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American struggle : democracy, dissent, and the pursuit of a more perfect union : an anthology / Jon Meacham.

Meacham, Jon, (author.).

Summary:

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. Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780593597552
  • ISBN: 0593597559
  • Physical Description: xxvi, 509 pages : illustrations, map, portraits, facsimiles ; 25 cm
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Random House, [2026]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes index.
Formatted Contents Note:
In the beginning: origins to 1776 -- Revolution to republic: 1776-1815 -- The union and its discontents: 1815-1860 -- The fiery trial: 1860-1865 -- A troubled peace: 1865-1932 -- Depression and world war: 1933-1945 -- Victory and conspiracy: 1945-1962 -- Rights and reaction: 1962-1968 -- Fraying consensus: 1969-
Subject:
Democracy > United States > History > Sources.
Dissenters > United States > History > Sources.
Political culture > United States > History > Sources.
Citizenship > United States > History > Sources.
Right and left (Political science) > United States > History > Sources.
United States > Politics and government > Sources.
United States > History > Sources.
Genre:
Primary sources.
Informational works.

Available copies

  • 51 of 70 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
  • 0 of 1 copy available at Madison County Public Library.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 70 total copies.
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Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Madison Main Library 306.209 MEA (Text) 30229101318417 Adult New Nonfiction Checked out 08/24/2026