American Patriots & Heroes

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When a nation turns its back on virtue and honor, those of its people who still hold those ideals in high regard seem to either voice their rage or lapse into sulky nostalgia for the "good old days." But rage only generates more rage, and the good old days (even if they were as great as everyone remembers) will never return. The only profitable response, then, is to remember and celebrate the heroes of the past as examples to imitate and guides toward the future.

Looking back to see ahead seems counterintuitive until you realize the current lack of genuine heroes in positions of political and legal authority. Not that there are none, but increasingly the leadership of the United States is less wise, less virtuous, and simply less fit to lead than has previously been the case. Whether this is because the American people are more apathetic and given to self-pleasure rather than goodness and stability, or because the quality of its leadership has declined, is unclear.

What is clear is that without a desire for virtue true patriotism is impossible—but without true patriotism a return to virtue is equally impossible. It's a vicious cycle....unless we uphold the honorable men and women of our nation's history as examples of good citizens and base our patriotism on their adherence to goodness and nobility.

Men like John Quincy Adams, who continued to serve as a U.S. Representative after his presidency expired, simply because he wanted to serve. Or Sgt. Alvin York, whose Christian pacificism led him to one of the most impressive examples of military heroism in the trenches of France during the First World War. Or Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, a Frenchman whose belief in American ideals led him to leave France in defiance of the king and enlist his services as a military commander in support of the Revolution.

Women like Mary McLeod Bethune, the daughter of former slaves who began a school for African-American students at a time when their education was considered of little importance. Or Mary Edwards Walker, the only woman to ever win the Medal of Honor (for services rendered in the American Civil War). Or the perennial favorite, Pocahontas, who converted to Christianity and married John Rolfe (and who may or may not have saved the life of the wild child John Smith, a notorious liar).

Of course none of these people were perfect, and not everything they did was good or worthwhile. We don't want to ignore their flaws. But we also don't want to dismiss them because they exhibited human characteristics and flaws. What we do want is to remember and learn from their virtues and self-sacrifice on behalf of their nation. Particularly, we want to pass this knowledge on to our children, who are our best hope for a return to goodness and a rejection of the shallowness and evil that pervades our society. This is the kind of patriotism we want to encourage, and the kind of national spirit such patriotism engenders.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

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American Patriots & Heroes

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19th Century America,

7th grade (Ages 12-13)

	Buffalo Bill's Life Story An Autobiography by William F. Cody, Illustrated by N.C. Wyeth 1966 printing from Holt, Rinehart and Winston for 6th-Adult in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt! by Jean Fritz from PaperStar Books Biography for 5th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $7.99
	Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham from Houghton Mifflin Biography for 5th-9th grade 1956 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99
	Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham, illustrated by John O'Hara Cosgrave II from Houghton Mifflin Biography for 5th-9th grade 1956 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Clara Barton Courage Under Fire Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Daniel Boone His Own Story by Daniel Boone from Applewood Books Biography for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $14.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Daniel Boone, Wilderness Scout Junior Deluxe Editions by Stewart Edward White, illustrated by Henry C. Pitz from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 4th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Daniel Boone, Wilderness Scout The Life Story and True Adventures of the Great Hunter Long Knife by Stewart Edward White, illustrated by James Daugherty from Garden City Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Davy Crockett His Own Story by David Crockett from Applewood Books Biography for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $14.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Davy Crockett Junior Deluxe Editions by Constance Rourke, illustrated by Walter Seaton from Grosset & Dunlap for 4th-7th grade 1935 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Davy Crockett Ever Westward Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Eagle and the Fort The Story of John McLoughlin by Dorothy Morrison from Oregon Historical Society Press Biography for 5th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Eagle and the Fort The Story of John McLoughlin by Dorothy Morrison from Atheneum Biography for 5th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Freedom Train The Story of Harriet Tubman by Dorothy Sterling from Scholastic Inc. Biography for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.99
	George B. McClellan Disposable Patriot by Michael McHugh 2^nd edition from Christian Liberty Press Biography for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $10.00
	George Rogers Clark, Soldier in the West by Walter Havinghurst from McGraw-Hill for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	George Washington Carver From Slave to Scientist Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Great Little Madison by Jean Fritz from PaperStar Books Biography for 5th-8th grade 1990 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award in Biographies (Location: BIO) $7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
	Harriet Beecher Stowe and the Beecher Preachers by Jean Fritz from PaperStar Books Biography for 5th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.99
	Harriet Tubman Freedombound Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Helen Keller: The Story of My Life Signet Classics by Helen Keller Reprint from Signet Classics Autobiography for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $5.95
	Helen Keller: The Story of My Life by Helen Keller from Dover Publications Autobiography for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $1.50 (4 in stock)
	Helen Keller: The Story of My Life Signet Classics by Helen Keller from Living Book Press Autobiography for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $15.99
	Jed Smith Trailblazer of the West by Frank Latham from Christian Liberty Press Biography for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $10.50 $6.00 (1 in stock)
	John Charles Fremont by Ronald Syme from William Morrow & Company for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	John Paul Jones The Pirate Patriot Sterling Point Books by Armstrong Sperry from Sterling Publishing Co. Biography for 5th-9th grade in War of 1812 (Location: HISA-19WET) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Life of General Stonewall Jackson by Mary Williamson from Christian Liberty Press Biography for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $11.75 $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Life of J.E.B. Stuart by Mary Williamson 2^nd edition from Christian Liberty Press Biography for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $11.75
	Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman from Houghton Mifflin Biography for 5th-9th grade 1988 Newbery Medal winner in Biographies (Location: BIO) $8.00 (3 in stock)
	Meriwether Lewis Off the Edge of the Map Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Robert E. Lee Gallant Christian Soldier Sowers Series by Lee Roddy from Mott Media Biography for 6th-8th grade in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW)
	Sitting Bull and His World by Albert Marrin from Dutton Children's Books Biography for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Sojourner Truth Ain't I a Woman? by Patricia & Frederick McKissack from Scholastic Inc. Biography for 4th-7th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Stonewall by Jean Fritz & Stephen Gammell from PaperStar Books Biography for 5th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.99
	Story of Andrew Jackson Grosset & Dunlap Signature #13 by Enid LaMonte Meadowcroft, illustrated by David Hendrickson from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 5th-9th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of Buffalo Bill Signature Books #1 by Edmund Collier, illustrated by Nicholas Eggenhofer from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 5th-9th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of Daniel Boone Signature Books #15 by William O. Steele, illustrated by Warren Baumgartner from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 4th-8th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of Davy Crockett Grosset & Dunlap Signature #3 by Enid LaMonte Meadowcroft, illustrated by C. B. Falls from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 4th-8th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of Dwight D. Eisenhower Signature Books #38 by Arthur J. Beckhard, illustrated by Charles H. Geer from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 3rd-8th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of George Washington Carver Signature Books #17 by Arna Bontemps, illustrated by Harper Johnson from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 4th-8th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of Stephen Decatur Grosset & Dunlap Signature #29 by Iris Vinton, illustrated by Graham Kaye from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 3rd-8th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Theodore Roosevelt An American Original Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Virginia's General Robert E. Lee and the Civil War by Albert Marrin from Beautiful Feet Books Biography for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $15.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln A Book of Quotations by Anthony Gross from Dover Publications for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Wyatt Earp: U.S. Marshal Landmark #67 by Stewart H. Holbrook from Random House for 5th-9th grade in American Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAND)
	Yankee Thunder The Legendary Life of Davy Crockett by Irwin Shapiro, illustrated by James Daugherty from Simon and Schuster for 4th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)

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