Heart of the Nation: Volunteering and America's Civic Spirit

Heart of the Nation traces America’s volunteer tradition golden thread of American democracy how Presidents from Washington to Obama have called on citizens to serve their neighbor and nation. From the bunker below the White House on 9/11 to villages in Africa, John Bridgeland shares his own experiences inside and outside of government to spark more Americans to volunteer to meet urgent needs.

He compellingly argues that such service is fundamental to our own happiness and to what the Founders envisioned when they talked about the “pursuit of Happiness” in the Declaration of Independence. Bridge land helps the reader discover their own volunteer service mission and issues a rallying cry to the nation to heal our partisan divisions by joining together across party lines to address our toughest challenges.