Natioinalism - 25 Ameircan Heroes

My Choice of Twenty-five (25) American Heroes

1) George Washington, called the Father of our Country.
2) Thomas Jefferson, the author (with help) of the July 4, 1776 document we know as the Declamation of Independence.
3) Abraham Lincoln. He preserved the Union. More than any other person. Unlike the first two, Lincoln was born in humble circumstances - say poor - far away from anyplace. Near what is now Hodgenville, Ky, in LaRue County, but then in Hardin County, Ky.
4) Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Born of wealth derived from the importing of tea on the famous Yankee Clipper sailing ships.
5) Ulysses S. Grant, who became the highest ranking general in American history after George Washington, and without who Lincoln could not have successfully prosecuted the War of the Rebellion, popularly known as the Civil War.
6) Benjamin Franklin. America’s pre-eminent Renaissance man. He was largely responsible for obtaining extensive French aid, without which we could not have beaten the British Army. Vive la France!
7) Andrew Jackson. A cantankerous general who won the Battle of New Orléans which convinced Great Britain to withdraw from the North America mainland keeping only Canada. Elected president in 1828, he was the first of the cross-Appalachians and non-elites to reach that high office.
8) Theodore Roosevelt, our first Progressive president, important to me. He advocated many of the social changes his cousin finally saw enacted into law. I believe he is deserving of his place at Mt. Rushmore.
9) James Monroe. Seeking reelection in 1820, he is the only president to be the choice of both political parties. (There we no political parties in the first election of George Washington in 1789.)
10) Dr. Jonas Salk. A scientist who discovered the vaccine that prevents poliomyelitis, the scourge of children and occasionally of adults.
11) Henry Ford. He did not invent the car - Karl Benz in 1885 - nor did he invent the assembly line - Eli Whitney is credited with this in 1798 - it was his idea alone to make so many cars he could sell them so cheaply that everyone including the workers who made the cars, could afford one.
12) Thomas Edison. America’s prolific inventor who had more than 1,000 workers at his Menlo Park facility, doing things that Edison took out patents for.
13) Nikolai Tesla. It is unfair to mention Edison without mentioning his mimesis, Tesla. He was born to a Serbian family, in Croatia, then he came to America from what later became Hungary after the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Tesla is best known for inventing AC current and the motors powered by it. (Edison invented DC current, the inferior to AC.) Tesla worked for George Westinghouse.
14) Meriwether Lewis and George Rogers Clark. Two intrepid explorers who led the Corps of Discovery to explore the recently acquired Louisiana Territory. This was the beginning of the westward expansion of America.
15) John Paul Jones. In 1777, Jones commanding the Ranger, met the British man’o war, the Drake and to most observer’s surprise, the Ranger captured the Drake! A much needed morale booster for the fledgling United States.
16) John A. Roebling. Born in Prussia. Designer and builder of the Brooklyn Bridge, a suspension bridge at 1,595 feet in length, the longest bridge in the world at the time. He invented the winding process to make steel cables needed to hold up the bridge. He died of tetanus, an infection he suffered while working on the bridge. Commonly called "lock jaw." He did not live to see it finished.
17) Dwight D. Eisenhower. A colonel in 1940, he was picked by FDR on the wise recommendation of Chief of Staff General Marshall, to lead the 1942 invasion of Morocco. He subsequently planned the invasion of Sicily. Ike was promoted to 4 star general and placed in command of Operation Overlord, the Allies combined forces invasion of France to liberate Europe from Nazi domination. In December, 1944, he became one of 9 men to hold the 5 star rank. He was President of Columbia University, commander of NATO, then served two terms as president of the Untied States. Not bad for a Kansas farm boy.
18) Neil Armstrong. The first human to walk on the moon, July 20, 1969.
19) Sam Walton. The founder of Wal-Mart, which has changed the way retailing is done. The first private company to have a 1/4th trillion dollar gross revenue, in 2005. Like him or not, he changed the face of Americana.
20) Bill Gates. Warren Buffett. Two men who made all their money after the invention of the transistor in Bell Labs in 1947 as a collective corporate effort. These two men and their families have given away more than $60 billion. Or more correctly, funded a trust to do that. Federal tax laws require they dispose of 5% of their funds each year to keep their tax-free status.
21) Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) He believed in the teachings of Jesus and of Gandhi. Rightful change achieved by peaceful means. You defeat your opponent by loving him more than he can hate you. Endure the hardships of struggle for the right, but never lose sight of the means you employ. That will give you victory with honor.
22) John Wayne. I placed him here ahead of Ronald Reagan who also played in cowboy movies. John Wayne was the quintessential American. Author and historian Frederick Jackson Turner contended you could not know America unless you understood the role played by the Western Frontier.
23) Jimmy Carter. A rare man. His major contributions to world peace and the elevation of humanity have come after he was president. He has set an example for others to follow.
24) Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Two women who first waged a campaign for women's right to vote, then continued to wage the struggle for equality of women in American society. The goal is not yet fully reached, but they moved it many orders of magnitude towards that day.
25) Eleanor Roosevelt. My own personal woman heroine. She was the eyes and ears of America’s wheelchair bound president. A handicapped person. She received more mail than he ever did. She embodied the strength, courage and compassion many envy but few ever achieve.

