a collection of Meacham’s favorite speeches and writings since the constitutional founding of America until the present day, I would have skipped it.

Not to discount the importance of many (not all) of the works that Meacham hand-picked, the content was a dry academia exercise rather than an interesting work of narrative non-fiction like his excellent “And There Was Light” book about Abe Lincoln.

Unless you’re needing source material for a school paper, I’d probably skip it.

[Richard Jaffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this advance ARC in return for an honest review.

American Struggle, per author Jon Meacham, is a companion piece to his earlier masterpiece, The Soul of America. Meacham identifies this work as an Anthology which incorporates the writings and/or speeches of many of this countries greatest thinkers and orators, and Donald Trump.

Tackling many important debates over several different eras of this country, Meacham, brings to light the various behind the scenes ( and often out in the open ) arguments for, and against, the Constitution, Slavery and abolitionism, the Jim Crow and KKK movements rising up from the ashes of the Civil War, the suffrage movement, the Red Scare and McCarthyism, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement of the 60's, and to a lesser extent the ERA and women's rights as well LGBTQ rights.

Reading these passages makes one yearn for the intellect of our Fore Fathers and historic politicians such as Lincoln, FDR, JFK and RFK, "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech by Martin Luther King, Jr on the eve of his assassination, and yes even Obama. After approximately 500 pages of the spoken works of mostly brilliant orators, we come up to Trump's "American Carnage" Inauguration speech and with little or no commentary from the author one can feel his pain in having to put these words, written with a 5th grade vocabulary, next to some of the most famous passages that made our once great nation.

The anthology ends, not with more Trump or even Biden speeches, but with 2 pieces warning of Trump's attempts at creating a competitive authoritarian regime: "This is How Democracies Die" from the Guardian, and "The Path to American Authoritarianism" by Levitsky and Way. The former piece was written in 2018 in the middle of the first term and the latter shortly after the start of Trump 2.0. Sadly Levitsky and Way have predicted many of Trump's "moves" towards a "Competitive Authoritarianism" mainly because he is following the "playbook" written by the Putin, Erdoğan and other autocrats of the present.

This anthology would be fascinating for scholars and non-scholars alike but I would have liked to have heard more from Meachem himself. Each "era" is met with a 5-6 page passage setting up the theme, and a paragraph or 2 about the author/speaker before each speech or written passage. As I have always loved Meacham's TV appearances and commentaries, this seemed to be the one thing lacking, otherwise this would be 5 stars.

#AmericanStruggle #NetGalley

[Bookreporter.com Biography & Memoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the outset in AMERICAN STRUGGLE, Jon Meacham makes clear where he stands on what we Americans have witnessed since our founding: “Nativism, xenophobia, cultural populism, and broad political fear have shaped the Republic from the beginning, and always will…. We do ourselves no favors by pretending that American history is either cheerfully grand or unrelievedly bleak.”

The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer of numerous New York Times bestsellers, including AND THERE WAS LIGHT and HIS TRUTH IS MARCHING ON, illustrates his point through dozens of primary-source documents and his own concise comments. He allows these documents to argue with one another across time and trusts readers to draw their own conclusions.

Beginning in 1619 and extending to the present day (with a final article on “The Path to American Authoritarianism”), AMERICAN STRUGGLE gathers writings and speeches from politicians, historians, activists and observers grappling with the defining issues of their eras. The result is an anthology that highlights how and why the United States has veered between conflicting views of what a more perfect union might look like. It is by turns dismaying and comforting to review what beliefs our politicians and civic leaders have espoused or, in some cases, conveniently adopted.

Meacham includes speeches, letters and documents from figures like Thomas Jefferson, Daniel Webster, Shirley Chisholm, Edward R. Murrow, and --- in perhaps the most prescient document in the book --- Richard Hofstadter on the subject of “The Paranoid Style in American Politics,” an essay that was written in 1965.

But the sections on the Civil War and Reconstruction, as well as the Civil Rights and “Expansion of Democracy” movements, get particular attention, with Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address in the former and everyone from Martin Luther King Jr. to Fannie Lou Hamer and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the latter. Meacham also revisits ugly periods that are often forgotten, such as the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s and the Army-McCarthy hearings in the 1950s.

While not traditional history, the cumulative effect of presenting this array of opinions over a 400-year span is to give readers an understanding of, and appreciation for, the difficult journey that the country and its people have been on. Timed perfectly for the 250th anniversary of our founding, AMERICAN STRUGGLE is an ideal companion for anyone who wants to know how we got here.

