A patriot's handbook : songs, poems, stories, and speeches celebrating the land we love

Caroline Kennedy shares an inspiring collection of patriotic poems, song lyrics, historical documents, and speeches.

The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was a blockbuster success, remaining on the New York Times bestseller list for 15 weeks with more than 500,000 copies in print. Now, Caroline Kennedy shares with readers an assortment of her own favorite American writings. The works collected here--which span centuries and styles--have one thing in common: all are emblematic of our country's patriotism and pride.

Caroline Kennedy researched all of the selections included in A Patriot's Handbook , wrote the introduction, and added personal commentary to each section. This elegantly packaged collection is the perfect gift for anyone in search of a reminder of what our country's spirit is made of.

"Over the past year we have all thought about what it means to be an American. I realized that I want my own children to know more about the ideals upon which this country was founded and the sacrifices that have been made to pass them on to us. This book is intended to help families explore the foundations of our freedom and to celebrate our heritage." (Caroline Kennedy)

Author Notes

Caroline Bouvier Kennedy was born in New York City on born November 27, 1957 to John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. She received an A.B. from Radcliffe College in 1979 and a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1988. She is the author and editor of several books on constitutional law, American history, politics, and poetry including In Our Defense: The Bill of Rights in Action, The Right to Privacy, The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Profiles in Courage for Our Time, A Patriot's Handbook, A Family Christmas, and She Walks in Beauty - A Woman's Journey through Poems. She has also compiled the interview tapes and written the forward for Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

The rich and sometimes discordant strains of American self-scrutiny fill this wide-ranging anthology. Kennedy (The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis) arranges the more than 200 selections according to themes like "The Flag," "Freedom of Speech," "Work, Opportunity and Invention" and "The Individual," and devotes equal space to the official, the devotional and the oppositional. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are reprinted in full, along with a large selection of presidential inaugurals and farewells and excerpts from landmark Supreme Court decisions. Popular songs include "Yankee Doodle," "This Land Is Your Land" and "Surfin' USA." Poems and fiction from such luminaries as Whitman, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, Stephen Crane, Alice Walker and Annie Proulx explore the variegated textures of American life. The dissident voices of Thoreau, Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass hold America to account for its injustice; H.L. Mencken castigates it as "a commonwealth of third-rate men"; and Oscar Wilde raises a sardonic eyebrow at the whole dubious enterprise. Combining traditional touchstones of Americanism with many insightful surprises, Kennedy's thoughtful arrangement of works of historical significance and literary quality will reward both casual browsers and those conducting a more focused investigation of the nation's patriotic literature. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

Kennedy compiled the 2001 best-seller devoted to her mother's memory, The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Certain to hit the best-seller lists, too, is her latest compilation, a personal selection of prose and poetry that celebrates the land, the people, the spirit, and the history of our great country. Calling the book "my collage of America" but certainly presenting items relevant to any citizen's interest, Kennedy arranges her material into chapters based on general themes, including the flag, portraits of Americans, freedom, and equality. The first selection is the lyrics to the national anthem, and the last one is an excerpt from the fiction of highly esteemed contemporary writer Annie Proulx; selections in between include George Washington's "Farewell Address," Sojourner Truth's speech "Ain't I a Woman," the text of Brown v. the Board of Education, and the words to the Grateful Dead's song "U.S. Blues." Kennedy provides a general introduction to the book and introduces each chapter. For personal enjoyment and education, but the reference value is obvious, too. --Brad Hooper

