As we celebrate America this Fourth of July take time to reflect on our 250 year experiment in self government. Give thought to the lofty ideals enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, the milestones that mark our path toward manifesting them, and our future. Take time to reflect on the leadership that united and inspired us.
This historic anniversary will provide a new generation of leaders an opportunity to shine. They will unite the nation with inspiration, a shared vision for the future, and a renewed challenge to continue this amazing experiment.
It is the dawn of a new era. Together we can ensure that the nation’s best years are still to come. Let’s begin with a commitment to learn about our country’s origins, and about the leadership that challenged us to manifest the vision of our founders.
Read the Declaration of Independence. Take time to read the Federalist Papers. Familiarize yourself with the works of Thomas Paine. Commit to reading one book a month about the leaders that inspired and challenged the nation to face the future with courage and vision. Following is a list of some of my favorite books.
You can find them on Amazon, but I suggest trying the local bookstore first. They need your support! And don’t forget the public library.
John Lewis
From Amazon, “From celebrated Congressman John Lewis comes an eyewitness account of history from a key member of the Civil Rights Movement and confidant to Martin Luther King Jr.
In turbulent times Americans look to the Civil Rights Movement as the apotheosis of political expression. As we confront a startling rise in racism and hate speech and remain a culture scarred by social inequality, there’s no better time to revisit the lessons of the ’60s and no better leader to learn from than the late Representative John Lewis.
In the final book published before his passing, Across That Bridge, Congressman John Lewis draws from his experience as a prominent leader of the Civil Rights Movement to offer timeless wisdom, poignant recollections, and powerful principles for anyone interested in challenging injustices and inspiring real change toward a freer, more peaceful society.
The Civil Rights Movement gave rise to the protest culture we know today, and the experiences of leaders like Congressman Lewis, a close confidant to Martin Luther King, Jr., have never been more relevant. Despite more than forty arrests, physical attacks, and serious injuries, John Lewis remained a devoted advocate of the discipline and philosophy of nonviolence. Now, in an era in which the protest culture he helped forge has resurfaced as a force for change, Lewis’ insights have never been more relevant. In this heartfelt book, Lewis explores the contributions that each generation must make to achieve change.”
Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America
John McCain
From Amazon, “This lavishly illustrated volume—featuring a foreword by award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns—provides a compelling look at the life and career of Senator John McCain from his early years to today, exploring his legacy, his impact, and his place in American history.
As of January 3, 2018, John Sidney McCain III, one of the most influential statesmen of our time, will have served as a US senator for 31 years—11,324 days. This unofficial retrospective honors and pays homage to Senator McCain’s astonishing journey—a story of courage, resilience, and leadership; irrepressibility, determination, and grit. Written by acclaimed journalist Elaine Povich, it covers his childhood as the son and grandson of admirals, his service as a naval aviator in Vietnam and subsequent harrowing five-year imprisonment in a POW camp, his congressional and senatorial careers, his family, his presidential campaigns, and perhaps his most important role yet, as an elder statesman willing to stand up for the nation. With more than 100 photographs, highlights from notable speeches, and inspiring quotes, this book is a moving tribute to a true American hero and icon.
John McCain: American Maverick
Joseph Medicine Crow
From Amazon, “Picture a Crow Indian elder, his wizened eyes catching yours in the ancient flicker of firelight. His mesmerizing stories span the ages, from Custer to World War II to the 21st Century. He is the last traditional chief of his people. He is over 90 years old. Now picture that same man lecturing at colleges nationwide, and addressing the United Nations on the subject of peace.
National Geographic presents the amazing life story of Joseph Medicine Crow, the man who begins life as Winter Man. Trained as a warrior by his grandfather, Yellowtail, he bathes in icy rivers and endures the ceremony of “counting coup” facing fierce combat with an enemy Sioux boy.”
Counting Coup: Becoming a Crow Chief on the Reservation and Beyond (National Geographic-memoirs)
Dwight D. Eisenhower
From Amazon, “Few people have made decisions as momentous as Eisenhower, nor has one person had to make such a varied range of them. From D-Day to Little Rock, from the Korean War to Cold War crises, from the Red Scare to the Missile Gap controversies, Ike was able to give our country eight years of peace and prosperity by relying on a core set of principles. These were informed by his heritage and upbringing, as well as his strong character and his personal discipline, but he also avoided making himself the center of things. He was a man of judgment, and steadying force. He sought national unity, by pursuing a course he called the “Middle Way” that tried to make winners on both sides of any issue.”
John Adams
From Amazon, “The Pulitzer Prize–winning, bestselling biography of America’s founding father and second president that was the basis for the acclaimed HBO series, brilliantly told by master historian David McCullough.
In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution; who rose to become the second president of the United States and saved the country from blundering into an unnecessary war; who was learned beyond all but a few and regarded by some as “out of his senses”; and whose marriage to the wise and valiant Abigail Adams is one of the moving love stories in American history.
This is history on a grand scale—a book about politics and war and social issues, but also about human nature, love, religious faith, virtue, ambition, friendship, and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, John Adams is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived.
Dawn of A New Era
This Fourth of July is more than fireworks and picnics. It is the dawn of a new era.
This holiday weekend let’s focus on restoring the united to the United States. Let’s rediscover the vision of our founders.
Thank you. Shared adventures are the best adventures.