American Visions with Edward Ayers

American Visions explores the critical era when the American nation and its culture took shape, focusing on the men and women who celebrated ideals of shared humanity and free expression in the face of growing Black slavery and Native dispossession. It presents poets, novelists, artists, and musicians in the same frame as abolitionists, women’s rights advocates, and early environmentalists, defining an authentic American history still valuable today.

There’s more to every story, and the making of America is no exception. Visions for a more perfect union—often originating from the margins of society—continue to shape our nation in profound ways. These original voices are resurfaced in the book American Visions and brought to life through short films, original sources, and visits to the places where history unfolded.