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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	America's Paul Revere by Esther Forbes from Sandpiper Books Biography for 2nd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $12.99
	American Heroes of the 20th Century Landmark Giant #14 by Harold & Doris Faber from Random House for 5th-8th grade in Landmark Giants (Location: VIN-LAN) $12.00 (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) $5.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Benjamin Franklin by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire from Beautiful Feet Books Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $17.95
	Benjamin Franklin Live Wire Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Benjamin Franklin Inventor, Statesman, and Patriot by R. Conrad Stein from Rand McNally Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $3.00 (2 in stock)
	Benjamin Franklin: Young Printer by Augusta Stevenson from Aladdin Paperbacks Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA) $7.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Buffalo Bill by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire from Beautiful Feet Books Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $17.95
	Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt! by Jean Fritz from PaperStar Books Biography for 5th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $7.99
	Captain John Smith A Foothold in the New World Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	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
	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 (2 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
	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
	Crispus Attucks: Black Leader of Colonial Patriots Childhood of Famous Americans by Dharathula H. Millender from Aladdin Paperbacks for 3rd-6th grade in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA) $7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	D'Aulaire American Biographies Package by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire from Beautiful Feet Books Biography for Kindergarten-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $106.82
	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 Frontiersman 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 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 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
	Douglas MacArthur What Greater Honor Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Freedom Train The Story of Harriet Tubman by Dorothy Sterling from Scholastic Inc. Biography for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.99
	Freedom's Children Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own Stories by Ellen Levine from Penguin Putnam Biography for 4th-8th grade in Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) (Location: HISA-20CIV) $7.99
	George vs. George The American Revolution as Seen from Both Sides by Rosalyn Schanzer Reprint from National Geographic for 3rd-6th grade in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV) $6.95
	George Washington by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire from Beautiful Feet Books Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $17.95
	George Washington True Patriot Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	George Washington by Cheryl Harness from National Geographic for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $8.99
	George Washington Carver Man's Slave Becomes God's Scientist Sowers Series by David Collins from Mott Media Biography for 5th-7th grade in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW) $8.99
	George Washington Carver - Unit Study Curriculum Guide Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-6th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $3.00 (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
	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)
	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 (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
	Harriet Tubman Conductor on the Underground Railroad by Ann Petry from HarperCollins Biography for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $9.99
	Harriet Tubman: Freedom's Trailblazer Childhood of Famous Americans by Kathleen V. Kudlinski from Aladdin Paperbacks Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA) $7.99
	Helen Keller by Margaret Davidson from Scholastic Inc. Biography for 2nd-5th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $5.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King by Ellen Levine Updated from Scholastic Inc. Historical Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade in Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) (Location: HISA-20CIV) $4.50 (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)
	John Adams Independence Forever Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from YWAM Publishing Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	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 Muir: Young Naturalist Childhood of Famous Americans by Montrew Dunham from Aladdin Paperbacks for 3rd-6th grade in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA) $10.95
	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)
	John Paul Jones by Norma Jean Lutz from Chelsea House Publishing for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Liberty Letters: The Story of Pocahontas, 1613 The Personal Correspondence of Elizabeth Walton & Abigail Matthews Liberty Letters by Nancy LeSourd 1^st edition from Zondervan Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade in Series Books (Location: SER-MISC) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Life of Washington In Words of One Syllable by Josephine Pollard from Beautiful Feet Books Biography for 3rd-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $10.95 $7.50 (1 in stock)
	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)
	Louis Zamperini Redemption by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books for 4th-8th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Luther the Leader by Virgil Robinson from A. B. Publishing, Inc. Biography for 5th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $9.95 $4.00 (4 in stock)
	Martin Luther King, Jr.: Young Man with a Dream Childhood of Famous Americans by Dharathula H. Millender from Aladdin Paperbacks for 3rd-6th grade in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA) $7.99
	Meet George Washington Second Series Landmark / Step Up reprints by Joan Heilbroner from Random House Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.99 $3.00 (2 in stock)
	Meet George Washington by Joan Heilbroner First Scholastic Printing 2001 from Scholastic Inc. Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $2.50 (1 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
	Molly Pitcher: Young Patriot Childhood of Famous Americans by Augusta Stevenson from Aladdin Paperbacks Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA) $8.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
	Nathan Hale by Loree Lough from Chelsea House Publishing for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Neil Armstrong: Young Flyer Childhood of Famous Americans by Montrew Dunham from Aladdin Paperbacks Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA) $7.99
	Patrick Henry by JoAnn A. Grote from Chelsea House Publishing for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Patrick Henry The Founding Fathers by Stuart A. Kallen from ABDO Publishing Co. for 2nd-5th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Paul Revere: Boston Patriot Childhood of Famous Americans by Augusta Stevenson from Aladdin Paperbacks for 3rd-6th grade in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA) $7.99
	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) $16.95
	Profiles from History Volume 2 by Ashley M. Wiggers from Geography Matters for 3rd-6th grade in Trail Guide to Learning (Location: CUR-TGL) $16.95
	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)
	Real Book about George Washington by Harold Coy, illustrated by Elinore Blaisdell from Garden City Books for 5th-8th grade in Real Books series (Location: VIN-RBA) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Ronald Reagan Destiny at his Side by Geoff Benge, Janet Benge from Emerald Books for 4th-6th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	Rosa Parks: Young Rebel Childhood of Famous Americans by Kathleen V. Kudlinski from Aladdin Paperbacks for 3rd-6th grade in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA) $7.99
	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 (1 in stock)
	Sam and John Adams Heroes of the Revolution by Susan and John Lee from Children's Press for 2nd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $4.00 (1 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)
	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)
	Sojourner Truth: Voice for Freedom Childhood of Famous Americans by Kathleen V. Kudlinski from Aladdin Paperbacks for 3rd-6th grade in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA) $7.99
	Squanto Friend of the Pilgrims by Clyde Robert Bulla from Scholastic Inc. Biography for 3rd-5th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $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 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
	Susan B. Anthony: Champion of Women's Rights Childhood of Famous Americans by Helen Albee Monsell from Aladdin Paperbacks for 3rd-6th grade in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA) $7.99
	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
	Thurgood Marshall: Young Justice Childhood of Famous Americans by Montrew Dunham from Aladdin Paperbacks Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA) $7.99
	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)
	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) $14.00 (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 (2 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)
	What Really Happened In Colonial Times A Collection of Historical Biographies by Terri Johnson, editor from Knowledge Quest Biographies for 4th-8th grade in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	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) $6.50 (1 in stock)
	What's So Great About Francis Scott Key by Marylou Morano Kjelle from Mitchell Lane Publishers for 2nd-5th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $3.00 (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 John F. Kennedy? Who Was?...Series by Yona Zeldis McDonough from Grosset & Dunlap for 4th-6th grade in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO) $6.99
	Wilderness Trail The Story of Daniel Boone Our Changing World by Allen Chaffee, illustrated by Earl B. Winslow from Thomas Nelson Publishers for 3rd-5th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $30.00 (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 Henry Seward Famous Figures of the Civil War Era by Michael Burgan from Chelsea House Publishing for 4th-6th grade in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	William Penn Liberty and Justice for All Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $11.99
	William T. Sherman Triangle Histories: The Civil War by David C. King 1^st edition from Blackbirch Press for 4th-6th grade in Clearance: Biographies (Location: ZCLE-BIO) $2.00 (1 in stock)

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