Our Country's Founders: A Book of Advice for Young People

by William J. Bennett

Encouraged by the thousands of young Americans who enjoyed The Book of Virtues for Young People, William J. Bennett returns with an inspiring collection of wisdom from the men and women who founded our great nation. On that hot July day in 1776 when our forefathers pledged "our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor" to establishing a free country, they started a revolution based on fundamental values such as patriotism, love, civility, education, industry, justice, and piety. The advice offered by the Founders on these values still rings true for young people today. In speeches, letters, poems, and articles, the words and deeds of the brave men and women of the Revolution reveal the basic principles of how to be a good American. Witness the courage of George Washington crossing the Delaware. Enjoy the expression of true love between John and Abigail Adams. Feel the great bond of friendship between Madison and Jefferson. And take to heart the lessons on education and frugality of Benjamin Franklin. Drawn from the best-selling adult book Our Sacred Honor, this adapted version includes new selections, plus important documents such as the Constitution and Declaration of Independence; a time line; and biographical notes on our revolutionary forefathers. Our Country's Founders provides all the background needed to appreciate these timeless lessons and advice from America's founders.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Reference, School, Politics

300 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1998

About the author

William J. "Bill" Bennett is a politician and author who served in the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations, as chief of National Endowment for the Humanities and later Secretary of Education under Reagan, and Drug Czar under Bush. He is a nationally well-known figure of political and social conservatism and authored many books on politics, ethics, and international relations.

Reviews

[Lindsey]

I love first person accounts on historical events. It is broken up in to sections based on the virtues found in each story, quote or poem. It’s even better than I’d hoped.

[Lady reading under the Willow]

Herein is a compendium of excerpts extracted from the great wealth of the Founding Fathers' writings. These excerpts are sorted into sections and loosely arranged by topic/virtue. Writings from letters, newspaper articles, the Federalist Papers, etc. are included, as well as some biographical accounts.

The book closes with the texts of our beautiful and worthy national documents: the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

I read this to my high schoolers during our morning symposium of shared studies. Divided into conveniently brief readings, it was perfect as a daily read-aloud. Highly recommended.

[Tim Senter]

Good reference. Well sourced. Good additional information.

[Joel Everett]

An excellent selection of correspondence, source documents, and anecdotes for use as an introduction to the Founding Fathers for children.

[Brittany Perry]

This was my first writing award ever. So it is near and dear to my heart. It is also very good to read for younger people.

[Sierra]

This was an interesting book containing speeches, articles, documents, etc. from the United States' history.

[Heidi]

If you want to learn about our country's start this would be a great book.