Meacham firmly believes that because America has risen above periods of divisiveness in the past, it can do so again. Are you convinced by this argument? How are the divisions of the past worse than the ones today? How are today’s divisions more severe?

Meacham argues that America, on a whole slew of issues related to justice and equal rights, is in a better place in the 21st century than at any other time in its history. Do you agree with that? What are some of the dangers of viewing the arc of history as one that inevitably tends toward progress?

What is the Lost Cause of the Confederacy as defined by Meacham? How does the author thread the narrative of the Lost Cause throughout the entire book? What can the lessons and ramifications of the Lost Cause teach us about our present era?