The Promise of America encourages students to think critically and write analytically about the American experience, exploring the promises of freedom, opportunity, and equality that are dearest to our hearts.

This thematically-organized, cultural studies reader asks students to engage in a critical way our society's deeply-held beliefs regarding social equality, education, free press, health care, work and success, and civil liberties.  Do we have certain birthrights as Americans as a result of promises made in our Declaration, Constitution, and other early sources?  How have these rights been amended or expanded over time, and to what degrees have these promises been kept for different groups?  Students will encounter a range of political and philosophical positions, historical depth and contemporary perspectives, and a variety of genres (speeches, newspaper editorials, photographs, cartoons, and expository essays) as they grapple with what it means to be an American.