Annotated Bibliography #1

Magnet, Myron. The Vision of the Founding Fathers. National Review, 3 July 2015,

www.nationalreview.com/article/420615/vision-founding-fathers. Accessed 4 Apr.

2017.

Myron Magnet, editor-at-large of City Journal and a winner of the National

Humanities Medal, writes about the ideas that pushed the founding fathers to break

from Great Britain and form their own country and government in her article The Vision

of the Founding Fathers. She observes that the wanting and need for liberty was the

most forceful ideal pushing the founding fathers to break from the Kings iron fist.

Comparisons to the persecution of religious groups and the feeling of those being

persecuted had a very similar feeling of Americans under the rule of King George III.

Another guiding force to was the purpose of the government as a protector of the

people's freedoms and rights. However, Magnet observers that they created a

government that is a double-edged sword. You arm officials with the power to protect

you; but those officials have the same fallen human nature as everyone else, so who is

to say that they wont use that power to oppress you. The final greater force influencing

them was the idea of cultural freedom. This came as the freedom to believe what you

believe in and have the freedom of religion and freedom to practice that religion.

Other Quotes:

Madison, the Constitutions chief designer, constructed his exquisitely balanced

mechanism to work by the power of ambition countering ambition, and interest

countering interest (Magnet).

 The ultimate safeguard against such usurpation is the vitality of Americas culture of

liberty (Magnet).
This Promised Land offered, said James Madison, an Asylum to the persecuted and

oppressed of every Nation and Religion. (Magnet).

Analysis:

Myron does a good job of explaining the forces behind the creation of the United States

and the Declaration and the Constitution. I agree with her that liberty was a major role in the

decision to break away from Great Britain. This article helps with my inquiry question to explain

to my readers the ideals that U.S. was founded off of and how it relates to our passion for our

country. Myron targeted readers like me who were searching for an answer to the ideas the at the

United States was founded from. She also targets history majors or historians as she quotes many

former presidents and founding fathers. This article can help those with an inquiry question

similar to mine that revolves around the cornerstone ideals of the United States of America.
 Annotated Bibliography #2

Fried, Richard M. "Introduction: Patriotic Pageantry in America." The Russians Are

Coming! The Russians Are Coming!: Pageantry and Patriotism in Cold-War

America. New York: Oxford UP, 1998. (1-10) Print.

Richard Fried, a retired history college professor at University of Illinois at

Chicago, published 4 books focusing on political history and their relation with political

culture, expresses the notions of american pageantry and American patriotism in the

introduction to his 1998 book The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!:

Pageantry and Patriotism in Cold-War America. American pageantry includes a long list

of celebrations, including anniversaries for almost everything from great triumphs such

as the founding of the United States with Independence Day to even the saddest of

tragedies like 9-11 for example. Like many trends, patriotism in the Unites States had its

ups and downs. High points of patriotism were normally influenced by a conflict such as

both World Wars, with World War I sending Americans on a patriotic high. Lows were

typically during periods of peace or during periods of depression. America isa country of

refugees with a constant influx of foreigners seeking to live in a free world. Fried quotes

President Woodrow Wilson You cannot become through Americans if you think of

yourselves in groups. America does not consist of groups during a speech targeted to

citizens and immigrants alike (6). President Wilson also engaged with US citizens

during a patriotic pageantry with the establishment of Flag Day in 1916, where Wilson

marched in a parade with an American flag draped around his torso (Fried 5). The

same parade included floats of different nationalities and races. This raised a concern of
 Americanism; however, Wilson was simply unifying the American people to work and

accept each other as Americans. When Wilson left office, it was up to the people to see

Flag Day and other anniversaries were properly celebrated. World War II was also

viewed as a model for the commitment of the citizens to work together for the better of

their country and push through hard times together. The purpose of the introduction of

this book is to educate and inform readers on what is to come and give them a general

knowledge of pageantry and patriotism in the United States.

Other Quotes:

The United States had not lacked patriotic exercises in its early years. In 1777 the

Fourth of July was celebrated in three cities (Fried 4).

We are a people of anniversaries. Twenty years after the break-in at the office of the

Democratic National Committee, surviving members of the Senate Watergate

Committee and its staff held a reunion. Even disasters are marked (Fried 2).
The onset of and American entry into World War I did much, however, to stimulate

efforts to promote patriotism and to nationalize celebration (Fried 3).

