Accompanied by interpretations of their significance by noted historian Richard D. Heffner and journalist Alexander Heffner, this book includes important documents such as:

- The complete text of the Declaration of Independence
- The complete Constitution of the United States
- The Monroe Doctrine
- The Emancipation Proclamation
- Woodrow Wilson's War Message to Congress
- Franklin D. Roosevelt's Four Freedoms Speech
- John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address
- Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I Have a Dream Speech
- Ronald Reagan's Inaugural Addresses
- Documents relating to September 11, 2001 and the Iraq War

This edition has been expanded and updated to include a chapter on the Presidency of Donald Trump.