By Coral Gables Gazette staff

Before a packed audience at Temple Beth Am in Pinecrest on February 21, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author Jon Meacham delivered a message both sobering and hopeful: America has endured periods of bitter division before, and its survival has always depended on a shared willingness to remain united, even in defeat.

In a wide-ranging conversation moderated by longtime Coral Gables resident and former The Miami Herald publisher David Lawrence Jr., Meacham reflected on the themes of his latest book, American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union. The event, hosted by Books & Books founder Mitchell Kaplan, examined the moral foundations of democracy at a time when civic trust, nationally and locally, appears increasingly fragile.

Meacham framed the current moment not as unprecedented, but as part of a recurring test of the American experiment. “It’s a constant struggle,” he said. “It’s a human undertaking. The fate of the republic turns on our essential moral disposition toward one another.”

His words resonated beyond national politics, echoing concerns closer to home in Coral Gables, where recent commission meetings have devolved into bitter personal attacks, infighting and accusations that have fractured civic discourse.

At the heart of Meacham’s argument was the idea that democracy is not defined by victory, but by restraint and mutual acceptance. “To live in community,” Meacham said, “you have to be willing to concede. You have to be willing to lose a fight. If not, then the covenant is broken.”

Democracy as a moral covenant

Meacham repeatedly emphasized that democracy depends less on laws themselves than on the character and behavior of the people who live under them. “The rule of law depends on our disposition and willingness to follow the law,” he said. “This is entirely a moral crisis—how we are with each other.”

Democracy, he added, runs counter to human instinct. “Democracy is counterintuitive,” Meacham said. “It’s give and take. Who wants to give? It’s much more fun to take.” That tension, he argued, is why division and conflict have been present throughout American history – from the founding era to the Civil War and the civil rights movement.

Yet those moments of fracture did not destroy the nation, he said, because Americans ultimately accepted a deeper commitment to coexistence. “There is no ultimate victory in a democracy,” Meacham said. “The rules are there to protect you when you don’t win, so you will stay in the community.”

He warned that viewing politics as total war rather than structured disagreement governed by shared rules poses a fundamental threat. “If we don’t see the country as a covenant, but as an arena of total war, then we incentivize the destruction of one another,” he said.

Lessons from history,and hope

Lawrence, who led the Herald during a transformative era in South Florida journalism and later spearheaded the creation of The Children’s Trust – a voter-approved property tax initiative that funds programs serving children and families across Miami-Dade County- framed the evening with a call for civic humility and historical awareness.

“Too many people don’t understand our own history,” Lawrence said. “We despair these days as if they were days like no other.” Lawrence noted that Miami-Dade itself reflects the evolving American story, describing it as one of the most diverse communities in the nation, with residents from across the globe living under shared democratic ideals.

Meacham agreed that history offers both perspective and reassurance. “The moral utility of history is to look back and see how the American experiment was rescued at different hours,” he said. “And dedicate ourselves to not being the generation that loses it.”

He rejected blind optimism but embraced hope grounded in action. “I am hopeful,” Meacham said. “Things will get better not because the challenges are small, but because citizens choose to make them better.”

He cited abolitionist Frederick Douglass as an example of democratic faith, noting that even in the face of the oppression and injustice of slavery, Douglass believed the nation could live up to its founding ideals. “That’s a level of faith,” Meacham said. “If Frederick Douglass could believe that, then I think we can overcome our own divisions.”

A message for Coral Gables

The evening’s message carried particular urgency for Coral Gables, where recent public meetings have been marked by escalating hostility among elected officials and residents alike. Meacham suggested that such conflict, while troubling, is not fatal, provided participants remain committed to democratic principles.

“The American experiment depends on both leaders and citizens seeing each other in terms of covenant,” he said. “Everything we do matters to the health of the republic.” The path forward, both men suggested, lies not in eliminating disagreement, but in restoring respect.