Books Every American Should Read.

On facebook someone had posted on my live feed a you tube blurb of Porky Pig citing the pledge of allegiance without saying, "One Nation Under God." The cartoon was made in the 1930's.  The point of the commentator was that no one was pledging to a nation under God until 1954 when, according to the blurb, radical right wingers, Christians and paranoid anti communists insisted it be added. I suppose their message was that we really weren't a nation founded by people who believed in God. As you may have guessed, I didn't take that one lying down (even if a relative whom I love did post it). My reply: Why is “In God we trust” on the dollar bill? Why does the Treaty of Paris, written in 1783 start, “In the name of the most holy and undivided Trinity?”

I then did a little research and found out that President Eisenhower added “One nation under God” because of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address that concludes with:

That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from this earth.




Or how about the Emancipation Proclamation?

 Whereas, on the twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord.....all persons held as slaves within any State ….shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free...


And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God....




The Declaration of Independence:

  When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the Powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them....


We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.....




Then there's the reason that some of our oldest European ancestors came to this land:

The Mayflower Compact:



In the name of God, Amen, We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Kind, Defender of the Faith, c.


Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith....





I believe there is a renewed interest in what our founding fathers actually intended when beginning this country because there are an ever increasing amount of books being published that contain the historical documents that these great men wrote. One book that I suggest is called,  The Patriot's Library. This book contains our most important historical documents. In addition to the ones already mentioned, it includes The Articles of Confederation, The Constitution, and The Louisiana Purchase. It gives the meanings and origins of our Symbols of Independence such as our national anthem, the bald eagle, great seal flag as well as many others. It includes Thomas Paine's, Common Sense, Paul Reveres' Ride, as well as famous speeches from Patrick Henry, George Washington, Woodrow Wilson's War message and many of our presidents' inaugural addresses.

Now is a critical time in our country to be informed of what the purpose of our country is really about, what the vision of our founding fathers  was and what our rights as citizens are. We Americans are on the edge of a precipice. I for one don't want to live under a government state.

The Patriot's Library   


And speaking of Presidents...    

Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge wrote a wonderful little book entitled, Hero Tales. This book includes stories of some of our most famous Americans but also those who acted in heroic ways that are lessor known. For instance did you know about Francis Parkman who was one of the early explorers who went out west, and despite severe illness joined a tribe of Ogallalla Indians and learned about their culture?  He recorded his travels through the prairies, and mountains and life with the Indians in his journal, The Oregon Trail.   












Then there's Governor Morris, the American ambassador in France during their bloody revolution in 1792 who refused to leave Paris after all other foreign officials had and who, furthermore, refused to relinquish French dignitaries who took refuge in his house.

There's also the well known accounts of Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, the Alamo, plus some not as well-known as they should be events such as the death of Stonewall Jackson and the charge of Gettysburg.

One particular favorite story of mine is  The Battle of New Orleans.  The children in my music class sang the old Johnny Horton song and we all enjoyed learning the history behind it.
 
       I've just been reading a book about the Chinese cultural revolution which I'll review later.  The primary thing Mao Tse Tung did-as many despots have done- was to attempt to erase the past.  Anything that was traditional was condemned.  The Chinese were made to feel ashamed of their culture and history.    We musn't voluntarily erase our past by refusing to read up on it.  I encourage every reader out there to read America's historical documents for themself.

Review of The American Patriot's Almanac

I discovered a web site, BookSneeze.com where I can request a book of my choice and receive a complimentary copy on the condition that I write a review of it. They state that they want an honest review and it can be positive or negative.


I chose The American Patriot's Almanac by William J. Bennett and John T.E. Cribb, and I can only say positive things about this book. It is simply a wonderful book. Judging from the rise in books about American History, the Constitution and Patriotism, I must conclude that Americans are waking up and searching for their roots. They want to know how a country like America happened, how it came to be great and what actually were the original intentions of its founding fathers.

If you are one such person then The American Patriot's Almanac is for you.

     I'll start with the most superficial reason for buying it: it is beautifully bound, combining both cloth and hardcover. The pages are made to look and feel like thick parchment with rough edges.

But the real reason you should buy it is for what the pages contain. This book is made up of daily readings of historical figures, events and documents of American history. What makes this book more appealing than many others of its ilk is that you don't have to find time to sit down and read it in bulk. You can browse a page a day over coffee in the morning. You'll read about well known events and figures but also learn of lesser-known historical happenings and people whose contributions also shaped the course of our country.

    For instance, January 1 states that on that day Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Underneath is a brief description of what occurred on that famous day, including some little known but interesting trivia.  January 2, however, talks about Haym Salomon: a financial hero of the Revolution. The paragraph underneath informs us that if it were not for this Polish immigrant, there would not have been a United States. (You'll have to read the book to find out why).

Other dates describe the discovery of the cure of polio (March 26) , the Burr-Hamilton Duel (July 11) and The Louisiana Purchase (October 20)

At the bottom of each page is a listing of several other events that also happened on the same day. For example, December 13 describes the history of the National Guard but underneath includes a certain Civil War battle that also took place on that date, that Woodrow Wilson became president and the U.S. Forces captured former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

In addition to the daily readings, each month includes an essay of various topics. The January section includes  facts with illustrations of Flags of the Revolutionary War.  February gives a history of the Stars and Stripes. May informs us of flag etiquette.  June-how the Declaration of Independence was written and signed et al.

Finally, if for no other reason, you should buy the book because it includes The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, The Bill of Rights, The Gettysburg Address and something I didn't even know existed, The American's Creed. Every Amercian citizen should have these documents in their possession.

 It seems fashionable for  media figures and people on certain sides of the political spectrum to mock patriotism.  I'll close with a quote that is included in the front of the book:
  
Actor James Cagney, playing Broadway legend George M. Cohan, summed it up in the 1942 movie, Yankee Doodle Dandy:  "It seems it always happens.  Whenever we get too high-hat and too sophisticated for flag-waving, some thug nation decides we're a pushover all ready to be blackjacked.  And it isn't long before we're looking up, mighty anxiously, to be sure the flag's still waving over us."

 I recommend that all shameless patriot's buy this book.