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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	50 American Heroes Every Kid Should Meet by Dennis Denenberg, Lorraine Roscoe Revised from First Avenue Editions for 4th-6th grade in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH) $7.00 (1 in stock)
	And Long Remember Some Great Americans Who Have Helped Me by Dorothy Canfield Fisher, illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats from E.M. Hale and Company for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia Landmark Series by Margaret Cousins from Random House Biography for 5th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Benjamin Franklin Inventor, Statesman, and Patriot by R. Conrad Stein from Rand McNally Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $3.00 (2 in stock)
	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)
	Charles A. Lindbergh A Human Hero by James Cross Giblin from Clarion Books Biography for 5th-8th grade 1998 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book in Biographies (Location: BIO) $7.00 (1 in stock)
	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 (2 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)
	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)
	Double Life of Pocahontas by Jean Fritz from Trumpet Club Biography for 4th-8th grade in Jamestown Colony (Location: HISA-17JA) $2.50 (2 in stock)
	Escape from Slavery by Coretta Scott King from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Escape to Freedom A Play About Young Frederick Douglass by Ossie Davis from Puffin Books Biographical Drama (play) for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $3.00 (1 in stock)
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	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 $6.00 (1 in stock)
	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 $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Great Little Madison by Jean Fritz 1^st edition from G.P. Putnam's Sons for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Haym Salomon: Liberty's Son by Shirley Milgrim, illustrated by Richard Fish from Jewish Publication Society for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $9.00 (1 in stock)
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	In Their Own Words: Pocahontas by George Sullivan from Scholastic Inc. Biography for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $2.50 (1 in stock)
	John Hancock: A Signature Life by Philip Koslow from Franklin Watts for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	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)
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	Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman from Houghton Mifflin Biography for 5th-9th grade 1988 Newbery Medal winner in Biographies (Location: BIO) $8.00 (2 in stock)
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	Poor Richard in France by F. N. Monjo, illustrated by Brinton Turkle from Henry Holt and Company for 2nd-5th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $7.50 (1 in stock)
	Profiles from History Volume 1 by Ashley M. Wiggers from Geography Matters for 3rd-5th grade in Trail Guide to Learning (Location: CUR-TGL) $9.50 (1 in stock)
	Profiles from History Volume 2 by Ashley M. Wiggers from Geography Matters for 3rd-6th grade in Trail Guide to Learning (Location: CUR-TGL) $9.50 (1 in stock)
	Profiles in Courage Young Readers Memorial Edition by John F. Kennedy from HarperCollins Biography Anthology for 4th-8th grade 1957 Biography Pulitzer Prize in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Profiles in Courage (abridged) Young Readers Edition by John F. Kennedy, illustrated by Emil Weiss from HarperCollins Biography Anthology for 4th-8th grade 1957 Biography Pulitzer Prize in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $6.00 (2 in stock)
	Salt in His Blood Life of Michael De Ruyter by William Rang from Inheritance Publications Biography for 5th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $11.95 $7.00 (2 in stock)
	Samuel Adams: Father of the Revolution Spirit of America: Our People by Ann Heinrichs from Child's World for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	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 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 (2 in stock)
	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)
	We Were There, Too! by Phillip Hoose 1^st edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux for 4th-6th grade in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	We'll Race You, Henry A Story about Herny Ford by Barbara Mitchell from Carolrhoda Books, Inc. for 3rd-5th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	We'll Race You, Henry A Story about Herny Ford by Barbara Mitchell from Carolrhoda Books, Inc. for 3rd-5th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $4.00 (1 in stock)
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	What Really Happened In Colonial Times A Collection of Historical Biographies by Terri Johnson, editor Revised from Knowledge Quest Biographies for 4th-8th grade in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL) $4.00 (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 Annie Oakley? Who Was?...Series by Stephanie Spinner, illustrated by Larry Day from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-6th grade in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	William Bradford, Pilgrim Boy by Bradford Smith from Beautiful Feet Books Biography for 3rd-5th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $10.95 $6.00 (1 in stock)
	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)

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