Independence Day

In the movie Independence Day, Will Smith kills a bunch of aliens who attack the United States with giant killer UFOs. There are quite a few good one-liners and some awesome action sequences, but no one remembers any of those; they only remember the scene where the White House is blown to smithereens, and if they're old enough, they remember how everyone in the theater cheered at that moment.

That's the kind of independence most people are after these days—freedom from law, not freedom under law. What they seem to forget is that the Founding Fathers weren't a bunch of anarchists who simply wanted to do whatever they wanted without England butting in. The Founding Fathers only wanted England to treat the U.S. equitably as part of the British monarchy.

When England essentially refused to do so, the American Patriots decided to take matters into their own hands. Yes, there were other prominent motives for throwing off the yoke of English rule, most of them economic, but ideologically the Revolution was fuelled by a desire for a national government that was answerable to the people and inherently limited in scope and sovereignty.

Over the years, the United States have drifted away from the initial ideals of men like Madison, Jefferson and Adams. That doesn't mean we don't enjoy basically the same model of government they set up, and it certainly doesn't mean that we've lost any significant amount of liberties. We remain a checked-and-balanced nation that values freedom and responsibility, and we celebrate it every July 4th.

Sure, we still remember the formation of our country, the signing of the Declaration of Independence and all that. But nearly two and a half centuries later, the celebration of Independence Day is less about the origins of our nation than it is about its continuing commitment to liberty, freedom of conscience, and justice at home and around the world.

None of us at Exodus Books are flag-waving fanatics, nor do we support everything the U.S. does or stands for. Wars on foreign soil may or may not be justified, and as a nation we've certainly turned from biblical morality toward reprobate license. At the same time, the fact that we can worship Christ on Sunday without fear, preach His name to others, and still vote when the time comes is reason enough to light off some fireworks and eat fried chicken at the beginning of each summer.

