Making Patriots

by Walter Berns

Book Overview

Although Samuel Johnson once remarked that "patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels," over the course of the history of the United States we have seen our share of heroes: patriots who have willingly put their lives at risk for this country and, especially, its principles. And this is even more remarkable given that the United States is a country founded on the principles of equality and democracy that encourage individuality and autonomy far...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226044378
• ISBN13: 9780226044378
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 164 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A Final Solution to the Youth Problem in America Today

The young men in America today seem much more concerned with baggy trousers, doing things with girls, Japanese automobiles, and crunchy snack food. This is all fine and dandy until your country needs your service and possibly your life to promote global democracy abroad. Now what? As a man of nearly 40 I wondered to myself "How can I get these kids to stop playing music so loud and ship them overseas without actually confronting them directly?" Well....Walter Berns has the answer. They need to be inspired by people like Abraham Lincoln, so that they may serve our nation, serve our ideals, and stop making so much noise and wear pants that fit properly (he doesn't discuss there noisy music or their pants..thats me..so help me the day I never see another 16 year old flaunting his boxer shorts again cannot come fast enough). The important thing here is to read this book and get the youth of America out and doing something productive like dying for the ideas of old men who work for think tanks.

very timely

This slim little book answers some of the questions that have been raised since September 11 (although the book was published some 4 or so months prior to the attacks): for example, what is patriotism? how do we inculcate it in our youth? Berns's answer is one tempered with reason and logic, and he seems to posit--not without good cause--that patriotism must be taught in our schools. As the previous reviewer said, patriotism--rightly defined, as Berns approaches it--is not jingoism. In fact, he is quite critical (a little too much, in my opinion) of that famed patriot Stephen Decatur's aphorism "my country right or wrong." Moreover, to those who would question America's role in the world, to those who think we are a force for evil, Berns urges them to think of victory in World War II and an end to communism (at least as far as the USSR goes)--how could those battles have been won without the US. His brief discussion of the notion of being un-American is particularly insightful; for example, that has a meaning all its own--one never says something is "un-French" or "un-British." It is, indeed, right, honorable, justified, and expected that we love our country. Some folks in the media and academia would profit from reading this great little work.

Top Flight

This is an excellent book that explains the need for patriots. It traces the concept of patriotism from Sparta throught the Founding to current times. Of particular interest is its discuss of why Frederick Douglass felt that before a black man could become a citizen, he should first serve as a soldier. It discusses why the Founders realized the critical need for patriots, while at the same time not holding out much hope for such people. I strongly recommend this book, especially in light of current events.

Published just in the nick of time

It's hard to believe that so timely and appropriate a book could arrive in the face of the horrors of September 11. Rather than offer my own pithy praise, let me quote Senator John McCain from the book's dustjacket:"Making Patriots is an extremely timely and important work. Walter Berns brilliantly and gracefully explains how our nation's future depends upon the patriot's understanding that freedom must serve the great cause of 'government of, by and for the people' and not only our own individual interests. Though patriotism, as Berns shows, may require sacrifice, it enlarges our hearts and minds, and forms a great and necessary bond among ourselves and with generations past and future."I hope people will pardon my offering this quote rather than my own. It's just that he--and this book--offers a sentiment that is so right for our time. I wanted other readers considering the book to know that it's been so highly regarded by one of America's true and well-known patriots.

A Dose of What We Need as a Nation

This small book reminds me so clearly of my public education in the 1950's and '60's when God and country were so seamlessly integrated into the curricula of our schools that it would have been unnatural to think otherwise (though how quickly, it seems, those thoughts did turn in the mid-to-late '60's). Dr. Berns' thoughtful essay outlines clearly and persuasivley the case for reintegrating patriotism (not jingoism) back into American society and education. Required reading, filled with wonderful anecdotes, quotes and references.