The Signet Book of American Essays (Signet Classics)

Featuring Essays by

Benjamin Franklin • Ralph Waldo Emerson • W.E.B. Du Bois  • Albert Einstein • Gloria Steinem • Henry David Thoreau • Martin Luther King, Jr. • Mark Twain • Erma Bombeck • Abraham Lincoln • John F. Kennedy • and More...

These are Americans who had something important to say—and said it in powerful, convincing ways. A compendium of commentary, criticism, and oratory excellence from throughout the nation’s history, The Signet Book of American Essays is a perfect resource for those searching for the most timeless essays ever conceived by America’s notable scientists, philosophers, politicians, and writers.

From the wisdom of Benjamin Franklin to the outspoken empowerment of Gloria Steinem, from the biting satire of Mark Twain to the grave seriousness of Franklin D. Roosevelt, this collection offers the opportunity to learn the subtle arts of persuasion and rational argument as exemplified in these great American dissertations crafted by some of the country’s most brilliant and intriguing citizens.

Aspects of Literacy

1. Benjamin Franklin: from the Autobiography

2. Katherine Peterson: Why

3. Eudora Wetly: Writing and Analyzing the Story

4. Sam Pickering: Composing a Life

5. Richard Lederer: The Miracle of Language

On Education

6. Ralph Waldo Emerson: The American Scholar

7. W.E.B. Dubois: Of the Coming of John

8. Albert Einstein: On Education

Religious Fervor

9. Cotton Mather: On the Trial of Bridget Bishop

10. Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Meaning of this Hour

11. Neal Osterow: Making Sense of the Nonsensical

Intellectual Freedom

12. Leonard Everett Fisher: Censorship and the Arts

13. Lance Morrow: In Praise of Huckleberry Finn

14. Judith Krug: Intellectual Freedom, Libraries, and Censorship

Women Speak Out

15. Abagail Adams: Letter from Braintree, 31 March 1776

16. Gloria Steinem: A New Egalitarian Life Style

17. Sandra Cisneros: Only Daughter

18. Hillary Rodham Clinton: Remarks to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women Plenary Session

19. Anna Quindlen, The War We Haven't Won

Individual Rights

20. Henry David Thoreau: Civil Disobedience

21. Martin Luther King. Jr.: Letter from a Birmingham Jail

On the Lighter Side

22. George Plimpton: Desperately Seeking Humor

23. Mark Twain: Advice to Youth

24. Erma Bombeck: Warning: Families May Be Dangerous to Your Health

America at the Crossroads

25. Abraham Lincoln: Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865

26. Franklin D. Roosevelt: Joint Address to Congress, December 8, 1941

27. Dwight D. Eisenhower: Farewell Adress, January 17, 1961

28. John F. Kennedy: Special Message to Congress on the Defense Budget, March 28, 1961