An indispensable contribution to the understanding of our heritage. - Robert A. Caro

This insightful collection will fascinate, delight, and challenge all who are interested in the progress of the American nation. -Annette Gordon-Reed

Here, in a single volume, are the documents (speeches, letters, tweets, Supreme Court decisions, and more) that have forged American history. This 11th edition is now updated with a new chapter on the COVID-19 pandemic, the January 6, 2021 insurrection, and the Biden presidency.

Accompanied by interpretations of their significance by noted historian Richard D. Heffner and journalist Alexander B. Heffner, the important documents in this book include-

.The

Declaration of Independence
.The Constitution of the

United States
.Frederick

Douglass’ What, to the Slave, is the Fourth of July?

.The

Monroe Doctrine
.The

Emancipation Proclamation
.Woodrow

Wilson’s War Message to Congress
.Franklin

D. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech
.John

F. Kennedy’s inaugural address
.Martin Luther King,

Jr.‘s letter from the Birmingham City Jail
.The National

Organization for Women (NOW) Statement of Purpose
. Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Decision
.Documents related to

September 11 and the Iraq War
.Barack Obama’s A More

Perfect Union speech
.Articles of Impeachment

against Donald J. Trump

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