The Goodwin Forum

Named in honor of Doris Kearns Goodwin and Richard N. Goodwin, the Goodwin Forum is a multi-use programming space fostering civic engagement, historical scholarship, intellectual growth, and a love of learning. This inspiring venue reflects the Goodwins’ contributions to American political and historical thought and their love for the Town of Concord.

Rows of chairs face a television in the Goodwin forum.The Goodwin Forum Collection

The bookcases lining the Goodwin Forum hold a collection of over 3,000 books selected from Doris Kearns Goodwin and Richard N. Goodwin's personal library, reflecting their areas of interest and research on U.S. presidents, leadership, history, poetry, and baseball. The chart below serves as a guide to the location of the titles in the collection. Sections are shelved alphabetically by author.

While the books do not circulate, if you are interested in a title, please speak to a member of the Library staff, who can help locate a copy in the Library’s circulating collection.

Search the Goodwin Forum Collection     Download Section Chart

Note: To search or browse by subcategory, including Biography, Leadership, or US Presidents, select Advanced Search and choose a Collection under the Limit By section.

The American Promise

“At times, history and fate meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in man's unending search for freedom. So it was at Lexington and Concord. So it was a century ago at Appomattox. So it was last week in Selma, Alabama.”

This quote, posted on the front wall of the Goodwin Forum, is taken from what historians widely regard as one of the greatest presidential speeches in American history. It was drafted by Richard N. Goodwin, who was serving as a presidential speechwriter, and delivered by President Lyndon Baines Johnson to Congress on March 15, 1965, after law enforcement attacked civil rights demonstrators in Selma, Alabama. It was intended to persuade Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act. Often called the "We Shall Overcome" speech for its repeated use of that phrase, its official title is "The American Promise."

[Listen to "The American Promise"]  [Read "The American Promise"]