Hope Through History: How to Survive Turbulent Times with Jon Meacham

Monday, October 5, 2026
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Off Campus
Alumni, Community, Faculty, Staff

Jon Meacham

This special ticketed event is presented by the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies in collaboration with the Economic Club of Grand Rapids and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

As difficult as the present is, the American past is the story of challenges overcome, crises resolved, and progress made. In this nonpartisan speech, Jon Meacham walks audiences through moments that have seemed intractable to offer lessons for leaders on how to endure and prevail when everything appears hopeless. The presentation is an anecdotally rich reflection on history and a forward-leaning call for constructive habits of citizenship.

Use the button to view complete program details and register on the Economic Club’s website. Registration will open August 12.

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About the Speaker

Presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham is one of America’s most prominent public intellectuals. A highly sought-after commentator, Meacham regularly appears on MSNBC, CNN, and other news outlets. A skilled orator with a depth of knowledge about politics, religion, and current affairs, Meacham has the unique ability to bring history to life and offer historical context to current events and issues impacting our daily lives – whether we realize it or not – to audiences of all backgrounds and levels of understanding.

Meacham is the author of multiple New York Times bestsellers. In 2022, he published And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle, which won numerous awards, including the Lincoln Prize, and spent 16 weeks on the Times bestseller list. A #1 New York Times bestseller, Meacham’s The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels examines the present moment in American politics and life by looking back at critical times in U.S. history when hope overcame division and fear. Meacham’s His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope – an intimate and revealing portrait of civil rights icon and longtime U.S. congressman John Lewis—quickly gained bestseller status.

His latest book, American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, And The Pursuit of a More Perfect Union: An Anthology, provides an historical examination of American democracy through key speeches and documents from 1619 to present, analyzing national debates and divisions with expert commentary.

Program Schedule