America’s Last Days
The Finale of Empire USA
Peter LauferA provocative examination of whether the United States can remain united
As the United States moves beyond its 250th anniversary, questions about national identity, political cohesion and the future of the republic have become increasingly urgent. America’s Last Days argues that the tensions present since the nation’s founding have deepened into a profound crisis of unity. Tracing the historical forces that shaped the United States, Peter Laufer examines contemporary divisions rooted in politics, economics, culture, immigration and regional identity. Drawing on primary sources and original reporting, this book considers secession movements, border realignment proposals and growing challenges to the idea of a shared American project. Provocative and wide-ranging, it asks whether the United States can endure in its current form, or whether a different political future may emerge from its longstanding divisions.
Introduction: What’s Next for These Supposedly United States?
Chapter One: The Failing Nation
Chapter Two: Media America
Chapter Three: Never Was United, the States
Chapter Four: Built with Dollars and Bullets
Chapter Five: God Salve America
Chapter Six: Americans on the Couch
Chapter Seven: Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover
Chapter Eight: Separatists from Coast to Coast
Chapter Nine: Alternative Nation Building
Chapter Ten: The Mediated Endgame
Chapter Eleven: Trump’s Call to Federal Arms Leads to Soft Secession
Chapter Twelve: Puerto Rico or Guam as the First Secession Dominos
Epilogue
References
Acknowledgments
Photo Acknowledgments
Index
Peter Laufer is a former award-winning correspondent for NBC News and holds the inaugural James Wallace Chair in Journalism at the University of Oregon. His books include Up Against the Wall (2020) and We Are All Americans (2026).