“Songs of America: Patriotism, Protest, and the Music That Made a Nation” Jon Meacham & Tim McGraw

Through all the years of strife and triumph, America has been shaped not just by our elected leaders and our formal politics but also by our music — by the lyrics, performers, and instrumentals that have helped to carry us through the dark days and to celebrate the bright ones.

From “The Star-Spangled Banner” to “Born in the U.S.A.,” Jon Meacham and Tim McGraw take readers on a moving and insightful journey through eras in American history and the songs and performers that inspired us. Meacham chronicles our history, exploring the stories behind the songs, and McGraw reflects on them as an artist and performer. Their perspectives combine to create a unique view of the role music has played in uniting and shaping a nation.

In 1795, the Philadelphia Minerva published “Rights of Woman,” a song based on a letter Abigail Adams sent her husband John while he was part of the Second Continental Congress twenty years prior. In part she wrote him, “I long to hear that you have declared an independency — and by the way in the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I…