I remember sitting in an airport sometime around 1992, when for some reason, I got into a conversation with a man who was reading a book by someone I had never heard of: David Barton. This man very excitedly shared with me all he was learning about our Founding Fathers and their intentions for our nation to be a Christian nation.
I must confess, this was all news to me. Although I was a Christian, I had completely believed what little I had been taught in my public school history books. Wasn’t America founded as a place of religious tolerance? Weren’t our Founding Fathers mainly Deists? I somewhat skeptically listened to this man talk, and I even wrote down the name and author of the book he was reading.
A few years later, the name David Barton was mentioned again. This time it was because he was going to be speaking at a church in our area. Many of our friends from church were going to hear him, and my husband and I decided to see what he had to say. We were definitely in for a treat, in a mind-boggling sort of way. If you have ever seen David Barton you will know what I am talking about. Much of his presentation consisted of a picture of the Signing of the Constitution which he pointed at with a laser pointer and very quickly told facts about the faith of the various delegates. I left with my head spinning from information overload. There was no way to remember and digest all the information in that one talk, but I did at least recognize that the history books don’t tell the whole story.
Why have I told you all of this? Because I was recently given the opportunity to review an excellent resource that put that wealth of information about our Founding Fathers into one accessible volume. For You They Signed, by Marilyn Boyer, contains biographical information about each of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. The book is arranged in the way the Declaration was signed: by colony. Included for each signer is a sketch, a table of basic information, a timeline of public service, and several pages of biographical information. Also included for each signer are Questions for Discussion. There are questions that focus on facts in addition to those that point to each man’s character.
There are several suggested ways to use this book:
- A Year’s Worth of Family Devotional Character Studies
- A Complete Resource for a Single Mom
- A Practical, Life-Changing Self-Study
- A Group Study Designed to Make a Difference
- Inspirational General Reading
In addition to these ways, I think it makes a great supplementary resource for American history study. I do not intend for my children to grow up with the same dismal knowledge of history that I had! And among the many benefits of homeschooling, I get to learn alongside my children. I look forward to using For You They Signed with my family for years to come.
I received this book compliments of Master Books to review. You can follow Master Books and Marilyn Boyer on Facebook. I am also participating in America’s Christian Heritage Event at the Christian Home School Hub. You can find links to other reviews at Christian Home School Hub and you can vote for your favorite review.
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This book is available for purchase at Amazon.com and ChristianBook.com.
By Kristen H.
Wonderful review!
Thanks Lynda. It’s a wonderful book!
Great Job!
We just started our DNG study of Ben Franklin this week, and it made me want to learn more about all of our Founding Fathers. I will be adding this book to my wishlist.
Awesome review! We are trying to teach our kids about our founding fathers and this sounds like just the thing. Thanks for pointing it out.
This is a great review. Thank you. I’ve had my eye on this book for a while now.
We were looking at this book. Maybe I should ask for it for Christmas. 🙂 Great review!
Great review! Thanks!
I may have to get this book next. Thanks
I’ve heard that this is a great book. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts about it. 🙂
There’s also a book called Sacred Fire which talks about the faith of George Washington and debunks the myth that he was a deist, or at any rate, a nominal Christian. I’m reading it right now, and it’s superb. You should check it out.