My own critique? Too many men, not enough women. Like those unsung heroines who traversed 2,000 miles in wagons pulled by oxen, 2 miles per hour, from St. Joseph, Missouri, to the plains of Oregon and beyond. Wives who lived in mud houses on the Great Plains of Kansas and Nebraska, when it was more than 20 miles to your nearest neighbor. Giving birth so far from help, and so often. Truly heroic! The Chinese who came here looking for gold and the Mexicans who were already here, as in the Native Americans. And so many African Americans who did not ask to come here at all but who have made and who continue to make great contributions despite the enormous handicaps imposed on them by harsh customs and cruel laws. William Lee was Gen. Washington’s valet and counselor, and York attended Capt. Clark on the exploration of the Louisiana Territory. My list is not nearly long enough to be a fair representation of those who have made us proud. Let us hope we can live up to their sacrifices.



[edit on 10/31/2006 by donwhite]

Well, I will give an abbreviated list of mine. Although, I must say that when one looks into American history, one finds out that there were many men who were made "giants" and you have to wonder why.

(1) George Washington. While not the military genius the textbooks make him out to be, (Record 3 wins, 9 losses) he was the "founding father".

(2) Harry Tuman. I have to wonder if we'd still be fighting the Japanese if it weren't for his fateful decision.

(3) Martin Luther King Jr. Truly a man who wanted equality for all people. Unfortunately, because he did speak the truth, someone assassinated him.

(4) Ronald Reagan. Yes, I said it.... Ronald Reagan. He actually tried to get people to take back their government. However, by that time, I suppose the beast was already out of control.

too many globalists and celebrities....

I wouldnt put John wayne on that list, hhowever I will say he portrays the western culture in the US.

I wouldnt put bill gates on there either... all he does is make software and collects fistfulls of money. He never sacrificed a damn thing.

I wouldnt put sam walton on there either. while he was probably a good man, all he did was create a pest that destroys businesses and creates monoplies.

Some of the people I would add would be....

Robert h. goddard - pioneered modern rocket technology in the US. Germans used his research to construct their rocket programs.

J. Robert Oppenheimer - director of the manhattan project.

Audie murphy - most highly decorated soldier in ww2. possibly of all time.

Chuck Yeager - broke the sound barrier.

Alan Shepard - first american astronaut.

my list could continue for quite awhile but I think we need to come to a consensus on what constitutes a hero.

being a celebrity or being some head of a company that makes tons of money isnt an american hero.

There are several women I know of that would qualify but I cant remember their names, .

He put Jimmy Carter on the list.

Sorry.

um yeah. Jimmy Carter.

I think Sam Walton and Bill Gates belong on the list because they embody the entrepreneurial spirit of America. You don't have to like them, but you do have to appreciate what they accomplished.

Sam Walton is a hero of mine, because he made it possible for me to have the things I need at prices I can afford.

If you're a snot-nosed rich-kid college student, then that won't mean much to you, but for the rest of America, that's a lot.

