The ASU Institute of Politics invited American author and historian Jon Meacham for a panel discussion Wednesday with University President Michael Crow on the founding ideas of American politics, their challenges and how these continue to shape the nation.
The institute was founded in 2025 and is currently run by founding director and former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake. It aims to foster an environment that will help grow and inspire the next generation of public service leaders through non-partisan initiatives, according to its website.
One of the initiatives launched by the institute is its Dialogues for Democracy speaker series. By partnering with the ASU Center for Free Speech, the Institute of Politics aims to bring influential figures to converse about emerging changes within politics and public policy.
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The institute held its first conversation of the 2026-27 season between Crow and Meacham. The conversation centered around the country's growing concern about the current state of its democracy and navigating a time of increased polarization.
Meacham, a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer, referenced various historical figures like Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt throughout the conversation as a way to compare them to the political environment today.
"The Declaration (of Independence) was the mission statement," Meacham said. "We did not live up to it then. I think we're doing a hell of a lot better today."
Meacham also promoted his new book, "American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union: An Anthology," a text that explores political divides from when the country was first formed to the present day.
In his conversation with Crow, Meacham cited examples dating all the way back to the creation of the Constitution and the Civil War to remind the audience of other times the country had faced uncertainty and still managed to push for democracy to prevail.
He then named Frederick Douglass, whom he said was "the most important American who we need a monument to."
Politics right now focuses on partisanship and hyperbolic caricature of the other side, Meacham said, as it is "the oxygen of the moment."
"How have we gotten out of those moments before?" Meacham said. "We've gotten out of them because just enough of us have stopped rewarding the people who practice politics that way."
Meacham said people always expect a beginning, middle and end to politics. It's difficult to realize that the struggle to sustain a country never ends.
He cited Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" speech by saying politics and the struggle to maintain a democracy will always be in the middle, and that "life in the arena is perpetually ferocious."
"What I really don't understand about people who argue that the sins of the country should not be taught is how can we celebrate what we've gotten right without knowing what we've gotten wrong?" Meacham said.
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Dean Baker, an audience member, said Crow and Meacham were good at engaging the audience. His biggest takeaway was that political uncertainty is continuous over time.
"Politics are always messy and that we shouldn't despair," Baker said.
Peggy Allin, a graduate student studying political science and another audience member, said she had noticed that people seek answers or a "silver bullet" when listening to similar talks.
"You can just tell people are craving leadership," Allin said.
Before the event concluded, Crow asked Meacham for some final words of wisdom.
"There's a difference between nationalism and patriotism. Nationalism is an allegiance to your own kind. Patriotism is allegiance to an idea," Meacham said. "I would argue that it was patriotism that ... created a country that we still believe is worth defending."
Edited by Andi Ruiz, Carsten Oyer and Sophia Keeling.
Reach the reporters at lnatiell@asu.edu.
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Leticia Natiello is a politics reporter at The State Press. She is a second-year journalism student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. This is her first semester with The State Press.
