Scott Ruesterholz - The American Character - Forty Lives that Define Our National Spirit

W hat does it mean to be an American? Of course, it means you are a citizen of the United States of America, either because your parents are American citizens, you were born here, or youve immigrated here from another country. We often hear people proclaim themselves proud to be an American. But what is it about this country and its history that make us feel proud?

While many nations can trace their history back further than we can, America is actually the oldest continuous democracy on the planetthe only one founded before 1800. Today, the concept of democracy, the idea that the government should be elected by and work for its citizens, is entirely normal. This wasnt always the case. At our founding, it was a controversial and innovative idea. It is a testament to the extraordinary power of the American experiment that democracy has gone from being a radical idea to a normal one.

America has inspired more freedom in more places than ever before; that is a reason to be proud. By encouraging hard work and rewarding success, America is home to unprecedented wealth. Today, Americans are worth over $130 trillion, an unrivaled sum. We have a history of innovation and invention from airplanes to rocket ships and smart phones to search engines.

Of course, these successes were not immediate or uninterrupted. America has faced hardship and challenge. Initially, our call for freedom excluded slaves. It took nearly ninety years after our founding to end the horror of slavery. Over one hundred thousand Americans gave their lives to free the slaves and preserve the union during the Civil War. The price for freedom is often very high. We have suffered recessions and depressions where millions have lost their jobs and many businesses failed. But from the depths of despair, we have always bounced back.

That is the story of America. It is our unyielding pursuit for freedom, liberty, and providing a better life for the next generation, that define us. It is our belief in America that propels us to greater heights and individual acts of bravery.

In 1776, it was the belief in these ideas that led fifty-six men to sign the Declaration of Independence, an act that instantly made them outlaws against the British Empire, the largest in the history of the world.

In 1861, it led over two million men to risk their life to preserve the American Union and end slavery.

In 1941, facing the shock of Japans sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, the nation rallied to join World War II in the largest and quickest military buildup in history. Within three years, American troops were storming the beaches of Normandy, risking their lives not to conquer Europe but to free it from Nazi tyranny.

In the 1960s, it led countless black Americans to risk their safety to protest segregation and unjust laws and to fight for racial equality.

In 2001, it led hundreds of New York firefighters and police officers to run into the burning World Trade Center on 9/11, risking and sacrificing their own lives to save innocent Americans in the most awful terrorist attack our nation has ever suffered.

This book will help you better understand pivotal moments in American history, our nations impact on the rest of the world, and why so many feel so proud to be a citizen of this nation. It will do so by exploring a little bit about forty extraordinary Americans, some you know and some you may not. These forty Americans are exemplary figures of the eight defining traits of America: resilience, daring, faith, fairness, sacrifice, drive, industriousness, and innovativeness. Of course, these forty individuals represent a small subset of Americans, and there are many inspiring, influential Americans from Frederick Douglas to Ronald Reagan, who exhibited these traits in their own life, not to mention the countless citizens who make America work and move forward each and every day.

No book could cover the life story of every consequential American; there are far too many. Still, by understanding how each of these forty icons exemplified these traits (five stories for each) through specific decisions they made or actions they took in their life, you will better understand the values America stands for and how this nation has achieved what it has over the course of its history. By living these ideals in your life, you can play your part in ensuring that Americas best days lie ahead.

George Washington

General and President

February 22, 1732 December 14, 1799

I t is only natural that we begin our study of great Americans with George Washington. He became our first president (from 17891797) after having successfully overseen victory in the American Revolution. While there were many transformational leaders among our founding fathers, Washington stands at the front of the pack as the father of our nationthe man we consistently turned to from 17751789 to lead us from our Declaration of Independence to the ratification of our Constitution.

We might think of Washington today as a man with a golden touch who went from success to success, but that wasnt the case. Before the American Revolution, Washington served as an officer in the British Provincial Militia. In the 1750s, tensions between the worlds two leading empires, France and Britain, were steadily rising, culminating in the Seven Years War. In North America, the conflict was known as the French and Indian War, as French Colonies and their Native American allies fought British Colonies and their own Native American allies. As a result of this conflict, France would turn over territory east of the Mississippi to Britain and Louisiana to Spain.

As this conflict was flaring up, Washington was a lieutenant colonel, making him second in command of three hundred Virginia troops. Ohio Country, which spanned the future state of Ohio as well as portions of Western Pennsylvania, was a key disputed territory between the powers. Washington led one hundred fifty men from Virginia to assess the situation there. At the battle of Jumonville on May 28, 1754, the first battle of the conflict, Washingtons forces surprised the fifty Canadian and Native American soldiers, resulting in a quick and total victory.

Following this victory, Washington was promoted to Colonel with the whole of the Virginia regiment as well as one hundred troops from South Carolina joining him at Fort Necessity. All appeared to being going well for Washington. Upon his promotion, Washington began to buttress his position in the Ohio River Country while housing his military supplies at Fort Necessity.