John Wayne? Not on my list. Wayne was a unapologetic spokesman for American values, but he did get a hardship waiver during WWII so he could take care of his mother and he wasn't really all that good an actor really. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is appropriate and whatever other honors he received in his lifetime are sufficient.

M. L. King is highly overrated. He preached non-violence, but he fomented violence everywhere he went and if there was a genuine message in his actions, it didn't survive him by two seconds. He was a marxist in preacher's attire. The so-called civil rights movement did little more than destroy the black family which was robust in the 1950s and without M. L. King, Dwight Eisenhower, JFK, and the "freedom riders," pure old-fashioned hard work and diligence would have achieved real lasting results for blacks and America.

[edit on 2006/10/31 by GradyPhilpott]

posted by GradyPhilpott

John Wayne? Not on my list. Wayne was a unapologetic spokesman for American values . . he really wasn’t all that good an actor . . [Edited by Don W]

I choose him because he was and is emblematic. After he finished his time in the trenches - low cost B movies prior to War 2 and Wake Island - he served the nation well. As a Liberal Democrat - I never watch "Big Jim McLain" - I certainly have little common ground with him, politically speaking, but I cannot deny his supreme talent how he could take a couple lines - it was said he did not memorize his lines - and make a very interesting and sometimes a powerful lesson in values - and make it work. I’m not knocking Audile Murphy but in the grand scheme of things, I believe JW was worth more to the American war effort than AM. He appeared in 172 movies. My favorite is "In Harms Way," 1965. www.imdb.com...

M. L. King is highly overrated. He preached non-violence, but he fomented violence everywhere he went and if there was a genuine message in his actions, it didn't survive him . . pure old-fashioned hard work and diligence would have achieved real lasting results for blacks and America. [Edited by Don W]

I did not say you had to like or love my picks. You cannot make an omlette without cracking eggs. I would argue that what happened in the aftermath of MLK’s assassination in Memphis was very much indicative of what MLK kept under control by his deliberate tactics and non-violent message. History is replete with bad messengers carrying good messages.


[edit on 10/31/2006 by donwhite]

The culture folks! What about the American Culture.

After all it was the one who conquered the world in a much greater sense than U.S. military power.

Just one example. What won the Cold War? Not ICBMs. American Culture did.

To start my list, I'll start in litterature.

1.Mark Twain, "the first truly American writer", as stated by..

2.William Faulkner. M.T.'s most famous novel is by no doubt "Adventures of..

3.Huckleberry Finn" (an icon of free spirit in itself) ...all American writing comes from that novel..

4.Ernest Hemingway once said.

5.Jack London, the first commercial success in fiction writing, but none the less works, that opened up the American frontier to the world.

6.John Steinbeck, a Nobel laureate with outset in the Depression and the flipside of Capitalism.

7.Jack Keroauc, perhaps the most famous of the beat poets. Him mentioned..

8.Allan Ginsberg, comes next in line. He was probably the first to be labeled the "voice of a generation" and - together wih Keroauc - inspirator for generations still to come. "The Beat Generation", so named from the expression "on the beat" ..which naturally will lead us on to music, the most embracing of all the American branches of culture.

9.Bessie Smith is at the very root of Music Americana, oweing its uniqueness to its African roots. Her mentioned, being black and the blues herself, next breath will say..

10.Billie Holiday, THE voice of suffering.

11.Huddie Ledbetter, "Leadbelly" was the voice of all the injustice suffered by the rural southern negro, and another style inspirator of cotemporary songwriting still fluxing in music. As for the white boys, the cowboy icon was the spirit of freedom.

12.Jimmie Rodgers, the yodling cowboy, was the first white to make it commercially on the new media of the phonograph - and probably also first to become a radio star. His carrier was short but successful, 1927 to 33, when he died 36 years old.

13.Hank Williams was another sad lot, who created his own unique style to influence the direction popular music was to take. Also he must be tributed for bringing meaningful lyrics into music. Lyrics of a sentimental and very personal origin.

14.Woody Guthrie is to look for concerning social indignation expressed in the music, his "dust bowl ballads" being a parralel to the writing of Steinbeck. Most notable for Guthrie must be, he is creditted for being the inspirational source of..

