Understanding Our Roots in Primitive Democracy

Understanding Our Roots in Primitive Democracy is a trip back in time—for our emotions as much as our brains. Here we breathe the same air the pilgrims breathed, and step on the same ground the colonists stood on, while they risked their lives for something they could not hope for in Europe.
Imagine yourself on a 150-foot boat sailing from England to the New World in the early 1600s. Behind you lay what your world was—ahead uncertainty. One thing was sure, however, before you got off the boat you wanted to know who had the power to control your life and take away what you earned.
“Primitive Democracy” means the first Europeans to arrive in America had basic ideas about self-government. The documents in this book express those ideas and their determination to practice them. Many discoveries await you as you explore the living messages on these pages. One is, just how much like them we are.
Traditional Americanism tells us we are Americans and proud of it. When the United States was born, a national spirit was born, too. Through the years we have amassed a huge volume of patriotic sayings, songs, poems, etc.—sometimes called “traditional American sentiments”—and a number of them are in this collection. Some will be familiar to you and, perhaps, something totally new will become your all-time favorite.