Product Description

British philosopher G. K. Chesterton once quipped that America is the only nation ever founded on a creed. While other nations find their identity in geography, culture, ideology, or ethnic origin, America was founded on certain ideas about freedom, human dignity, and social responsibility.

Early in the nineteenth century, American educators began to realize that if this great experiment in liberty was to be maintained, then an informed patriotism would have to be instilled in the young. The ideals that produced the nation needed to pass from one generation to the next; thus, these educators presented rising new citizens with a small handbook containing the essential elements of the American creed.

The Patriot's Handbook is a twenty-first century version of that tradition. A concise introduction to the ideas, events, and personalities of American freedom, it is a valuable resource for anyone who wishes to understand the nation's identity as it has developed from its founding until now. Included are key documents:

• The Mayflower Compact
• The Declaration of Independence
• The Federalist Papers
• Speeches, poems, song lyrics, and profiles of the presidents and many of the leaders who have shaped the nation's history

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #51380 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

From Library Journal
From the middle of the 19th to the mid-20th century, educators and parents often gave their students and children handbooks containing basic documents that shaped American history; their hope was to inculcate in the next generation a sense of what the United States was all about. Grant (Carry a Big Stick, Cumberland, 1996) has examined a number of these books and used them as a model to develop his own. His work covers American history from Colonial times to the present. He includes basic documents such as the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Monroe Doctrine, the Gettyburg Address, and the Pledge of Allegiance. He also selects literary pieces that he feels are representative of the American spirit (e.g., "The Courtship of Miles Standish"). He explores landmark legal decisions such as the Dred Scott decision and Roe v. Wade. Each selection is prefaced and put in context. While some may argue with Grant's choices in certain areas, he's put together a solid, affordable collection of Americana that is essential for every library.?Grant A. Fredericksen, Illinois Prairie Dist. P.L., Metamora
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

A TIMELY BOOK FOR AMERICA AND THE WORLD
This book is a wonderfully complete anthology of the writings and spoken words that have shaped America - its ideas, its culture and its politics - from the earliest colonial settlements in Virginia and New England through to the present day.

In the aftermath of the September 2001 catastrophe in New York and the related tragedies in Washington and Pennsylvania, this book will be of outstanding value to Americans as they refresh their sense of identity and renew their familiarity with the core values that they share with their friends around the globe.

In speaking of America's friends, we British will not be alone in finding strength and inspiration in this remarkable body of thought and expression. However it is you Americans who have most to gain by re-discovering the spoken and written words of the foundational geniuses of your national spirit.

Take the opportunity now to read or re-read the Declaration of Independence - the moment of your birth as a nation. Remind yourselves what your Constitution actually says, and rejoice in your astonishing Bill of Rights (we have neither in the UK).

Draw strength from the righteousness and resolve of the heroic characters in your history. It may be fashionable to discount the epic poems about (say) Miles Standish and Paul Revere as divorced from the reality of their lives, but that is to miss the point. Revere's importance is not so much in what he historically did, as in the light that his legend sheds on the American character. It was in fact in these embellished accounts that the great poets most truly captured the spirit of the American people and passed the snapshots on for posterity.

There is so much more here - too much to list. The book contains all the most important documents, essays, sermons, speeches ("Give me liberty, or give me death!"), poems and songs that have shaped America's view of itself and of the world. So much more than just a civics text, this is a brilliantly selected and edited encapsulation of the U.S. identity.

Over the next few months, America is going to begin rebuilding its faith in God and its faith in itself. That is going to involve reflection on the successes and the mistakes of the past, and a rediscovery of the core values that America has built itself on (and to a large extent passed on to the world). In that process, "The Patriot's Handbook" can be of incalculable value.

America's friends should read it. Even America's enemies should read it - they might find understanding and the hope of reconciliation. Every American should own it.

Excellent, but incomplete.
Eloquent. I have no other word to describe the works in this book. This book may seem to be a compilation of important documents and speeches, but it's also a insight into the men who made history.

This books presents American history parsed into chronological order and told through the speeches and documents themselves. There is no narrator and no need for one, the explicit ideals expressed in each masterfully written document from their eloquent clarity.

One only has to sit and read the Declaration of Independence outside of the classroom to fully appreciate the hard choices or ancestors had been forced to make. The courage required to write and sign the Declaration of Independence only shows itself when the document is read entirely without inteferemce.

The book also includes hymns and ballads from our history, covering songs for the Union and Confederacy during our Civil War. I have yet to hear of a history class in which the students are able to actually know what the common men were singing to maintain their spirits.

A page is written on each of the founding fathers, fortuneately it goes into a respectable level of detail on the lesser known founders. The book brings the founders into the light and displays them as what they truly were, normal men with grand plans, strong convictions and the courage to see it through.

One place where the book could have improved however is by listing all of the amendments to the Constition, rather than only the first ten. All told it is a book that will inspire the reader when he is faced with impossible odds.

The closing cover of the book reads "Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it." -John Quincy Adams

George Grant has made good use of his freedom by writing this book, it's strongly suggested that you use your freedom to enjoy this book and stop to appreciate at what cost our prosperity has come.

Every Citizen Should Be Familiar With The Contents!
This book has gathered together in one convenient place an impressive collection of letters, documents, speeches and essays which clearly illustrate the content of the Founders' souls. This book should be read by every American who considers him or herself a responsible adult. Notice the book is not called 'Republicans Will Eat Your Baby!', nor is it called 'Liberals Posessed By Demons, Communists'. It is aimed at AMERICANS, and that is how we'd better start seeing ourselves if we're ever going to wise up. This Red State/Blue State divisiveness will solve nothing; let's all agree to lay down our weapons and reasonably discuss ways to overcome the problems that are affecting all Americans! Let's all take a breather while refreshing our memories on what this country is really all about! I urge you as my fellow citizen to take the time to consider what this nation really means to YOU.