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,

4th grade (Ages 9-10)

	Buffalo Bill by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire from Beautiful Feet Books Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $17.95
	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)
	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: 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)
	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 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
	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
	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)
	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
	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)
	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)
	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)
	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
	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 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)
	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)
	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)
	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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