Behold, America: The Entangled History of ‘America First’ and ‘the American Dream’

“America First” and “the American Dream” became widely-discussed, charged phrases during the 2018 presidential election, as then-candidate Donald Trump declared that “the American Dream was dead” and he would “put America first.” Sarah Churchwell *98 explores the origins and historical meanings of the two phrases in Behold, America (Basic Books), exploring how the words have resonated with people even as their connotations have changed dramatically.