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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19th Century America

	Abraham Lincoln: The Man & His Faith by G. Frederick Owen from Tyndale House for 10th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Adventures of Davy Crockett by David Crockett, illustrated by John W. Thomason from Charles Scribner's Sons for 9th-Adult in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $18.00 (1 in stock)
	American Ulysses A Life of Ulysses S. Grant by Ronald C. White from Random House for Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Buffalo Bill by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire from Beautiful Feet Books Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $17.95
	Buffalo Bill and the Wild West by Henry Blackman Sell and Victor Weybright Reprint from International Cody Family Assoc. for Adult in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	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
	Call of Duty The Sterling Nobility of Robert E. Lee Leaders in Action Series by Steve Wilkins from Cumberland House Biography for 9th-Adult in Leaders in Action (Location: BIO-LIA) $16.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	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) $15.99
	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) $20.00 (1 in stock)
	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 $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Confederate Trilogy for Young Readers by Mary L. Williamson from Sprinkle Publications for 4th-6th grade in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
	Courage to Run A Story Based on the Life of Harriet Tubman Daughters of the Faith by Wendy G. Lawton from Moody Press for 3rd-6th grade in Daughters of the Faith (Location: SER-DAU) $8.99 $5.00 (3 in stock)
	Daniel Boone His Own Story by Daniel Boone from Applewood Books Biography for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $14.95 $10.00 (2 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)
	David Crockett: His Life and Adventures by John S. C. Abbott from CreateSpace for Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO) $8.99
	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) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	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
	Davy Crockett From the Backwoods of Tennessee to the Alamo Landmark #57 by Stewart H. Holbrook, illustrated by Ernest Richardson from Random House for 5th-9th grade in American Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAND)
	Davy Crockett: Young Rifleman Childhood of Famous Americans by Aileen Wells Parks from Aladdin Paperbacks Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA) $7.99
	Davy Crockett: Young Rifleman Childhood of Famous Americans by Aileen Wells Parks Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	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)
	Forked Lightning The Story of General Philip H. Sheridan by Albert Orbaan from Hawthorn Books, Inc. for 6th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	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 Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	George Rogers Clark: War in the West Events of the Revolution by Susan and John Lee, illustrated by Richard Wahl from Children's Press for 3rd-6th 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
	Go Free or Die A Story about Harriet Tubman by Jeri Ferris from Carolrhoda Books, Inc. Biography for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $9.99
	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 (1 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
	Harriet Tubman Conductor on the Underground Railroad by Ann Petry from HarperCollins Biography for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Harriet Tubman Conductor on the Underground Railroad by Ann Petry from HarperCollins Biography for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $9.99
	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) $5.00 $2.50 (2 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
	Illustrious Americans - Volume 1 by Edward Everett Hale from Mantle Ministries Biography for 8th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Illustrious Americans - Volume 2 by Edward Everett Hale from Mantle Ministries Biography for 8th-10th grade in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
	In Their Own Words: Abraham Lincoln In Their Own Words by George Sullivan from Scholastic Inc. Biography for 3rd-4th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $3.00 (2 in stock)
	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)
	Jim Bowie: Boy with a Hunting Knife Childhood of Famous Americans by Gertrude Hecker Winders from Bobbs-Merril Co for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	John Charles Fremont The Last American Explorer by Ronald Syme, illustrated by Richard Cuffari from William Morrow & Company for 4th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	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 (2 in stock)
	Kit Carson Trailblazer and Scout by Shannon Garst from Julian Messner Biography for 1st-3rd grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Life and Letters of "Stonewall" Jackson by Mary Anna Jackson from Sprinkle Publications for 10th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	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
	Mountain Men and Fur Traders of the Far West by LeRoy R. Hafen & Harvey L. Carter from University of Nebraska Biography for 9th-Adult in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS) $18.66 $9.60 (1 in stock)
	Narrative of the Life of David Crockett of the State of Tennessee by David Crockett Reprint from Bison Books for 9th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO) $16.95
	Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant Penguin Classics by Ulysses S. Grant from Penguin Classics Autobiography for 10th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
	Picture Book of Davy Crockett by David Adler from Holiday House Picture Book Biography for 2nd-4th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $7.99
	Picture Book of Davy Crockett by David Adler from Holiday House Picture Book Biography for 2nd-4th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail by Theodore Roosevelt from University of Nebraska Biography for 9th-Adult in Gilded Age & Progressive Era (1877-1918) (Location: HISA-19GI) $18.95
	Raven A Biography of Sam Houston by Marquis James from Bobbs-Merril Co for 10th-Adult in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Retreat to Glory The Story of Sam Houston by Jean Lee Latham from Harper & Row for 6th-9th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Road to Seneca Falls A Story about Elizabeth Cady Stanton Creative Minds Biography by Gwenyth Swain from Lerner Publishing Group Biography for 3rd-5th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	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)
	Robert E. Lee A Novel Heroes in Time by John J. Dwyer from Broadman & Holman Biography for 9th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	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) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Robert E. Lee the Christian by William Johnson from Christian Liberty Press Biography for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $2.50 (1 in stock)
	Robert E. Lee the Christian by William J. Johnstone 2^nd edition from Christian Liberty Press Biography for 9th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO) $14.50
	Sam Houston by John Hoyt Williams 1^st edition from Simon and Schuster for 10th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Sam Houston, The Tallest Texan Landmark #32 by William Johnson, illustrated by William Reusswig from Random House for 5th-8th grade in American Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAND)
	Sam Houston: Boy Chieftain Childhood of Famous Americans by Augusta Stevenson from Bobbs-Merril Co for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Sam Houston: Boy Chieftain Childhood of Famous Americans by Augusta Stevenson from Bobbs-Merril Co for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	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
	Stonewall A Novel by John J. Dwyer from Broadman & Holman Biography for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Stonewall OSI by Jean Fritz & Stephen Gammell from PaperStar Books Biography for 5th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.99
	Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans by Edward Eggleston from Yesterday's Classics Narrative History for 1st-4th grade in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH) $11.95 $7.00 (1 in stock)
	Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans by Edward Eggleston 2^nd edition from Memoria Press Narrative History for 1st-4th grade in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH) $15.10
	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) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	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 Harriet Tubman Conductor of the Underground Railroad Dell Yearling Biography by Kate McMullan from Yearling Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Story of Sacajawea Guide to Lewis and Clark by Della Rowland from Yearling Biography for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
	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)
	Story of the Wild West and Camp-Fire Chats by William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody Unknown from Historical Publishing Company for 10th-Adult in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin from Simon and Schuster for 9th-Adult in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Then Darkness Fled The Liberating Wisdom of Booker T. Washington Leaders in Action Series by Stephen Mansfield from Cumberland House Biography for 9th-Adult in Leaders in Action (Location: BIO-LIA) $16.95
	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
	Ulysses S. Grant Triangle Histories: The Civil War by David C. King from Blackbirch Press for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Up From Slavery Dover Thrift Editions by Booker T. Washington from Dover Publications Autobiography for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $6.00 $3.00 (1 in stock)
	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 (2 in stock)
	Walking the Road to Freedom A Story about Sojourner Truth by Jeri Ferris from Carolrhoda Books, Inc. Biography for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Where Lincoln Walked by Raymond Bial from Walker and Company for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Who Was Davy Crockett? Who Was?...Series by Gail Herman, illustrated by Robert Squier from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-6th grade in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
	William T. Sherman Triangle Histories: The Civil War by David C. King 1^st edition from Blackbirch Press for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $2.00 (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, illustrated by Ernest Richardson 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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