America's Federal Holidays: The True Story - Paperback

by John De Gree (Author)

Teacher John De Gree has teamed up with New York Time's National Bestseller, Michael Allen, author of A Patriot's History of the United States of America, to bring to Americans the truth behind our federal holidays. Americans have forgotten the meaning behind its federal holidays. In efforts to revise our country's history and to increase our leisure time, our federal holidays have lost their power. We don't appreciate the peaceful passing of power from one party to another that takes place on Inauguration Day. We don't recall who inspired Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We overlook the courage and perseverance of George Washington, the Father of Our Country. Independence Day has become a day of fireworks and feasts, instead of a remembrance of liberty and sacrifices. Memorial Day and Labor Day have become a way to mark the beginning and ending of summer. Christopher Columbus has moved from a place of honor, to dislike, to ignorance in the minds of most. Many schoolchildren falsely believe the first Thanksgiving was held so the Pilgrims could thank the Indians. And Christmas, an official federal holiday, is a word that is not even uttered in public places for fear of offending someone. America's Federal Holidays, The True Story(c) promotes the heroic people and events that are the reason for America's federal holidays. This book will encourage Americans to appreciate the shared history of our people, understand the meaning behind each day, and strengthen our citizens and our republic. Knowledge and understanding of our history will help students realize the uniqueness of what it means to be an American, and will inspire students to be their best. The American Founding Fathers taught that for a republic to thrive, patriotism would be necessary. In order for citizens to make informed judgments, be inspired to defend their country, and be productive citizens, they should know the decisions earlier Americans made that helped make our country great. Americans should learn what inspired individuals to accomplish challenging tasks. In learning about the great accomplishments of those who came before us, we are inspired to accomplish great tasks, as well. A country with no heroes has no future. America's Federal Holidays, The True Story(c) provides the teacher and parent with well-written, inspiring histories of our holidays. The religious and faithful history of each day is truthfully taught. It is no coincidence that the United States of America has religion and faith as a cornerstone in its founding and throughout its history. It is a primary reason for the success and duration for the world's first modern republic. Lessons should be read out loud to students in classrooms and to whole families at home. Each lesson has a short essay that describes the most important parts of the holiday. Some lessons include primary source documents. These are followed by 10 text-dependent questions. These questions are designed for ages 8 and older, although there will be some younger children able to answer the questions, and, a few of the questions may be too challenging for some 8 year olds. After the 10 questions, there are a few questions marked "Research and Analysis." For this, the teacher may assign one or all of the activities for the student to do on his own. These activities are more challenging than the 10 text-dependent questions, and are appropriate for ages 12 and older.

Author Biography

After working in private and public and home school education for over twenty years, John realized the great need in American society to promote independent and critical thinking through open and thoughtful discussion of history. His wife Zdenka, born and raised in Czechoslovakia, saw that nowhere could she find fun games that taught history. John and Zdenka founded The Classical Historian (www.classicalhistorian.com) to fill these two voids. Their materials are inspired by the best that is offered in the Western tradition of education: openness, analysis, healthy competition in games, respect towards opposing viewpoints, recognition of an absolute truth, and academic honesty. John has an M.A. in Humanities, a Czech Language Certificate from Charles University in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and a Deutsch als Fremdsprache Zertifikat from the Goethe Institute, Germany. In the 1990s, John lived and taught in Germany, Austria, Turkey, and Czechoslovakia. Returning to the U.S.A. in 1996, he has been teaching middle school history and English in Santa Ana, California, where he earned his Certification by the National Board of Professional Teachers, an honor held by 1% of America's teachers. Married happily for 21 years, John and his wife Zdenka home school their seven children in San Clemente, California.