Historian Jon Meacham to speak on final night of Democratic convention

Presidential historian Jon Meacham will speak from Nashville on the final night of the Democratic convention, according to multiple reports. 

Meacham, who has eulogized figures like the late President George H.W. Bush and the late Rep.  John Lewis (D-Ga.), will reportedly urge Americans to remember that “history, which will surely be our judge, can also be our guide. … From Seneca Falls to Selma to Stonewall, we’re at our best when we build bridges, not walls.”

“It’s not a partisan issue,” the Pulitzer-Prize winning historian will reportedly say Thursday night. “Presidents from Truman to Reagan to Bush 41 prevailed in the Cold War, which was about freedom versus tyranny. And at home, do you want to be Bull Connor, or John Lewis? Joe McCarthy, or Margaret Chase Smith? Do you want to tear down, or do you want to build?”

Meacham told Axios he has voted for both parties, but never endorsed a political candidate. 

President Trump “poses such a clear and present danger to the things we should value most that I think it’s incumbent on all of us who believe that to say something,” Meacham told Axios.

According to The New York Times, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is a fan of Meacham, and has used the title of the historian’s book “The Soul of America” to inspire campaign phrases.

Democratic convention officials did not immediately respond to an inquiry from The Hill.