Watchwords of Liberty: A Pageant of American Quotations

Compared to many other countries, the United States lacks longevity of existence. However, it does not lack for memorable people and events. The United States was born from a desire for the ideals of liberty and freedom and words had a very significant place in the development and execution of those ideals. This book is a collection of the most famous quotes down through the history of the American republic. Some of the quotes are lengthy and memorable and others are simple, brief and effective. There is the famous "Give me liberty or give me death" speech by Patrick Henry, the "I have not yet begun to fight" speech of John Paul Jones and the simple message from sailor Donald Francis Mason, "Sighted sub - sank same." Each of the quotes is accompanied by extensive text describing the person who said it and explaining the context in which it was said. This is very helpful to the young person whose knowledge of the context of history may be weak. I strongly recommend this book as a supplemental text for history in the middle school. History is not simply facts about people and events, it is a series of actions within a global context and Lawson does a good job in explaining the details of what was taking place at the time the quote was uttered.

This was a book that really built my love of America and my love of history when I was a child. As I got older, I became disillusioned by some of the phrases -- Give me liberty or give me death? I don't think so. My country right or wrong? uh-huh. Remember the Maine? Thanks Hearst. Still, it gave me a context for further development and Lawson's words and illustrations have stuck with me for 40 years. I think it's a valuable book and I'm really glad I was able to find a copy for my kids.