This book is about patriotism. I wrote it because I'm concerned that the words "patriotism," "patriotic," and "patriot" are used frequently, yet because civic learning has waned in America, most Americans understand neither the meaning of the words nor how vital patriotism is to our democracy. I spent ten years in Congress (from 1995 to 2005) and am convinced that not only is the average American not versed in American history, economics, government, or foreign policy, but neither are many of our nation's leaders. My goal in writing this book is to both educate and advocate for the civic knowledge of all Americans through a better understanding of the word patriotism.
This book is intended for Americans of all ages, particularly those interested in what patriotism means to a democracy in general, because patriotism has been de-emphasized in America for decades now by schools and some teachers - schools seem to focus more on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects than civics. It's a book for millennials and Gen Zers, many of whom may lack fierce patriotism and civic knowledge if they haven't felt the pangs of war as their forebears have. In other words, some millennials do feel patriotic. This is also a book for older generations - to iterate what patriotism was, what it is today, and what it should be in the future.