These truths : a history of the United States

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In a sweeping one-volume account of American history, award-winning historian Jill Lepore presents a profound exploration of the nation's origins and divisions. Her work emphasizes the importance of truth—anchored in facts and evidence—as central to understanding America’s past. The American experiment is built on three foundational ideas: political equality, natural rights, and the sovereignty of the people, all of which require a fearless commitment to inquiry for self-governance to thrive. Beginning in 1492, Lepore examines whether the events of over five centuries have upheld or contradicted these truths. She intertwines the histories of American politics, law, journalism, and technology, spanning from colonial town meetings to modern Internet polls. Her narrative features a diverse array of figures, including prominent leaders and lesser-known activists, such as Frederick Douglass, William Jennings Bryan, Pauli Murray, and Phyllis Schlafly. Lepore asserts that Americans are descendants of both oppressors and the oppressed, and she reflects on the ongoing struggle over the meaning of the nation’s history. Engaging with this past is essential to citizenship, as it is an inheritance that cannot be ignored. "The past is an inheritance, a gift and a burden," she notes, urging readers to confront it.