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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10th grade (Ages 15-16)

	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)
	Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Dover Thrift Editions by Benjamin Franklin from Dover Publications for 9th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.00
	Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin World's Greatest Literature by Benjamin Franklin from Spencer Press for 9th-Adult in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Benjamin Franklin by Carl Van Doren from Penguin Putnam for 10th-Adult in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
	Benjamin Franklin by Carl Van Doren from Library of America for 10th-Adult in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $14.00 (1 in stock)
	Benjamin Franklin: The Autobiography and Other Writings Signet Classics by Benjamin Franklin Reprint from Signet Classics Autobiography for 9th-Adult in 18th Century Literature (Location: LIT5-18) $5.95
	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)
	Bulletproof George Washington by David Barton 2^nd edition from WallBuilder Press Biography for 9th-adult in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Bulletproof George Washington by David Barton 3^rd edition from WallBuilder Press Biography for 9th-adult in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	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)
	Captain Edward L. Beach: Around the World Under Water by Beril Becker from Kingston House for 6th-10th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Carry a Big Stick The Uncommon Heroism of Theodore Roosevelt Leaders in Action Series by George Grant from Cumberland House Biographies for 9th-12th grade in Leaders in Action (Location: BIO-LIA)
	Declaration of Independence with Short Biographies of its Signers by Thomas Jefferson from Applewood Books Primary Source Documents for 9th-Adult in 18th Century Literature (Location: LIT5-18)
	Divine Light The Spiritual Leadership of Jonathan Edwards Leaders in Action Series by David Vaughan from Cumberland House Biographies for 9th-12th grade in Leaders in Action (Location: BIO-LIA)
	Forgotten Founding Father The Heroic Legacy of George Whitefield Leaders in Action Series by Stephen Mansfield from Cumberland House Biography for 9th-12th grade in Leaders in Action (Location: BIO-LIA) $16.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	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 Washington & the Founding of a Nation by Albert Marrin from Dutton Children's Books Biography for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	George Washington's Sacred Fire by Peter A. Lillback 1^st edition from Providence Forum Press for 10th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	George Washington: Soldier and Man by North Callahan from William Morrow & Company for 7th-10th grade in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Give Me Liberty The Uncompromising Statesmanship of Patrick Henry Leaders in Action Series by David Vaughan from Cumberland House Biography for 9th-Adult in Leaders in Action (Location: BIO-LIA) $17.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	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)
	John Paul Jones Sailors Biography by Samuel Eliot Morison from Little, Brown & Company for 10th-Adult 1960 Biography Pulitzer Prize in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	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 George Washington by Mary Williamson from Christian Liberty Press Biography for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $11.75 $6.00 (2 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
	Life of Washington by Anna Reed from New Leaf Press for 10th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO) $16.99
	Life of Washington by Anna Reed from New Leaf Press for 10th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO) $14.99
	Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence A reprint of an 1848 original by Benson J. Lossing 3rd Printing from WallBuilder Press Biography for 7th-10th grade in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Man Who Wouldn't Give Up: Henry Clay by Katherine E. Wilkie from Julian Messner for 7th-10th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Martin Luther The Great Reformer by J. A. Morrison 2^nd edition from Christian Liberty Press Biography for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Martin Luther The Great Reformer by J. A. Morrison 3^rd edition from Christian Liberty Press Biography for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $11.75
	Miracle Worker A Play in Three Acts by William Gibson from Pocket Books Drama for 7th-10th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	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
	Penn by Elizabeth Janet Gray for 7th-10th grade 1939 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	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)
	Presidency of George Washington by Jack D. Warren, Jr. from University of Virginia Press Biography for 9th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO) $5.00 (2 in stock)
	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)
	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 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)
	Sergeant York and the Great War His Own Life Story and War Diary by Alvin C. York from My Father's World Autobiography for 7th-Adult in World War I (1914-1919) (Location: HISA-20WW1) $22.00
	Sitting Bull and His World by Albert Marrin from Dutton Children's Books Biography for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Soldier of Virginia A Novel on George Washington by Marjorie Bowen from Inheritance Publications Biography for 9th-12th grade in Inheritance Fiction (Location: FIC-WH03) $12.95
	Spirit of 1776 Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness During the American Revolution by Peter Seymour from Hallmark Publications for 6th-Adult in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Spirit of St. Louis by Charles A. Lindbergh from Charles Scribner's Sons Biography for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Stonewall A Novel by John J. Dwyer from Broadman & Holman Biography for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	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
	Tom Paine, Freedom's Apostle by Leo Gurko, illustrated by Fritz Kredel from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co. for 6th-10th grade 1958 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Tom Paine, Revolutionary by Olivia Coolidge from Charles Scribner's Sons Biography for 7th-10th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Triumph of Truth A Life of Martin Luther by J. H. Merle D'Aubigne from Bob Jones University Press Biography for 9th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO) $9.99
	Up From Slavery Penguin Classics by Booker T. Washington from Penguin Classics Autobiography for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $12.00
	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)
	Up From Slavery Penguin Classics by Booker T. Washington from Signet Classics Autobiography for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $5.95
	Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington from Gramercy Books Autobiography for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Up From Slavery An Autobiography Copper Lodge Library by Booker T. Washington, annotated by Stephanie B. Meter from Classical Conversations Autobiography for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $14.00
	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)
	William Bradford Plymouth's Faithful Pilgrim by Gary D. Schmidt from Eerdmans Biography for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $12.00
	Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln A Book of Quotations by Anthony Gross from Dover Publications for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Wit and Wisdom of the American Presidents Dover Thrift Editions by Joslyn Pine from Dover Publications for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $5.00
	Wives of the Signers The Women Behind the Declaration of Independence by Harry & Mary Green from WallBuilder Press Biography for 7th-10th grade in New Nation (1783-1801) (Location: HISA-18NN)

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