Includes bibliographical references and index.

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-

BOOK TEAM: Production editor: Dennis Ambrose ; Managing editor: Rebecca Berlant ; Production manager: Richard Elman ; Copy editor: Nancy Elgin ; Proofreaders: Claire Maby, Ruth Anne Phillips, Rachael Clements, Caryl Weintraub ; Indexer: Charlee Trantino ; Book design by Simon M. Sullivan ; Title page spread: U.S. Marines raising the flag on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima in February 1945 [Photograph credited to Associated Press (AP) photographer Joe Rosenthal] --Title page verso.

This "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 ... tells the story of the country and of its people. As clashes over liberty and slavery, inclusion and exclusion, play out, these voices, ... 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'"-- Provided by publisher.

"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." -- Publisher's website.