15.Bob Dylan. A "musical expeditioneur" in his own words, who, luckyly for us, has been around for soon a half century. Quite unusual for icons.

16.The Carter Family, A.P. Carter, Sara Carter and Maybelle Carter, started recording same year as Jimmie Rodgers, and must be credited for putting the social awareness thing into music. The Carters mentioned, one has to mention an icon in his own right, who married into the family, namely..

17. Johnny Cash, The Man in Black, who never forgot his background, who contributed to the legacy of Music Americana like few has done. Sadly passed away in 2003, less than 4 months after his beloved wife June Carter had died. Two of his children passes on the musical tradition. As for the many affiliation of music in Cash's carrier..

18.Willy Nelson must be named. The readheaded stranger, dope-smoking cowboy-hippie-troubador. From him the list could go on endlessly, but let's just pick a few. Like..

19.Bruce Springsteen, The Boss of urban folk rock and a social commitment to make him worthy the company.

20.Kris Kristofferson, for his never straying off from the path of the genuine. "God protects Fools and Songwriters", he's quoted for. He played the leading part in the 1973 film of Sam Peckinpah, "Pat Garrett and..

21.Billy the Kid". I take the freedom of including him, as the desperado sure is a part of America. A product and victim to come out of the Civil War.

22.Jerry Garcia, to be included for his musicality. Being the guitarist of Grateful Dead, they actually in 1967 inaugurated the Summer of Love in SF's Haight Ashbury district, where they used to live. As many others of the most gifted, he sadly passed away in 1995. President Clinton honored him as being "an American icon".

The last three will be icons of the silver screen.

23.Marlon Brando for bringing new technics of acting to the screen and bringing the rebel image into acting. One who eventually took it to new heights was..

24.James Dean, an icon, fullfilling the criteria of quick outburst and sudden death. Let him be noted as one connected to the critical and alternative tradition of American litterature.

25.Robert de Niro for being the one who have sublimed those criterias of acting, and presented us with a wealth characters representing the shadowside of man and society.

That's my list, and as you see I called it ...of Icons.

Because in Europe heroes are someone who, regardless of their own life, saves another persons life (from drowning, for instance).

"Hero" is a concept we reseve for history. Never heard of a "True German (or French) Hero".

posted by khunmoon

The culture folks! What about the American Culture. After all it was the one who conquered the world in a greater sense than U.S. military power . . Just one example. What won the Cold War? Not ICBMs. American Culture did.

To start my list, I'll start in literature.
1. Mark Twain
2. William Faulkner
3. Huckleberry Finn
And etc.

The last three will be icons of the silver screen.
23. Marlon Brando
24. James Dean
25. Robert de Niro

That's my list, and as you see I called it . . of Icons. Because in Europe heroes are someone who, regardless of their own life, saves another persons life (from drowning, for instance). "Hero" is a concept we reserve for history. Never heard of a "True German (or French) Hero." [Edited by Don W]

And therein lies the rub. We speak two versions of English. We have two varieties of historical reference. You might find a hero in Ivanhoe, where we would find ours at The Alamo. You have certainly raised my consciousness to a higher level and for that I thank you.

I thank you donwhite, but as you say

We speak two versions of English. We have two varieties of historical reference. You might find a hero in Ivanhoe, where we would find ours at The Alamo. You have certainly raised my consciousness to a higher level and for that I thank you.

You are right about Ivanhoe ...and Lancelot, Robinhood, etc. History is my number one passion, always been, but the concepts wherein History is contained, differ from culture to culture. I do consider myself part of an American culture, whereas THE history is perceived from where you geographically are situated.

Our heroes belong to a annals going milleniums back. America is still young, still in the making, so you need your heroes and I shall be the last to deny them. That - to a fenced in Euro - has long been the tempting about America. Anybody could go there and striving hard enough become president - or a hero. I know it to be a myth, but it was not when I was a kid.

My heroes has always been American (alongside our own ones) and the Alamo I never forget. I think Davy Crocket was MY very first hero. Probably the biggest one I had - at a time when a boy needs a hero.

