All we say : the battle for American identity : a history in 15 speeches / Ben Rhodes.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rhodes, Ben, 1977- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States--History.

United States.

United States--Politics and government.

Speeches, addresses, etc., American--History and criticism.

Speeches, addresses, etc., American.

National characteristics, American.

Genre:

Speeches.

speeches (documents)

Physical Description:

x, 411 pages ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Other Title:

All we say : the battle for American identity : a history in fifteen speeches

Battle for American identity : a history in 15 speeches

History in 15 speeches

History in fifteen speeches

Place of Publication:

New York : Random House, [2026]

Summary:

For 250 years, we have debated what it means to be American. This question shaped the compromises in our Constitution and the arguments we've been having ever since--spawning abolitionism, secession, and civil war; populism, mass migration, and global leadership; movements for reform and the backlashes to them. In All We Say, Ben Rhodes tells the story of fifteen speeches--some iconic, others long forgotten--that have both shaped and reflected the argument Americans have been having from our founding to the intense divisions of our time. Through riveting and beautifully rendered accounts of the people, movements, and moments that produced these speeches, Rhodes traces the history of our battle over identity. The result is a singular and revealing portrait of America itself: a nation divided between two stories--one of inheritance, power, and exclusion, the other of equality, striving, and belonging. Drawing on a decade writing for Barack Obama, Rhodes also shows us how words can redirect a nation, what makes a speech enduring, and why oratory is a unique form of persuasion in American democracy. From Benjamin Franklin's call for compromise at the Constitutional Convention, to Alexander Stephens' case for white supremacy as the cornerstone of the Confederacy; from Martin Luther King's dream of true equality to Donald Trump's rallying cry against democracy itself, these speeches remind us that history is a living argument. At a time when American identity--and truth--is contested, All We Say offers a fresh and powerful look at who we really are and who we could still become. -- Front book flap.

Contents:

Part I. American foundations: Revolution to Civil War. Benjamin Franklin: Founding compromise ; Red Jacket: We have always lived here ; Maria Stewart: Knowledge is power ; Alexander Stephens: The cornerstone ; Abraham Lincoln: True and righteous

Part II. What kind of nation: Radical republic to superpower. Frederick Douglass: Such things as human rights ; Anna Dickinson: Celebrity suffragette ; Mary Lease: Wall Street owns this country ; Louis Brandeis: Americanism ; Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Four freedoms

Part III. Contested nation: Civil rights to MAGA. Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy: An American dream ; Dolores Huerta: You cannot pretend that we do not exist ; Ronald Reagan: God and country ; Barack Obama: Breaking the racial stalemate ; Donald Trump: I will win for you.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [383]-411).

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Livezey Fund bookplate.

ISBN:

9780593595121

0593595122

OCLC:

1545494876