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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	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)
	American Ulysses A Life of Ulysses S. Grant by Ronald C. White from Random House for Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin World's Greatest Literature by Benjamin Franklin from Spencer Press for 9th-Adult in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	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 by Carl Van Doren from Library of America for 10th-Adult in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $14.00 (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)
	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 Uncommon Heroism of Theodore Roosevelt Leaders in Action Series by George Grant from Cumberland House Biography for 9th-Adult in Leaders in Action (Location: BIO-LIA) $10.00 (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 (2 in stock)
	Crispus Attucks: Boy of Valor Childhood of Famous Americans by Dharathula H. Millender from Bobbs-Merril Co for 3rd-6th grade in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA)
	Daniel Boone by James Daugherty 1^st edition from Viking Press for 4th-6th grade 1940 Newbery Medal winner in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	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 Gallery of Great Americans by Matthew G. Grant from Creative Education Biography for Kindergarten-1st grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $4.00 (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)
	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 (2 in stock)
	George Rogers Clark, Soldier in the West by Walter Havinghurst from McGraw-Hill for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	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 & the Founding of a Nation by Albert Marrin from Dutton Children's Books Biography for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	George Washington: America's Patriot Heroes of History for Young Readers by Renee Meloche from Emerald Books for Preschool-3rd grade in Heroes for Young Readers (Location: BIO-HERO)
	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)
	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)
	Haym Salomon: Son of Liberty by Howard Fast from Julian Messner for 4th-6th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning by Rosalyn Schanzer from HarperCollins for 2nd-4th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	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 Alden Young Puritan by Olive W. Burt from Bobbs-Merril Co Biography for 2nd-4th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	John Charles Fremont by Ronald Syme from William Morrow & Company for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	John Paul Jones A Discovery Book by Stewart Graff, illustrated by William Hutchinson from Garrard Publishing Company for 2nd-5th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	John Paul Jones by Norma Jean Lutz from Chelsea House Publishing for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	John Paul Jones Sailors Biography by Samuel Eliot Morison from Little, Brown & Company for 10th-Adult 1960 Biography Pulitzer Prize in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	John Paul Jones Heroes of the Revolution by Susan & John Lee, illustrated by Tom Dunnington from Children's Press for 2nd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	John Paul Jones: Salt-Water Boy Childhood of Famous Americans by Dorothea J. Snow from Bobbs-Merril Co for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	John, Paul, George & Ben by Lane Smith 1^st edition from Hyperion/Madison Press for Preschool-3rd grade in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH) $9.00 (1 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)
	Lafayette, Friend of America Makers of America by Alberta Powell Graham 1^st edition from Abingdon Press for 2nd-5th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	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 and Letters of "Stonewall" Jackson by Mary Anna Jackson from Sprinkle Publications for 10th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Life of Washington by Anna Reed from New Leaf Press for 10th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO) $16.99
	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)
	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)
	Nathan Hale by Loree Lough from Chelsea House Publishing for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Paul Revere The Man Behind the Legend by Margaret Green from Julian Messner for 4th-7th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Paul Revere First Biographies by Jan Gleiter and Kathleen Thompson, Illustrated by Francis Balistreri from Steck-Vaughn Company for 1st-3rd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Picture Book of Davy Crockett by David Adler from Holiday House Picture Book Biography for 2nd-4th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Picture Book of George Washington by David A. Adler 1^st edition from Holiday House for Preschool-3rd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. by David A. Adler from Holiday House Biography for Preschool-1st grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Picture Book of Paul Revere by Alexandra Wallner, David A. Adler, John Wallner 1^st edition from Holiday House for Preschool-3rd grade in Clearance: Biographies (Location: ZCLE-BIO)
	Poor Richard by James Daugherty Biography for 6th-9th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Poor Richard in France by F. N. Monjo from Henry Holt and Company for 2nd-5th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $7.50 (1 in stock)
	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)
	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)
	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: 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)
	Sitting Bull and His World by Albert Marrin from Dutton Children's Books Biography for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	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)
	Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans by Edward Eggleston from Lost Classics Book Co. Narrative History for 1st-4th grade in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Story of Amelia Earhart Signature Books #33 by Adele de Leeuw, illustrated by Harry Beckhoff from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 3rd-8th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	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 Benjamin Franklin Grosset & Dunlap Signature #5 by Enid LaMonte Meadowcroft, illustrated by Edward A. Wilson 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)
	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 Grosset & Dunlap Signature #12 by Enid LaMonte Meadowcroft, illustrated by Edward A. Wilson from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 5th-9th 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 John Paul Jones Grosset & Dunlap Signature #20 by Iris Vinton, illustrated by Edward A. Wilson from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 5th-9th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of Lafayette Signature Books #7 by Hazel Wilson, illustrated by Edy Legrand from Grosset & Dunlap Biograhy for 4th-8th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of Martha Washington Grosset & Dunlap Signature #32 by Jeannette C. Nolan, illustrated by Corinne B. Dillon from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 4th-8th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of President Kennedy Grosset & Dunlap Signature #50 by Iris Vinton, illustrated by Carl Cassler from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 5th-9th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	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)
	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 - The Strenuous Life by John A. Garraty from American Heritage Publishing Co. Biography for 4th-8th grade in American Heritage Junior Library (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Thomas Jefferson A Picture Book Biography by James Cross Giblin from Scholastic Inc. for Preschool-3rd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Tom Paine, Revolutionary by Olivia Coolidge from Charles Scribner's Sons Biography for 7th-10th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	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)
	Where Lincoln Walked by Raymond Bial from Walker and Company for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	William Penn, Founder and Friend by Virginia Haviland from Abingdon Press for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	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)
	Wyatt Earp: U.S. Marshal Landmark #67 by Stewart H. Holbrook 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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