[edit on 1-11-2006 by khunmoon]

posted by khunmoon

You are right about Ivanhoe . . Lancelot, Robin hood, etc. History is my number one passion . . but the concepts in History differ from culture to culture. I do consider myself part of an American culture . . the tempting about America. Anybody could go there and striving hard enough become president - or a hero. I know it to be a myth, but it was not when I was a kid. My heroes has always been American (alongside our own ones) and the Alamo I never forget. I think Davy Crocket was MY very first heroes. Probably the biggest one I had.

If you have not read Stephen Ambrose’ book, “Pegasus Bridge” about Major John Howard and the run-up to D-Day, I highly recommend it. I gave my copy away to a fellow poster. He agreed to pass it on. After you finish, you’ll see why I say it ought to be mandatory at West Point, Annapolis and Colorado AF Academy students, in the 3rd year, I suggest. Compare the Brit’s preparation to our run-un to the April, 1980, Operation Eagle Claw if you want to shed tears. It’s late here, so I’m checking in for the day. More later.

www.normandybattlefields.com...
en.wikipedia.org...

Come on don you did not put Bush on the list. Really I am going to have to agree with the guy who said Bill Gates should be one of them. He symbolizes the American dream. I would also nominate the founder of Amazon.com. He started his company out of his garage now look at him. and without him we may not be posting on this right now.

posted by spinstopshere

Come on Don you did not put Bush on the list.

I don’t think he has done much that will endure past the next president who will spend most of his or her time fixing the messes he has wrought on the world and the US. He lacked a worthy vision.

Really, Bill Gates should be one of them. I would also nominate the founder of Amazon.com. He started his company out of his garage now look at him. and without him we may not be posting on this right now.

See my item # 20 regarding Bill Gates.
www.amazon.com...

I was being sacrcastic about the Bush part don. I think he may have a lasting affect if he can win in Afghanistan and Iraq.

posted by spinstopshere

I was being sarcastic about the Bush part Don. I think he may have a lasting affect if he can win in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The coming election - November 7 - has me nervous. I'm losing my sense of humor and of perspective. Sorry to take it out on you.

Afghan is back under the Taliban, never was really safe there, we only held 20 miles outside of Kabul and that in daytime only. Not really a victory. More like Saigon in the late 1960s.

The only question in Iraq is how bad will it get before we leave? We have no idea how to make it better. We are just floundering around hoping something will happen to save us. And ignoring the 103 dead GIs in Oct.

I would like to add three more to that last.

Firefighters
Police
& Paramedics/EMTs

posted by gimmefootball400

I would like to add three more to that list.

Firefighters
Police
& Paramedics/EMTs

They are not called the “Thin Blue Line” for nothing. My city has 2,300 police officers for 800,000 people. Consider vacations, sick leave, schools and training, and testifying, you’re down to 2,000. Divide that by 4.2 shifts of 40 hours, and you have only about 400 men and women on duty at any one time. Jacksonville covers 700 square miles - merged with the county - so one officer has to cover 2 square miles and 2,000 people. That’s a tough assignment. The Fire Department has about ½ the number of the police and they also perform the EMT function. A very few people to do a lot of work, often dirty, and frequently dangerous. We owe them a real debt of gratitude.

20) Bill Gates. Warren Buffett. Two men who made all their money after the invention of the transistor in Bell Labs in 1947 as a collective corporate effort. These two men and their families have given away more than $60 billion. Or more correctly, funded a trust to do that. Federal tax laws require they dispose of 5% of their funds each year to keep their tax-free status.

I think that while Gates doesn't have the historical symbolism of a G. Washington, but he's a bit overlooked. In today's world of ultra-materialism Gates is stepping down from all duties at Microsoft to become involved in charity work fulltime. While Buffett is getting a little long in the tooth, Gates is only 50 years old. His goal is to use his vast resources to try and solve some of humanity's most difficult problems. He built his legacy at MS.... now it's time for him to build a new legacy. How successful he will be in his new venture, only time will tell. But it's the example he's setting in a world full of greed and corruption that speaks so loudly. I agree that it was appropiate to put him at #20