What so proudly we hail

Developing robust American citizens involves educating the heart as well as the mind. It is not enough to understand our nation's lofty principles or know our history; thoughtful and engaged citizens require cultivated moral imaginations and fitting sentiments and attitudes--matters both displayed in and nurtured by our great works of imaginative literature and rhetoric. This rich anthology uses the soul-shaping power of story, speech, and song to help Americans realize more deeply--and appreciate more fully--who they are as citizens of the United States. Inspiring and thought-provoking, it features dozens of selections on American identity, character, and civic life by our country's greatest writers and leaders--from Mark Twain to John Updike, from George Washington to Theodore Roosevelt, from Willa Cather to Flannery O'Connor, from Benjamin Franklin to Martin Luther King Jr., from Francis Scott Key to Irving Berlin.--From publisher description.