Tuesday, January 11, 2011

The American Patriot's Almanac - Book Review

Every American family should have a copy of The American Patriot's Almanac by William J. Bennett and John T.E. Cribb in their home. I was excited to get a free copy from Book Sneeze a few months ago and I've been meaning to write about it ever since.

The book is arranged by date through the year and tells of important and interesting historical details that occurred on each day. For example, on January 11th Alexander Hamilton was born. He was an orphan born in the Caribbean Islands and the exact year is not known--either 1755 or 1757. The page continues to give a quick glimpse of Hamilton's life and his contributions to America, including being an aide-de-camp to George Washington during the Revolutionary War, helping to persuade Americans to accept the constitution and writing the Federalist Papers with James Madison and John Jay.

Also on this day in 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt declared the Grand Canyon a national monument .

This book is a treasure trove of valuable information for all Americans. Besides the historical data from each day, it also includes the history of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. These documents, the Bill of Rights and Amendments to the US Constitution are included in their entirety. You can also find the Gettysburg Address, The Emancipation Proclamation and The Pledge of Allegiance. Songs, poems and prayers for the American People are included as well. A section at the back of the book lists each of the fifty states, their flag and other important information.

While Utah Dad and I have much of this additional information in other books in our library, it is especially nice to have it all combined so conveniently and beautifully in one volume. My children have enjoyed looking up the events that occurred on their birthdays.

The American Patriot's Almanac is definitely a book to add to your library. It is a rich and valuable source for every family.

1 comment:

Rheanna said...

I love books like that! Forget the kids, I enjoy knowing what random things happened on each day :o)!