Analysis:

The introduction to the book The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!:

Pageantry and Patriotism in Cold-War America sheds light on patriotism in America during

World War I and some of World War II. It gives a great background on patriotism in the United

States and also gives high points and low points in our history and how patriotism was affected

by certain events. This information can help answer my question of what sparked such patriotism

before the US was even founded or did it start when we began the initial push away from Great

Britain around 1776.

 The book is a fairly difficult read as it has lots of political terminology, and many times it

is not in chronological order of events. It appears as if lots and lots of research was completed

prior to writing this book. It references different events, committees, presidents, ideals, and

quotations making the reader feel very comfortable in trusting the work to be factual. This book

could be useful for those doing inquiry projects on the american culture during the Great Wars,

or questions on how the Great Wars affected the american public.

 Annotated Bibliography #3

Haynie, Devon. U.S. Falls in U.S. News Best Countries Rankings. U.S. News & World

Report, 7 Mar. 2017, www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2017-02-

27/us-falls-in-us-news-best-countries-rankings. Accessed 23 Mar. 2017.

Devon Haynie, an international news editor for U.S. News & World Report, in her

March 7th, 2017 article U.S. Falls in U.S. Best Countries Rankings suggests the

reason for the United States drop in rank is due to a large amount of disapproval for

newly elected president Donald Trump. Most countries see Donald Trump as a kind of

wildcard with his outlook on U.S. foreign policy. The majority of countries gave approval

to his rival Hillary Clinton, however he still managed to secure the vote of many top

ranking countries. Haynie continues to blame the election and installation of the new

commander-in-chief as the major excuse for such a slippage in Best Countries Ranking.

However, through such a downfall the United States remains the worlds most powerful

country. The target audience of this article ranges from everyday people to politicians. It

explains many of the more political terms in laymans english, but also shows where

the country can improve or needs to focus to get back up the leaderboard.

One thing not mentioned that should have been, was President Trumps

accomplishments in his first 3 months or so of office. Mrs. Haynie writes, Aside from

the overall ranking, the U.S. fell among the Best Countries for Adventure, Open for

Business and Citizenship, where its scores decreased the most. The country's

performance also dropped in the Best Countries for Education, the Most Transparent

Countries and the Best Countries to Headquarter a Corporation. In other words Haynie
 believes that Donald Trump is not focusing as much on these specific areas of our

country. However he has not been in office very long. Yet the main reason the United

States remains the worlds most powerful country is our economy, military and

international allies.

Other Quotes:

while certain American policies or presidents can cause negative reactions across

the world, the idea of America as a defender of democracy still resonates (Haynie).
The real estate mogul and former reality TV star would have won the vote in Russia,

where 83 percent of people supported him, and in China, where 54 percent of people

did so (Haynie).

Analysis:

Haynies article helps to create an idea of where the world stands on their opinions about

our country, but mostly about our president. It gives me different sectors to investigate such as

foreign policy, economics, and maybe a little of the political realm. I would like to keep my

inquiry as free of any politics as I can get it. American politics could be another whole inquiry

question in itself, one I am looking to avoid, but perhaps one a fellow classmate may enjoy. This

article answers a few of my questions about our ranking and provides other sources to possibly

utilize to help me decipher as much of my inquiry question as I am able to. U.S. Falls in U.S.

Best Countries Rankings is a fairly easy and quick read, with little political statements and more

of numbers and facts that I was looking for.

 Annotated Bibliography #4

Shaw, Jessica M. Is Americas Military the No. 1 Fighting Force in the World or not?

MarketWatch, 12 Mar. 2016, www.marketwatch.com/story/is-america-the-no-1-

military-in-the-world-or-not-2016-02-20. Accessed 27 Mar. 2017.

Is Americas Military the No. 1 Fighting Force in the World - or Not? is written by

Jessica Shaw, a senior editor for social media, mobile platforms and graphics for

MarketWatch. The article focuses more on the numbers side of the military such as

spending, number of soldiers, warheads, etc. Shaw cites an outside poll taken in

February of last year, that asked Americans if the U.S. military is No. 1 in the world, that

concluded that only 49% of Americans believe their military is No. 1. This poll was

asked every year for 23 years running leaving it to be a viable source of information.

