The new Society is seeking funds to acquire the rights to American Heritage -- which suspended publication last year -- from American Heritage Publishing. It is vitally important for our nation that this beloved publication continues to educate and inspire millions of citizens through writing by distinguished historians and writers.
Founded in 1949, American Heritage quickly established itself as the leading voice of history. In its first half century, the magazine published such preeminent authors as Stephen Ambrose, Daniel Boorstin, John Dos Passos, John F. Kennedy, Archibald McLeish, William Manchester, Samuel Eliot Morrison, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Wallace Stegner, and Barbara Tuchman.
Founded during the Cold War with the Soviet Union, American Heritage became an effective means of fighting the destructive ideologies of Nazism and Communism by giving Americans a stronger understanding of what makes this nation special. While the Cold War may be over, the battle of world ideologies – and the crisis of historical illiteracy in America – make the need for understanding our history and appreciating our shared heritage even more urgent.
In 2007, Edwin S. Grosvenor, a long-time CEO of magazine and Internet companies, led a group that acquired the magazine, cut costs, and launched important online ventures. During the following five years, American Heritage returned to publishing traditional history by leading historians such as Edward Ayres, Jean Baker, Douglas Brinkley, Joe Ellis, David Hackett Fischer, Eric Foner, Annette Gordon-Reed, Harold Holzer, John Lukacs, David McCullough, Walter McDougall, James McPherson, Nathaniel Philbrick, Jay Winik, and Gordon Wood.