Diane and I were part of the 2000 attendees of a Jon Meacham event at the Center for the Arts at the State University of New York at Buffalo, part of the Distinguished Speaker Series. Diane and I have read some of Jon Meacham’s many books, seen him speak on MSNBC and other TV news shows, and generally agree with his historical and political analysis of where America is right now.
Meacham spoke for about 90 minutes, then answered questions for 30 more minutes. The 2-hour event didn’t feel like 2 hours–it felt like about 20 minutes! Right now, Meacham is teaching a class in History & Politics at Vanderbilt University. It’s an elective class. Guess how many students signed up for it? If you guessed 1,100 students, you’re right! Meacham’s class is the biggest class in Vanderbilt’s history!
Meacham acknowledged that things don’t look great for America right now, but looking over the history of our country, Meacham pointed out we’ve been down before–the Great Depression, World War II, Vietnam, etc.–and managed to overcome our troubles.
Diane and I enjoyed Meacham’s use of humor to illustrate his points. Meacham is close friends of the Bushes and Meacham has a killer imitation of George H. W. Bush! Very funny!
Here’s more information about Jon Meacham:
Presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham is one of America’s most prominent public intellectuals. A contributor to TIME, Meacham is a highly sought-after commentator, regularly appearing on MSNBC, CNN and other news outlets. A skilled orator with a depth of knowledge about politics, religion and current affairs, Meacham has the unique ability to bring history to life and offer historical context to current events and issues impacting our daily lives—whether we realize it or not—to audiences of all backgrounds and levels of understanding.
He served as Newsweek’s managing editor from 1998 to 2006 and as editor from 2006 to 2010.
Meacham released two podcasts with the History Channel: “Hope Through History” and “It Was Said.” Narrated and written by Meacham, season two of the critically acclaimed “Hope Through History” podcast explores some of the most historic and trying times in American History, how the nation dealt with the impact of these moments, and how we came through these moments a more unified nation. “It Was Said,” tells the stories of those crucial words, taking listeners back to inflection points ranging from the McCarthy era to our present time through the real-time rhetoric that shaped and suffused America as the country struggled through storm and strife. “It Was Said” captures the nation we’ve been, and points ahead to the nation we hope to become.
Meacham is the author of multiple New York Times bestsellers including, “Songs of America,” which is a celebration of the music that helped shape a nation. Co-written by musician Tim McGraw, “Songs of America” was praised as “a glorious celebration of our diversity” by Quincy Jones and an “unusually well-written and moving story” by Ken Burns. Another #1 New York Times bestseller, “The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels,”examines the present moment in American politics and life by looking back at critical times in U.S. history when hope overcame division and fear. He released “His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope”—an intimate and revealing portrait of civil rights icon and longtime U.S. congressman John Lewis that quickly gained bestseller status.
Meacham’s presidential biography of George H. W. Bush, “Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush,” debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestsellers list. According to the Times, “‘Destiny and Power’ reflects the qualities of both subject and biographer: judicious, balanced, deliberative, with a deep appreciation of history and the personalities who shape it.” He is a co-author of “Impeachment: An American History,” which reveals the complicated motives behind the three impeachments in U.S. history. A #1 New York Times bestseller, “Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power” was hailed as “masterful and intimate” by Fortune magazine. Meacham’s other national bestsellers include “Franklin and Winston,” “American Gospel,” and “American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House,” which won a Pulitzer Prize.
Meacham is a frequent guest on “Morning Joe;” “Real Time with Bill Maher;” “The 11th Hour,” and was featured in Ken Burns’ documentary series “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History.” FOX News produced an hour-long special about Meacham’s “Destiny and Power.”
Named a “Global Leader for Tomorrow” by the World Economic Forum, he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a fellow of the Society of American Historians. Meacham is a distinguished visiting professor at Vanderbilt University where he holds the Rogers Chair in the American Presidency. His latest New York Times bestseller, “And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle,” was published in October 2022.
The University at Buffalo’s 2024–2025 Distinguished Speakers Series features four speakers, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, a Nobel Laureate, a ballet dancer, and a Buffalo Bills player:
Jon MeachamPresidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author who will speak on October 16, 2024
Nadia MuradNobel Laureate, United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, and bestselling author who will speak on November 14, 2024
Misty CopelandPrincipal dancer for American Ballet Theatre, philanthropist, and New York Times bestselling author who will speak on February 12, 2025
Damar HamlinBuffalo Bills safety and commotio cordis survivor who will speak on March 13, 2025
I certainly don’t agree with Meacham consistently, but don’t remember too many occasions where I thought his analysis was foolish nor willfully obtuse. Wish I could say the same for more of his colleagues.
Sounds good. Jackie is a big fan of his.
Sorry — I despise, loathe, detest the Bush family and all the ruin they’ve caused or supported. That may be a petty reason for not wanting to hear or read a word spoken or written by a friend of theirs, but so be it.