List of Illustrations	p. xv
Acknowledgments	p. xix
Introduction	p. xxi
The Flag
The Star-Spangled Banner, Francis Scott Key and John Stafford Smith, 1814	p. 5
The Pledge of Allegiance, 1892	p. 7
The Battle Cry of Freedom, George Frederick Root, c. 1861	p. 8
The Flag Goes By, Henry Holcomb Bennett, c. 1900	p. 9
You're a Grand Old Flag, George M. Cohan, 1906	p. 10
West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnett, 319 U.S. 624 (1943)	p. 11
Flags, Gwendolyn Brooks, 1944	p. 15
The Mike Christian Story, John McCain, 1971	p. 16
Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397 (1989)	p. 18
U.S. Blues, Grateful Dead, 1973	p. 21
God Bless the U.S.A., Lee Greenwood, 1984	p. 22
Visions of America
John Winthrop, A Model of Christian Charity, 1630	p. 32
George Washington, Farewell Address, September 19, 1796	p. 34
Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801	p. 41
Daniel Webster, Dedication of the Bunker Hill Monument, June 17, 1825	p. 45
The Ship of State, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1849	p. 48
Theodore Roosevelt, The Strenuous Life, April 10, 1899	p. 49
Let America Be America Again, Langston Hughes, July 1936	p. 54
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Second Inaugural Address, January 20, 1937	p. 57
John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961	p. 61
The Times They Are A-Changin', Bob Dylan, c. 1963	p. 65
First Words Spoken by a Man on the Moon, July 20, 1969	p. 67
Ronald Reagan, Farewell Address, January 11, 1989	p. 69
Portraits of Americans
Yankee Doodle, 1755	p. 76
Letters from an American Farmer; J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, 1782	p. 78
Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville, 1835	p. 79
Democracy, Henry Adams, 1880	p. 81
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde, 1891	p. 83
Dangers of the Dress Suit in Politics, George Washington Plunkitt, 1905	p. 85
Take Me Out to the Ball Game, Albert Von Tilzer and Jack Norworth, 1908	p. 88
On Being an American, H. L. Mencken, 1922	p. 90
As Regards Patriotism, Mark Twain, c. 1900	p. 94
I Like Americans, Edna St. Vincent Millay, 1924	p. 96
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925	p. 98
American Names, Stephen Vincent Benet, 1927	p. 100
The 42nd Parallel, John Dos Passos, 1930	p. 102
You're the Top, Cole Porter, 1934	p. 105
The Story of a Novel, Thomas Wolfe, 1936	p. 108
Hollywood, Truman Capote, 1950	p. 109
The Last Gentleman, Walker Percy, 1966	p. 111
How to Tame a Wild Tongue, Gloria Anzaldua, 1987	p. 113
A Country and a Conundrum, Anna Quindlen, 2002	p. 116
Rule of Law
The Constitution of the United States, 1787	p. 125
Benjamin Franklin, The Constitutional Convention, Speech at the Conclusion of Its Deliberations, September 17, 1787	p. 143
Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137 (1803)	p. 145
Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau, 1849	p. 147
Abraham Lincoln, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861	p. 150
The United States of America v. Susan B. Anthony, 1873	p. 157
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, 1960	p. 162
Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham City Jail, April 16, 1963	p. 165
Lyndon B. Johnson, Special Message to the Congress: The American Promise, March 15, 1965	p. 170
Duncan v. Louisiana, 391 U.S. 145 (1968)	p. 175
Barbara Jordan, Opening Statement to the House Judiciary Committee, Proceedings on Impeachment of Richard Nixon, July 25, 1974	p. 178
Gerald R. Ford, Remarks on Taking the Oath of Office, August 9, 1974	p. 181
Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000)	p. 183
Freedom
The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, 1776	p. 192
But, Mister Adams (from the Broadway musical 1776), Sherman Edwards, 1964	p. 197
America, Samuel Francis Smith, 1832	p. 200
Frederick Douglass, If I Had a Country, I Should Be a Patriot, September 24, 1847	p. 202
Annie Davis, Letter to President Lincoln, August 25, 1864	p. 204
Sympathy, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 1893	p. 205
Freedom, E. B. White, July 1940	p. 206
As freedom is a breakfastfood, E. E. Cummings, 1940	p. 211
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, State of the Union Address, January 6, 1941	p. 213
Judge Learned Hand, Address at "I Am an American" Day, Central Park, New York, May 21, 1944	p. 220
I've Got the Light of Freedom, Pete Seeger	p. 222
Ronald Reagan, Address to Students, Moscow State University, May 31, 1988	p. 223
Freedom of Speech and of the Press
Andrew Hamilton, Statement at Trial of John Peter Zenger; 1735	p. 229
Abrams v. U.S., 250 U.S. 616 (1919)	p. 232
Whitney v. California, 274 U.S. 357 (1927)	p. 236
