Journalist and editor After college, he worked at
The Chattanooga Times, In 2006, he became editor-in-chief of
Newsweeks print and online formats. he is a contributing writer to
The New York Times Book Review and
The Washington Post,
Biographer and book author He was the editor for ''Voices in Our Blood: America's Best on the Civil Rights Movement
which was released in 2001. Spanning the period from 1941 to 1998, the book includes writings of noted civil-rights leaders, novelists, and journalists, like John Lewis, James Baldwin, William Faulkner, and David Halberstam. Jill Abramson writing in a book review in The New York Times'' states that Meacham's books are "well researched, drawing on new anecdotal material and up-to-date historiographical interpretations" and presents his "subjects as figures of heroic grandeur despite all-too-human shortcomings". In his biography of Jefferson, Meacham identifies qualities that would be helpful in the current political arena, "Jefferson repeatedly reached out to his enemies and showed ideological flexibility." Regarding the former president's stance on slavery, Meacham states, "Slavery was the rare subject where Jefferson's sense of realism kept him from marshaling his sense of hope in the service of the cause of reform."
Other appearances Over the years Meacham has been a frequent guest on various talk shows such as
Charlie Rose,
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,
The Colbert Report, and
Real Time with Bill Maher. From May 2010 to April 2011, Meacham was co-host with
Alison Stewart of
Need to Know on
PBS. He is also a frequent guest on
CBS This Morning,
Face the Nation,
MSNBC's
Morning Joe, and
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In 2014, Meacham appeared in
Ken Burns' documentary series
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History on
PBS. He also appeared in a cameo in the 2018 film
The Front Runner. Meacham taught history at his alma mater, the University of the South, in 2014. before being appointed to the Carolyn T. and Robert M. Rogers Chair in American Presidency. Meacham is also the co-chair of the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy at Vanderbilt University.
Politics Meacham was asked to speak at the
2020 Democratic National Convention on the Soul of America. He endorsed
Joe Biden, saying, "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". According to
The New York Times, Meacham was part of the team writing some of Joe Biden's speeches for the
2020 United States presidential election, including Biden's acceptance speech, and his 2024
State of the Union address. In November 2022, Meacham helped
Nancy Pelosi, the
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, write a speech announcing that she would not seek reelection to House Democratic leadership in the
118th United States Congress. == Accolades ==