Founding Courage

American History

When the attack comes, the shark will have rolled its eyes until only the whites show...

From a shark attack on the Texas Gulf Coast to the founding of a nation, courage is an essential quality, universally admired, which brings out the best in human character. Courage inspires. Courage seizes victory in defeat. Courage creates heroes.

But what is courage? And where does it come from?

Founding Courage: Courage and Character in the United States of America answers these questions and then goes on to tell the stories of seven courageous Americans, through seven successive generations since the Founding. These Americans-George Washington, David Crockett, Robert Gould Shaw, Crazy Horse, Matthew Henson, Rachel Carson, and Karen Silkwood-each faced daunting, dangerous, and often overwhelming challenges, but found the courage to persevere.

Their stories are the history of the United States.

Their courage defines the character of a nation.

Suitable for the classroom as well as the interested reader, this Twentieth Anniversary Edition has been revised, reformatted, and republished for a new generation of readers of all ages, in an era when we need courage more than ever.