America the Beautiful in Dark Times begins and ends with reflections on the fundamental ideals of American democracy expressed by the nation's sixteenth president in a dark time of civil war. In between these affirmations, Gordon Shepherd depicts the dangerous threats of present-day Trumpism to democratic norms and the capitulation of the Republican Party in the service of Trump's authoritarian vendetta to regain the White House after falsely refusing to concede his defeat in the 2020 election. At the same time, Shepherd writes of our capacity for sustaining hope and resolve in dark times through conversation, poetry, and literature—through storytelling that reminds us of honor and respect in a civil society, and through the concerned voices of parents and teachers who uphold in their homes and classrooms democratic principles for America's children to learn and cherish.