Featuring Essays by Benjamin Franklin * Ralph Waldo Emerson * W.E.B. Du Bois  * Albert Einstein * Gloria Steinem * Henry David Thoreau * Martin Luther King, Jr. * Mark Twain * Erma Bombeck * Abraham Lincoln * John F. Kennedy * and More... These are Americans who had something important to say--and said it in powerful, convincing ways. A compendium of commentary, criticism, and oratory excellence from throughout the nation's history, The Signet Book of American Essays is a perfect resource for those searching for the most timeless essays ever conceived by America's notable scientists, philosophers, politicians, and writers. From the wisdom of Benjamin Franklin to the outspoken empowerment of Gloria Steinem, from the biting satire of Mark Twain to the grave seriousness of Franklin D. Roosevelt, this collection offers the opportunity to learn the subtle arts of persuasion and rational argument as exemplified in these great American dissertations crafted by some of the country's most brilliant and intriguing citizens.