The Patriot's Handbook: A Citizenship Primer for a New Generation of Americans

About this book

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 Patriots 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 nations 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 nations history