Libraries of Hope 
"We do not need more material development, we need more spiritual development.
Press Play to Listen (56 minutes)
(Presented by Marlene Peterson
at the Salt Lake TJed Forum 3/23/10)
Yesterday’s schoolchildren were
taught that liberty was fragile and that our Republic stood on three
pillars. Every time they looked at our
nation’s flag, they were reminded what those three pillars were:
The red stripes reminded them of the blood that was shed in securing our liberty. It was a call to patriotism—a deep love of country—to be demonstrated through actions in maintaining and defending it.
The white stripes stood for purity and virtue. They were taught that they must bridle their own passions or those passions would have to be bridled by an outside force.
The white stars on a blue background represented Heaven’s guiding and protective Hand. “With firm reliance on Divine Providence” we were “One nation, under God.”
They learned if any one of these pillars was ignored or disregarded, the Republic would fall.
Writers of children’s books a hundred years ago understood this and so they filled their stories with principles of patriotism and examples of character and faith. Many of these lessons in liberty have been lost over succeeding generations, but by restoring their stories in our homes, we can preserve them in the hearts of our children today.
The Freedom Series is twelve volumes of stories drawn from literature written for young people before 1923. These stories are part of our national heritage and subscribers receive one book a month for a year. Click Here to See Titles in the Freedom Series.
We also provide a companion Resource Guide for each book to help you identify these Lessons in Liberty as you read with your family. This guide is broken into three sections, corresponding with the three pillars:
RED (Patriotism): Provides conversation starters taken from the readings. It will alert you to opportunities to talk with your children about principles of liberty, law and government and our duties as citizens. Where applicable, we tie it into the 28 principles discussed in The 5000 Year Leap.
WHITE (Character): Highlights examples of character traits worth emulating. This helps us show our kids what “good” looks like.
BLUE (Faith): Suggests evidences and examples of God’s guiding and protective Hand.
As you read these books, we invite you to join a discussion with other moms, grandmas, aunts and friends at AsAMom.org to share your insights and ideas.
Together, we can Restore the Heart of America, One Story at a Time. When the heart is healthy, America will stand.