Jessica Shaw appears to be unbiased in her comparisons of the United States to other

countries. Shaw intellectually observes Data from the International Institute for

Strategic Studies put the U.S. at No. 3 in armed-forces personnel, behind population

juggernauts China and India. But that says nothing of education, level of training or

quality of those personnel. Mrs. Shaws point is that not even a nations military

strength can be judged off of a few numbers, there are many many other factors that

add to the effectiveness of a military. Jessica places blame for the low belief in our

military on the election year. The amount of flack former President Obama took for

cutting the military diminished citizens trust in the militarys power. However, cutting the

military has not been seen as a poison to the United States global military influence.

Other Quotes:
 Years of fighting the war on terrorism hasnt seemed to reduce the threat, leading

many to wonder if the military as it stands isnt cut out to combat the likes of ISIS

(Shaw).
Shaw quotes Air Force Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

saying I wont be argumentative, but I will take umbrage with the notion that our military

has been gutted. I stand here today a person thats worn this uniform for 35 years. At

no time in my career have I been more confident than this instant in saying we have the

most powerful military on the face of the planet.

And if you look at military spending as a share of overall government spending, the

U.S. ranks 26th. Our defense spending is mighty but so is all of our spending

(Shaw).

Analysis:

Jessica Shaws article has good backing from its multiple sources it cites for information.

I agree with many of the items she discusses including the idea Americans have less trust in

their militarys strength. I think this can be linked to my question about patriotism. My argument

for that is if the commander-in-chief is cutting military funding, it clearly appears that he is

weakening our military strength from the view of a normal citizen. Thus they are less likely to

support the president or the military, and become less patriotic. This points to the audience that

Shaw is trying to educate, the misinformed citizen or those struggling to see the great power of

our even greater military. Thus this source may be helpful to those with an inquiry question that

deals with the size of militaries and their power or influence they exert. This is also a fine source

because it provides other sources of information that relate to the military. Overall Is Americas

Military the No. 1 Fighting Force in the World - or Not? was an easy read with difficult
concepts linked to other articles that explain those ideas further hence educating the reader even

further.
 Annotated Bibliography #5

Shapiro, Gary. Is America the Greatest Country in the World? Forbes, Forbes

Magazine, 14 Aug. 2012, www.forbes.com/sites/garyshapiro/2012/07/25/is-

america-the-greatest-country-in-the-world/#2246a70919d5. Accessed 5 Apr.

2017.

The 2012 HBO TV show The Newsroom made a debut that Gary Shapiro,

president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association and author of two New

York Times best-selling books, couldnt resist questioning Is America the Greatest

Country in the World? Jeff Daniels character states many data points about why

America isnt the best country in the world, but Mr. Shapiro finds the statistics quoted

are sheer bull. He finds that there is no relationship between a poor health care system

and infant mortality and longevity rates. Rather the overall health of its citizens and their

actions to improve their personal health is what accounts for a country's health care

system. Shapiro also defends the United States education system with the ideas of

averages of the very large population of the U.S. and the wanting of citizens have to

become educated and their ability to enroll at almost any age. The number of inventors

and technological advancements made in America is almost second to none according

to Shapiro. He does acknowledges the fact the United States has many flaws that must

be addressed to remain the best in the world.

Other Quotes:

We may not be the best at basics, but we are phenomenal at teaching students to

challenge the status quo (Shapiro).

 As I travel the world and speak about these issues I am increasingly aware that the

government of virtually every other country in the world wants their citizens to be as

innovative as Americans (Shapiro).

Our challenge is not to lament our decline or even celebrate our exceptionalism; it is to

come together with true leadership that can unite us as we sacrifice to preserve and

expand our greatness (Shapiro).

While I believe that Americans share a sense of pride, nationalism and love for their

country, they may not necessarily think about it every second of the day (Shapiro).

Analysis:

Is America the Greatest Country in the World is opinionated but backed with facts and

targets an audience of critics to American exceptionalism. While I agree with many of Shapiros

statements, I think he could have elaborated more on what problems America faces. After

viewing the scene from The Newsroom the fact that America has the highest incarceration rate is

a big problem that should have been mentioned in the article as a good opposing point to

Shapiros opinions. While opinionated this article does provide many opposing ideas to research

further for my inquiry question. It answers a different part of my inquiry question by focusing

not on the military, but on other sectors of America. Gary Shapiro is a writer of innovation and

provides a viewpoint for the innovation sector of America compared to other countries. I would

suggest this source to those who are researching a question opposite of mine to have a very

strong opinion against their ideas that America isnt the best country in the world. The article is a

simple read that referenced many good sources of information to back his beliefs.
 Annotated Bibliography #6

Whyte, Dave. "Market Patriotism and the "War on Terror"." Social Justice, vol. 34, no. 3,

2007, pp. 119-128, ProQuest Central, https://librarylink.uncc.edu/login?

url=http://search.proquest.com.librarylink.uncc.edu/docview/231913378?

accountid=14605.