Reviewed by Lorraine W. Shanley

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that every American who has an interest in U.S. history, politics and democracy should read. Jon Meacham is an excellent historian and writer, but this book is so interesting because he uses letters, speeches and documents dating back to 1619 up to present day to show how democracy has faced many obstacles over the years, but it somehow always manages to stay alive -- mainly because of citizens and politicians who fight for it.

I highlighted so many passages in this book, which I can't quote in this review until the book is published, but I will say that I learned a great deal. One of my favorite pieces was a protest by a group of ladies in Steubenville, Ohio, against the Indian Removal Act of 1830. It was an impressive act by a group of women who put human rights and civility above prejudice and power-hungry politicians.

I also loved Abigail Adams' 1776 letter to her husband, John Adams, to "Remember the Ladies" as the male political leaders of the fledgling colonies began to make laws. Abigail urged her husband to not give males "unlimited power," and she warned that "all Men would be tyrants if they could." There were so many acts that shaped our country -- from James Madison's concern that checks and balances were needed to any government; to the first national women's rights' convention in 1848; to Horace Mann's drive to bring public schools to the country, and to Barbara Jordan's memorable address at the 1976 Democratic National Convention. I could go on and on.

All of these stories lead up to Meacham's belief that the past really does impact the future. I am in no way trying to be political in this review -- I really believe that America can come out strong no matter what challenges face her.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Random House for the eARC and the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own.

[Monica Beard · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, the Jon Meacham era of Newsweek was the golden era of that news magazine, and I remember American Lion being one of the few books that I made time for college. Meacham has continued to move from writing about politics to being a part of it, helping Joe Biden with speechwriting. This book isn't a traditional biography, but a collection of primary sources throughout periods of American history.

I really enjoyed that Meacham groups them by era, because, of course, some of them contradict, some of them disagree and perspectives vary completely. I enjoy, for example, that Meacham included quotes from Black people along with more traditional founding fathers in the Revolutionary War. But the book makes a point that I think stands besides traditional histories such as Meacham's own biographies and Simon Schama's "The American Future: A Past" (a book that has resonated with me for years). I'd really recommend this both for fans of Meacham, as well as those who enjoy Ron Chernow or Joseph Ellis. Thanks to Random House for the early copy.

[Terry Ballard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Valentine for Americans who are in despair at the state of our country in 2026. Author and historian Meacham uses his position as a renowned centrist to create an anthology of writings that show how Americans were always striving to find a better way to run a country. He chooses pertinent writings by the major players such as Washington, Jefferson and Madison, along with eloquent pieces by those on the outside such as Phyllis Wheatley, Frederick Douglass and even the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. A good example of a historian looking at America’s long struggles and seeing the big picture. Highly recommended.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is meant as a companion for the author’s earlier book “The Soul of America.” I recommend that you read that excellent book first before tackling this one. Meacham blends in quotes from the early 1600’s to almost the current day from various participants both looking to promote and advance democracy and those who wish to alter its course to something less than a democratic nation. It is an excellent read and well worth the undertaking given the current environment in our nation.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is based on an ARC released by the publisher.

Jon Meacham presents an unique discussion of the history of our country. It is an excellent presentation in that he includes the documents, speeches, rulings and editorials that effected the country's direction. It lays out the history of America, good and bad, in black and white. It
present the case that for this country to be understood the American public needs to read and
understand the facts of American history and the people who played a role in it.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compilation of speeches and essays of famous people, mostly politicians, depicting the struggle America has faced since its founding. I found the lead up to the Civil War and the current environment parties interesting. I would have liked to hear more of Mr. Meacham's voice in the book.

[Mrie Mils]

In American Struggle, Jon Meacham reminds us that America has always been shaped by conflict as much as hope. By letting historical voices speak for themselves, he offers clarity, perspective, and a steady guide through today’s divisions.

[JoAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read the latest from Pulitzer Prize winning biographer and historian Jon Meacham.
“American Struggle�� is another great contribution by Meacham designed to inform readers about our country’s complicated and sometimes difficult history. Meacham uses excerpts of speeches, news articles, and opinion pieces covering time periods from our country’s origins up to today’s tumultuous times to illustrate that conflicts have been a constant in the United States and that we have come together to keep our country together.
As someone who often is worried about the country in its current state, I found “American Struggle” a useful read.