Here, in a single volume, are the documents, speeches, and letters that have forged American history, now updated with new content such as Trump's inaugural address.

Accompanied by interpretations of their significance by noted historian Richard D. Heffner and journalist Alexander Heffner, this book includes important documents such as:

The complete text of the Declaration of Independence

The complete Constitution of the United States

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 "I Have a Dream" Speech

Ronald Reagan's Inaugural Addresses

Documents relating to September 11, 2001 and the Iraq War

This edition has been expanded and updated to include a chapter on the Presidency of Donald Trump.