Market patriotism is the practice of promoting a nations market for consumers to

buy from a particular company/brand, or to buy items made in a certain country. Dave

Whyte, a sociology professor at the University of Liverpool in the U.K, writes the article,

Market Patriotism and the War on Terror, about market patriotism and its use during

times of war and during the present War on Terror. He explains that market patriotism

is used to accumulate profits by uniting a country and gaining their support on the issue

at hand. Whyte pieces together the idea that this economic practice was introduced to

the war on terror immediately after 9/11 occurred. Observing many notions of this

strategy after 9/11, including the addition of God Bless America to the reopening of the

stock market, and Bill Clintons proposal to the American people to spend money on

American made products. Concerning the invasion of Iraq and the Iraq war, Whyte

supports the notion that despite its lesser role in securing popular consent, market

patriotism played a key role in developing intra-class support for the war (123). Whytes

point is that market patriotism did not unite everyone on supporting the war, but it did

push them to financially support the war.

Other Quotes:
 If terrorists seek to harm us economically and prevent us from realizing the freedoms

we can enact through participation in the marketplace, then they are out to destroy not

only democracy and freedom, but also market democracy and market freedom( Whyte

122).
Market patriotism, in the forms noted above, is aimed at locating collective opposition

to terrorism in the economy, reifying neoliberal markets as a bulwark against terrorism,

and achieving ontological security hi the everyday lives of people(Whyte 121).

Market patriotism thus allows the war on terror to be reconstructed as a war in which

the security of the people depends upon the security of the neoliberal economy (Whyte

122).

Analysis:

Dave Whyte targets a peculiar audience who seeks to understand the workings of an

economy during times of conflict and crisis. This article can also help those whose inquiry thesis

deals with the effects of a war on an economy. What Whytes article helps me understand is the

connection between patriotism, the economy, and a war or conflict. I understood that during

World War I and II citizens were encouraged to buy war bonds and support the troops. That was

during a time of world crisis and a draft was installed, so basically sending your son to fight was

part of your contribution. Where I believe market patriotism kicked in for both World Wars was

with the bonds and supplies because every mother wanted their son healthy and strong so they

could make it back home. Market Patriotism and the "War on Terror helps me to answer my

question about how the economy was affected by patriotism. By keeping my inquiry thesis

revolving around a major topic of conflicts and wars, this becomes much more and easily visible

to my readers. While it was a fairly difficult read due to the economic, Whyte helps the reader

understand by putting many of his ideals into simpler terms.

 Annotated Bibliography #7

Dixon, Ryan. Personal Interview. 24 Feb. 2017.

On February 24th 2017, Joseph Penrose, a British citizen who moved to the

United States and now attends Elon University in North Carolina, was asked this

question: you hear about Americans calling the United States the best country in the

world. Do you think that your home country is the best in the world? Penrose took the

question a little further answering that neither country was the best in the world. Starting

with the United States he claims that the US has a very high percentage of prisoners

and inequality. The U.K. has similar problems such as inequality and other issues.

However, Penrose meets in the middle acknowledging that they are both wonderful

countries to live in and have many freedoms and benefits but to call them the best is a

mistake in my mind as it ignores the problems that run rampant. Josephs point is that

every country has many flaws making no country perfect or the best in every sector of

judgement.

Other Quotes:

There is no best country, there are just areas that are better for different people.
At the end of the day, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the same goes for

countries.

Analysis:

I went to highschool with Joe and he got a lot of this sort of question when he first

showed up at school. I asked him this question to get a direct answer from a citizen of another

country who has lived in the United States long enough to really understand the culture and
workings of it. His answer had no bias toward the U.K. or the U.S. and he gave some statements

that proved true and some that I found inconclusive results on my own personal investigation.

Joe stated that in the U.K. only 80% of kids say that theyre happy. I couldnt find anything on

that but I trust Joe with his information because he has a strong knowledge about his home

country and stays current with the events overseas. This interview helps me with my inquiry

topic because it gives the perspective of a non-american with patriotic ties to his home, but has a

fair argument for why he doesnt believe either or any country is the best. I think Joe did a fine

job in giving a straight and unbiased answer to my initial question. This pushes me to look for

other sources and see if citizens of other countries believe their homeland is the best in the world.