Margaret Chase Smith, Remarks to the Senate in Support of a Declaration of Conscience, June 1, 1950	p. 240
New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964)	p. 244
Freedom of Religion
Amazing Grace, John Newton, 1779, 1829 (last stanza)	p. 251
Chief Red Jacket, Speech Against Missionaries' Efforts to Baptize Members of the Seneca Tribe, 1805	p. 254
John F. Kennedy, Speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association, September 12, 1960	p. 256
Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421 (1962)	p. 259
Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, 122 S. Ct. 2460 (2002)	p. 264
The Right to be Let Alone
James Otis, Statement Against the Writs of Assistance, Boston, 1761	p. 269
Olmstead v. U.S., 277 U.S. 438 (1928)	p. 271
Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 (1992)	p. 275
Equality
Abigail Adams, Letter to John Adams, March 31, 1776	p. 287
John Adams, Letter to Abigail Adams, April 14, 1776	p. 288
Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, Seneca Falls Convention, 1848	p. 289
Sojourner Truth, Ain't I a Woman?, May 1851	p. 293
James Weldon Johnson, Lift Every Voice and Sing, 1900	p. 294
Jeannette Rankin, Speech in Congress on Women's Rights and Wartime Service, January 10, 1918	p. 296
Incident, Countee Cullen, 1925	p. 299
Merry-Go-Round, Langston Hughes, 1942	p. 301
Can a Woman Ever Be President of the United States?, Eleanor Roosevelt, 1935	p. 302
Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954)	p. 306
The Chicago Defender Sends a Man to Little Rock, Fall 1957, Gwendolyn Brooks, 1960	p. 312
John F. Kennedy, Televised Address to the Nation, June 11, 1963	p. 315
Martin Luther King Jr., Address at the March on Washington, August 28, 1963	p. 321
Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique, 1963	p. 325
Fannie Lou Hamer, The Special Plight and the Role of the Black Woman, May 7, 1971	p. 328
Frontiero v. Richardson, 411 U.S. 677 (1973)	p. 330
Edward M. Kennedy, Statement on Americans with Disabilities Act, May 9, 1989	p. 332
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Address to the Fourth UN World Conference on Women, Beijing, China, September 5, 1993	p. 336
William Jefferson Clinton, Remarks on Affirmative Action, July 19, 1995	p. 340
Baker v. State, 170 Vt. 194 (1999)	p. 347
The Individual
Simple Gifts, Joseph Brackett, 1848	p. 355
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance, 1841	p. 356
Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854	p. 360
Songs of the Sacred Mysteries, Sioux, 1869	p. 364
The Sorrow Songs (from The Souls of Black Folk), W. E. B. Du Bois, 1903	p. 367
The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost, 1916	p. 370
Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison, 1947	p. 371
William Faulkner, Address Upon Receiving the Nobel Prize, December 10, 1950	p. 374
Lillian Hellman, Letter to the House Committee on Un-American Activities, and Reply (from Scoundrel Time), 1952	p. 375
Robert F. Kennedy, Day of Affirmation, Cape Town University, June 6, 1966	p. 379
Martin Luther King Jr., The Drum Major Instinct, February 4, 1968	p. 383
In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens, Alice Walker, 1974	p. 387
War and Peace
Chief Logan, Speech After Defeat by the Virginia Militia, 1774	p. 397
Patrick Henry, Speech to the Second Virginia Convention, March 23, 1775	p. 398
Thomas Paine, Common Sense, February 14, 1776	p. 400
Paul Revere's Ride, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1863	p. 403
The Monroe Doctrine, 1823	p. 408
The Battle Hymn of the Republic, Julia Ward Howe, 1861	p. 410
Shiloh, a Requiem, Herman Melville, April 1862	p. 411
Abraham Lincoln, Final Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863	p. 412
Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863	p. 415
Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865	p. 418
Memoirs, Ulysses S. Grant, 1885-1886	p. 420
Chief Joseph, Surrender to the U.S. Army, 1877	p. 421
The Marines' Song, 1891	p. 422
Do Not Weep, Maiden, for War Is Kind, Stephen Crane, 1899	p. 423
The Caisson Song, Edmund L. Gruber, 1907	p. 425
Woodrow Wilson, War Message to Congress, April 2, 1917	p. 426
Over There, George M. Cohan, 1917	p. 430
The Unknown Soldier; Billy Rose	p. 431
September 1, 1939, W. H. Auden, 1941	p. 433
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, War Message to Congress, December 8, 1941	p. 436
The Gift Outright, Robert Frost, 1942	p. 438
Martial Cadenza, Wallace Stevens, 1954	p. 440
Dwight D. Eisenhower, The Great Crusade, June 6, 1944	p. 442
J. Robert Oppenheimer, On the Atomic Bomb, 1945	p. 446
Albert Einstein, The Fateful Decision, 1948	p. 447
Harry S. Truman, Address to the Nation on Korea, April 11, 1951	p. 449