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18 Penny Goose
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Sally M. Walker
from HarperCollins
Realistic fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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$4.99
Abigail Adams
A Discovery Book
by Helen Stone Peterson, illustrated by Betty Fraser
from Garrard Publishing Company
for 2nd-4th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Adventures of Munford: The American Revolution
by Jamie Aramini
1st edition from Geography Matters
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AIO Imagination Station Book #13
by Marianne Hering, Nancy I. Sanders
from Focus on the Family
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$5.99
AIO Imagination Station Book #14
by Marianne Hering, Nancy I. Sanders
from Focus on the Family
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in Imagination Station (Location: SER-AIO)
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by Marianne Hering, Nancy I. Sanders
from Focus on the Family
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in Imagination Station (Location: SER-AIO)
$5.99
America's Paul Revere
by Esther Forbes
from Sandpiper Books
Biography for 2nd-6th grade
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$12.99
American History for Young Students I
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 1st-5th grade
in TruthQuest History (Location: HISCUR-TQ)
And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?
by Jean Fritz & Margot Tomes
from PaperStar Books
Biography for 2nd-4th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$7.99
And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?
by Jean Fritz & Margot Tomes
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 2nd-4th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Ben Franklin
See and Read: Beginning to Read Biography
by Estelle Friedman, illustrated by James Caraway
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
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Boston Tea Party
from Troll Communications
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Boston Tea Party
by Russel Freedman, Illustrated by Peter Malone
from Holiday House
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Declaration of Independence
by Carole Marsh
from Gallopade International
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Declaration of Independence
Documenting U.S. History
by Elizabeth Raum
from Heinemann-Raintree
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Weekly Reader Heroes of the Revolution
by Susan & John Lee
from Children's Press
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Famous Figures of the American Revolution
from Figures in Motion
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$12.00 (3 in stock)
Felicity - Boxed Set
American Girls
by Valerie Tripp
from American Girl
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Felicity Discovers a Secret
American Girls Short Stories
by Valerie Tripp
First Edition, First Printing from American Girl
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Felicity's Dancing Shoes
American Girls Short Stories
by Valerie Tripp
First Edition, First Printing from American Girl
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Felicity's New Sister
American Girls Short Stories
by Valerie Tripp
First Edition, First Printing from American Girl
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Flag for Our Country
by Eve Spencer
from Steck-Vaughn Company
Non-Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
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$6.00
Fourth of July Story
by Alice Dalgliesh
2nd edition from Aladdin Paperbacks
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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$8.99
Fourth of July Story
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from Charles Scribner's Sons
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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George the Drummer Boy
An I Can Read Book Level 3
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from HarperCollins
Historical fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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George Washington - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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from Dover Publications
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$4.99
George Washington's Breakfast
by Jean Fritz
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Biography for 1st-4th grade
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George Washington: America's Patriot
Heroes of History for Young Readers
by Renee Meloche
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Gingerbread for Liberty!
by Mara Rockliff, Illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
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$17.99
Heroes and Heroines of the American Revolution - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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from Dover Publications
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$4.99
How Our Nation was Born: The American Revolution
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If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution
If You Were There
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John Hancock
Weekly Reader Heroes of the Revolution
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A Discovery Book
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Heroes of the Revolution
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Adventures in Colonial America
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King George's Head Was Made of Lead
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Lafayette: French-American Hero
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Liberty!
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$8.99
Meet George Washington
Step Up Books
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Biography for 1st-4th grade
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Mr. Revere and I
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Namesake for Nathan
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Nathan Hale
Hidden History: Spies
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New England Soldiers of the American Revolution
by Marko Zlatich, Illustrations by Donna Neary
from Bellerophon Books
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Patrick Henry
The Founding Fathers
by Stuart A. Kallen
from ABDO Publishing Co.
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Paul Revere
First Biographies
by Jan Gleiter and Kathleen Thompson, Illustrated by Francis Balistreri
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Paul Revere's Ride
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, illustrated by Ted Rand
from Puffin Books
American Poetry for 2nd-6th grade
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$8.99
Paul Revere's Ride
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, illustrated by Charles Santore
1st edition from HarperCollins
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Picture Book of George Washington
by David A. Adler
1st edition from Holiday House
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Picture Book of John Hancock
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Picture Book of Patrick Henry
by David A. Adler; illustrated by John & Alexandra Wallner
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Picture Book of Paul Revere
by Alexandra Wallner, David A. Adler, John Wallner
1st edition from Holiday House
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Sam the Minuteman
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Nathaniel Benchley & Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
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Samuel's Choice
by Richard Berleth
from Scholastic Inc.
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Saving the Liberty Bell
by Megan McDonald, Illustrated by Marsha Gray Carrington
from Atheneum
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$19.99
Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans
by Edward Eggleston
from Yesterday's Classics
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$11.95
Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans
by Edward Eggleston
2nd edition from Memoria Press
Narrative History for 1st-4th grade
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$14.65
Story of the American Revolution - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
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$4.99
Thomas Jefferson
by James Cross Giblin
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Uniforms of the American Revolution - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter Copeland
from Dover Publications
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$5.99
Warriors Through the Ages - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Bruce LaFontaine
from Dover Publications
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$4.99
When Washington Crossed the Delaware
by Lynne Cheney
from Simon & Schuster Macmillan
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$10.00 (1 in stock)
When Washington Crossed the Delaware
by Lynne Cheney
from Simon & Schuster Macmillan
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$4.50 (1 in stock)
Where Was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May?
by Jean Fritz & Margot Tomes
from PaperStar Books
Biography for 2nd-4th grade
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$7.99
Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams?
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
Biography for 2nd-4th grade
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$6.99
Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams?
by Jean Fritz
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 2nd-4th grade
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Will You Sign Here, John Hancock?
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
Biography for 2nd-4th grade
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$6.99
Will You Sign Here, John Hancock?
by Jean Fritz
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Biography for 2nd-4th grade
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$2.00 (1 in stock)
Winter at Valley Forge
Adventures in Colonial America
by James Knight
from Beautiful Feet Books
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Winter at Valley Forge
Adventures in Colonial America
by James Knight
from Troll Publishing
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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Yankee Doodle
by Gary Chalk
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Yankee Doodle
by Steven Kellogg (illustrator), text by Edward Bangs
from Parents Magazine Press
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$4.00 (2 in stock)