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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Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr
Landmark #85
by Russel & Anna Crouse
from Random House
for 5th-9th grade
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America in the Time of George Washington
by Sally Senzell Isaacs
from Heinemann Library
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America's Ethan Allen
by Stewart H. Holbrook; illustrated by Lynd Ward
9th printing from Houghton Mifflin
Picture Book Biography for 4th-6th grade
1950 Caldecott Honor Book
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$12.00 (1 in stock)
American Revolution
Landmark #83
by Bruce Bliven, Jr.
from Random House
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Answering the Cry for Freedom
by Gretchen Woelfle, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
from Calkins Creek
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$19.99
Battle for Long Island and New York
by Susan Lee
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Battle of Yorktown
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Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia
Landmark #28
by Margaret Cousins
from Random House
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Betsy Ross and the Flag
Landmark #26
by Jane Mayer
from Random House
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Betsy Ross: Girl of Old Philadelphia
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Ann Weil, illustrated by Al Fiorentino
from Bobbs-Merril Co
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Boy Sailor with John Paul Jones
by H. C. Thomas
from Whitman Publishing Company
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Captain of the Minute Men
Boys of Liberty Library
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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
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Christmas Tree Hessian
by Cora Cheney, illustrated by Edith Ballinger Price
from Henry Holt and Company
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Crispus Attucks: Boy of Valor
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Cromwell's Head
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Crossing
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Daniel Boone: The Opening of the Wilderness
Landmark #21
by John Mason Brown
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Dolly Madison
Landmark #47
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Drumbeats in Williamsburg
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Drums
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Far Frontier
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Felicity Discovers a Secret
American Girls Short Stories
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Felicity's Dancing Shoes
American Girls Short Stories
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First Edition, First Printing from American Girl
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Felicity's New Sister
American Girls Short Stories
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First Edition, First Printing from American Girl
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Fight for Freedom
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From Colonies to Country with George Washington - Book Only
My American Journey
by Deborah Hedstrom
from Multnomah Books
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$2.00 (1 in stock)
George Rogers Clark: War in the West
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George Washington
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George Washington: Frontier Colonel
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Golden Book History of the United States Volume 3
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Golden Book of the American Revolution
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Great Little Madison
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How and Why Wonder Book of the American Revolution
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Weekly Reader Heroes of the Revolution
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Justin Morgan Had a Horse
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1958th edition from Rand McNally
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Justin Morgan Had a Horse (pictorial cover)
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Kings Mountain
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Lafayette!
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$14.99
Lafayette, Friend of America
Makers of America
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Liberty or Death
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Life in Early America
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Love Thy Neighbor
Dear America
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Fictional historical journal for 3rd-6th grade
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Marquis de Lafayette
World Landmark #34
by Hodding Carter
from Random House
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My Brother Sam Is Dead
by James & Christopher Collier
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Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1975 Newbery Honor Book
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Noah Webster: Father of the American Dictionary
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One Dead Spy
Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #1
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Our Independence and the Constitution
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Patriots' Gold
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Patsy Jefferson's Diary
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Paul Revere
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Paul Revere and the Minute Men
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Paul Revere and the Minute Men
Spencer Press Landmark #3 (RH#4)
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Paul Revere's Ride
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1st edition from HarperCollins
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Phoebe and the General
by Judith Berry Griffin
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Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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Pictorial Encyclopedia of American History Volume 15
from United States Capital Historical Society
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Pictorial Encyclopedia of American History Volume 16
from United States Capital Historical Society
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Pictorial Encyclopedia of American History Volume 17
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Pictorial Encyclopedia of American History Volume 2
from United States Capital Historical Society
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Profiles of Valor
2017 Printing from Learning Parent
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Rabbits and Redcoats
by Robert Newton Peck
from Walker and Company
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Real Book about George Washington
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from Garden City Books
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Real Revolution
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$22.00
Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior
by George Washington
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Rush Revere and the American Revolution
by Rush Limbaugh with Kathryn Adams Limbaugh
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Rush Revere and the First Patriots
by Rush Limbaugh
1St Edition from Threshold Editions
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Spy!
by Anna Myers
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Story of Andrew Jackson
Grosset & Dunlap Signature #13
by Enid LaMonte Meadowcroft, illustrated by David Hendrickson
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Biography for 5th-9th grade
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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
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Story of George Washington
Grosset & Dunlap Signature #12
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from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 5th-9th grade
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Story of John Paul Jones
Grosset & Dunlap Signature #20
by Iris Vinton, illustrated by Edward A. Wilson
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Biography for 5th-9th grade
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Story of Lafayette
Signature Books #7
by Hazel Wilson, illustrated by Edy Legrand
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Biograhy for 4th-8th grade
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Story of Lexington and Concord
by Keith Neely, R. Conrad Stein
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Story of Mad Anthony Wayne
Grosset & Dunlap Signature #24
by Hazel Wilson, illustrated by Lawrence Beall Smith
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Biography for 5th-9th grade
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Story of Martha Washington
Grosset & Dunlap Signature #32
by Jeannette C. Nolan, illustrated by Corinne B. Dillon
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Biography for 4th-8th grade
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Story of Monticello
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Norman Richards
from Children's Press
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Story of Monticello
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Norman Richards, Illustrated by Chuck Mitchell
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Story of the Bonhomme Richard
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Norman Richards
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Story of the Bonhomme Richard
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Norman Richards
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Story of the Boston Tea Party
Cornerstones of Freedom
by R. Conrad Stein
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Story of the Declaration of Independence
by Norman Richards
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Story of the Declaration of Independence
by Norman Richards, Tom Dunnington
from Children's Press
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Story of the Liberty Bell
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Natali Miller
from Children's Press
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Story of the Liberty Bell
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Natalie Miller, illustrated by Betsy Warren
from Children's Press
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Story of Valley Forge
Cornerstones of Freedom
by R. Conrad Stein
from Children's Press
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Swamp Fox of the Revolution
Landmark #90
by Stewart H. Holbrook
from Random House
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That Lively Man, Ben Franklin
by Jeanette Eaton, illustrated by Henry Pitz
from William Morrow & Company
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Washington at Valley Forge
by Freedman, Russell
First Edition from Holiday House
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We Were There at the Battle of Lexington and Concord
We Were There #20
by Felix Sutton, illustrated by H. B. Vestal
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Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade
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We Were There at the Boston Tea Party
We Were There #3
by Robert N. Webb, illustrated by E. F. Ward
from Grosset & Dunlap
Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade
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We Were There When Washington Won at Yorktown
We Were There #17
by Earl Schenck Miers, illustrated by Herman B. Vestal
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Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade
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