Dwight D. Eisenhower, Farewell Address, January 17, 1961	p. 454
Blowin' in the Wind, Bob Dylan, 1962	p. 458
John F. Kennedy, Commencement Address at American University, June 10, 1963	p. 459
Vietnam Veterans Against the War, John Kerry, 1971	p. 465
Born in the U.S.A., Bruce Springsteen, 1984	p. 469
Tim O'Brien, On the Rainy River (from The Things They Carried), 1990	p. 472
Richard M. Nixon, Remarks Upon Returning from the People's Republic of China, February 28, 1972	p. 478
William Jefferson Clinton, Remarks at Michigan State University, May 5, 1995	p. 481
George W. Bush, Address on Terrorism Before a Joint Meeting of Congress, September 20, 2001	p. 485
Jimmy Carter, Address Upon Receiving the Nobel Prize, December 10, 2002	p. 491
Work, Opportunity, and Invention
The New Colossus, Emma Lazarus, 1883	p. 499
Huang Zunxian, Explusion of the Immigrants, c. 1884	p. 500
I Hear America Singing, Walt Whitman, 1891	p. 503
I've Been Working on the Railroad	p. 505
Wilbur Wright, Letter to Octave Chanute, May 13, 1900	p. 506
Florence Kelley, Speech at the Convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, July 22, 1905	p. 509
The Jungle, Upton Sinclair, 1906	p. 510
Ellis Island, Henry James, 1907	p. 512
Ernesto Galarza, Barrio Boy, 1971	p. 514
Henry Ford, My Life and Work, 1922	p. 517
Thomas Alva Edison, They Won't Think, 1921	p. 519
Happy Days Are Here Again, Milton Ager and Jack Yellen, 1929	p. 520
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?, E. Y. Harburg and Jay Gorney, 1932	p. 521
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1933	p. 523
West Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish, 300 U.S. 379 (1937)	p. 528
The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck, 1939	p. 530
Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman, 1949	p. 534
Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev, The Kitchen Debate, Moscow, 1959	p. 536
Manny Steen, Ellis Island Interview, March 22, 1991	p. 539
Groucho Marx, King Leer, 1950	p. 540
Coal Miner's Daughter, Loretta Lynn, 1970	p. 542
Mario Puzo, Choosing a Dream: Italians in Hell's Kitchen, 1971	p. 544
Robert F. Kennedy, Recapturing America's Moral Vision, University of Kansas, March 18, 1968	p. 548
Cesar Chavez, Address to the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco, November 9, 1984	p. 551
My Hometown, Bruce Springsteen, 1984	p. 555
Andy Warhol, POPism, 1975	p. 557
Edward M. Kennedy, Speech to the Democratic Convention, August 12, 1980	p. 558
David Bright, Homeless Children Speak, 1986	p. 561
George Bush, Speech at the Republican Convention, August 18, 1988	p. 562
The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan, 1989	p. 564
Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Education of an American, September 21, 2001	p. 566
Bill Gates, Capitalizing on the "Cognitive Niche," 1999	p. 570
Our Land
God Bless America, Irving Berlin, 1938	p. 577
The Thanksgivings, Iroquois, 1891	p. 578
Twelfth Song of the Thunder; Navajo, 1887	p. 579
Oh! Susanna, Stephen Foster, 1848	p. 580
Old Cotton Fields at Home, Huddie Ledbetter, 1936	p. 582
Light in August, William Faulkner, 1932	p. 584
Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, James Agee, 1941	p. 586
Florida, Elizabeth Bishop, 1946	p. 588
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, 1884	p. 590
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Robert Frost, 1923	p. 593
Moby-Dick, Herman Melville, 1851	p. 594
The Sidewalks of New York, James W. Blake and Charles B. Lawlor, 1894	p. 596
New York, New York, Fred Ebb and John Kander, 1977	p. 598
Jazz, Toni Morrison, 1992	p. 599
Chicago, Carl Sandburg, 1916	p. 601
Frederick Jackson Turner, The Significance of the Frontier in American History, 1893	p. 603
The Ballad of Davy Crockett, George Bruns and Tom Blackburn, 1954	p. 606
O Pioneers!, Willa Cather, 1913	p. 608
Northern Utes, Response to the Breakup of Their Reservation, 1903	p. 612
Home on the Range, David Guion, 1930	p. 614
The Old Chisholm Trail, c. 1880	p. 618
The Mud Below, Annie Proulx, 1999	p. 621
Oklahoma, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, 1943	p. 623
I Left My Heart in San Francisco, George C. Cory Jr. and Douglass Cross, 1954	p. 626
Sunset, Jack Kerouac, 1960	p. 628
Surfin' U.S.A., Chuck Berry and Brian Wilson, 1963	p. 630
Los Angeles Notebook, Joan Didion, 1966	p. 632
Big Yellow Taxi, Joni Mitchell, 1970	p. 636
The Wilderness Letter, Wallace Stegner, 1960	p. 638
America, Paul Simon, 1968	p. 640
America, the Beautiful, Katharine Lee Bates, 1893	p. 644
This Land Is Your Land, Woody Guthrie, 1940	p. 646
Permissions and Photo Credits	p. 649
Index	p. 655

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