Free Downloads
American Treasures: The Secret Efforts To Save The Declaration Of Independence, The Constitution And The Gettysburg Address

On December 26, 1941, Secret Service Agent Harry E. Neal stood on a platform at Washington's Union Station, watching a train chug off into the dark and feeling at once relieved and inexorably anxious. These were dire times: as Hitler's armies plowed across Europe, seizing or destroying the Continent's historic artifacts at will, Japan bristled to the East. The Axis was rapidly closing in. So FDR set about hiding the country's valuables. On the train speeding away from Neal sat four plain-wrapped cases containing the documentary history of American democracy: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Gettysburg Address, and more, guarded by a battery of agents and bound for safekeeping in the nation's most impenetrable hiding place.American Treasures charts the little-known journeys of these American crown jewels. From the risky and audacious adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 to our modern Fourth of July celebrations, American Treasures shows how the ideas captured in these documents underscore the nation's strengths and hopes, and embody its fundamental values of liberty and equality. Stephen Puleo weaves in exciting stories of freedom under fire - from the Declaration and Constitution smuggled out of Washington days before the British burned the capital in 1814, to their covert relocation during WWII - crafting a sweeping history of a nation united to preserve its definition of democracy.

Hardcover: 432 pages

Publisher: St. Martin's Press (August 30, 2016)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1250065747

ISBN-13: 978-1250065742

Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.4 x 9.5 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

Best Sellers Rank: #102,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #20 in Books > History > Americas > United States > Civil War > Campaigns & Battlefields > Gettysburg #226 in Books > History > Americas > United States > Revolution & Founding #933 in Books > History > Military > United States

Incredible story relating how these important documents came to be and how they were safeguarded at the onset of World War 2. I expected to learn how the documents were kept safe during the War but was really pleased at the narrative given to the story of the creation of the documents themselves. The reader might be tempted to mentally compare the story to the "National Treasure" movie franchise. No comparison as this book was far more engrossing. Highly recommended.

American Treasures: The Secret Efforts to Save the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Gettysburg Address The Penguin Guide to the United States Constitution: A Fully Annotated Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and Amendments, and Selections from The Federalist Papers Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality The Annotated U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence (Graphic Heroes of the American Revolution) The Declaration of Independence (True Books: American History (Paperback)) Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence What Is the Declaration of Independence? (What Was...?) The Declaration Of Independence The Signers: The 56 Stories Behind the Declaration of Independence The Personal Internet Address and Password Log Book: The Pocket Size Web Address and Password Book: Owl Address Book: Purple And White Floral For Contacts, Addresses, Phone Numbers, Emails & Birthday. Alphabetical Organizer Journal Notebook (Address Books) Address Book (Beautiful and Simple Address Books) (Volume 4) Address Book (Simple and Beautiful Address Books) (Volume 44) Address Book (Simple and Beautiful Address Books-Jumbo Size-Teal Floral Cover) (Volume 2) Address Book (Beautiful and Simple Address Books-Jumbo Size Floral Paisley) (Volume 1) The Personal Internet Address and Password Log Book: A Large Print Web address & Password Book Address Book (Big Print, Extra Large, Paperback Address Books) (Volume 97) Address Book: Brown Tree For Contacts, Addresses, Phone Numbers, Emails & Birthday. Alphabetical Organizer Journal Notebook (Address Books) Blue Flowers Cute Design Address Book (Address Books) (Volume 7)