Whoever rises to deliver the inaugural Address of 2013 will speak to a nation in which the American Dream is under profound economic and cultural pressure. This is perhaps best measured by the state of the middle class. Jon Meacham addressamericanclass share on social
I believe history will come to view 9/11 as an event on par with November 22, 1963, the date on which John F. Kennedy was murdered, cutting short a presidency that was growing ever more promising. Dreams died that day in Dallas; it is easy to imagine the 1960s turning out rather differently had President Kennedy lived. Jon Meacham 1960scutdallas share on social
Whether one believes or not, religion is as real a force in the life of the world as economics or politics, and it demands fair-minded attention. Even if you think the entire religious enterprise is at best misguided and at worst counterproductive, it remains vital, inspiring great good and, sometimes, great evil. Jon Meacham attentionbadbelieve share on social
As a southerner born after the epic events of the civil rights movement, I've always wondered how on earth people of good will could have conceivably lived with Jim Crow - with the daily degradations, the lynchings in plain sight, and, as the movement gathered force, with the fire hoses and the police dogs and the billy clubs. Jon Meacham bearbillycivil share on social
I don't think anyone is qualified to answer questions of eternal fate definitively, much less pinpoint it to a given day. Jon Meacham answerdaydefinitively Change image and share on social
Justified or not, the Supreme Court has a kind of sacred status in American life. For whatever reason, Presidents can safely run against Congress, and vice versa, but I think there is an inherent popular aversion to assaults on the court itself. Perhaps it has to do with an instinctive belief that life needs umpires. Jon Meacham americanassaultaversion share on social
The government invented the Internet. Jon Meacham governmentinternetinvent Change image and share on social
As crucial as religion has been and is to the life of the nation, America's unifying force has never been a specific faith, but a commitment to freedom - not least freedom of conscience. Jon Meacham americacommitmentconscience Change image and share on social
The middle class, one of the great achievements in history, is becoming more of a relic than a reality. Jon Meacham achievementclassgreat Change image and share on social
The attacks of September 11 - and subsequent acts of terror from London to Madrid to Fort Hood, Texas - embody the most repulsive of human instincts, the will to power at the price of the lives of others. Jon Meacham actattackembody share on social