Browser's of Veeky Forums, I propose with this thread to create a list of the necessary writings to understand The Spirit of America. That is, I want to gather together those writings which founded this country in it's purest form.
I know not all browser's here are American, but that's fine. All I want is to discover those principles which are the foundation of our society.
I propose the following as necessary:
The Declaration of Independence The Constitution of the United States The Federalist Papers and other writings by Founding Fathers (ex. I'm reading a book on the collected papers of John Adams, which I believe helps shed light on the makeup of the Spirit of America)
the ones I am more unsure of are: Common Sense - Paine Rights of Man - Paine Two Treatises of Government - Locke
Obviously America was first European, and part of our cultural heritage is European, so a thorough understanding of European Philosophy is useful. For Example:
Kant Nietzsche and if we want to get more abstruse: Phenomenologists and their progenitors such as Hume and Descartes.
Discussion and Additions welcome, this is a large project, and one I hope to make fruitful.
Brayden Gonzalez
...
Isaiah Nelson
We mustn't forget contemporary contributions.
Grayson Cruz
>The Declaration of Independence >The Constitution of the United States >The Federalist Papers
Bullshit, those ideals died long, long ago and have been an empty meme for generations. If you want to understand 20th and 21st century america, you need to understand two things, the frontier ethos and the suburban lifestyle. The interplay between the two is critical. America is a paradox of beautiful grandiose visions of absolute boundless freedom, and a banal, often depressing reality.
Justin Fisher
Well, it starts with Luther's 95 Theses..
Kevin Barnes
What it means to be American is not the same as what an American is. I am not Mom's apple pie but if I say "Mom's apple pie" you think about how American that sounds.
Cameron Sanchez
I'm gonna be lambasted for it but I think there should be included some quintessential American works like Huckleberry Finn and the likes. No, they are not particularly profound or masterful, just alright, but popular works by authors like Mark Twain really capture something difficult to describe about being American. I suppose it may be the experience of starting with nothing and striking out to do what you want to do, whether it will ultimately work or not. Or maybe it is the characterization and its spectrum of various yet distinctly American types. I couldn't be the only one who sees it, could I?
Nicholas Brown
Anti-Federalist Papers Democracy in America
Joseph Cook
Grapes of Wrath
Ryder Parker
>I'm reading a book on the collected papers of John Adams Name?
Gavin Moore
>The Federalist Papers Пpивeт, тoвapищ
Christopher Taylor
...
Isaac Ramirez
...
Blake Green
Jacques Barzun "Beliefs For Sale", free online, and "Of Human Freedom" if you can find one.
Noah Gray
Ben Franklin’s Autobiography
Jayden Perez
...
Hunter Reed
/pol/ hath taken over this thread. SAGE
Caleb Ortiz
If you need to understand American Spirit, read history of baseball.
William Scott
i hate you people more than i hate most /pol/acks
Adam Stewart
I’m sorry for you, soyboy.
Grayson Cook
The Spirit of Liberty, Learned Hand Reason and Imagination, the Selected Correspondence of Learned Hand.
Grayson Jenkins
America folk lore, personal favorite being John Henry
Levi Gray
>The Spirit of America something about being brainwashed and getting assfucked by corporations on a daily basis
Jacob Gray
Manufacturing Consent
Logan Gonzalez
I sees it
Elijah Parker
It's called The John Adams Papers by Frank Donovan
Ryan Johnson
I'm not necessarily trying to grasp what America has Become, so much as I am looking to uncover a truly American Tradition. America of today is a vast materialist wasteland of morons, I want to rectify that.
Caleb Walker
shut the fuck up you dumb propagandizing slave nigger >shoyboy kill yourself untermensch something about pedophile blood drinking free masons founding the country for british anti-royalist bankers or whatever
Cameron Miller
that's a good one
Cameron Smith
that actually reminds me, books on frontiersmen might be a good edition. something like The Frontier Mind by Moore?
Joseph Reed
Doomed to failure. Conflicting ideologies will turn this into a clusterfuck shitstorm. A noble cause, user. Good luck and Godspeed.
Brayden Clark
>american tradition
Ryan Allen
> America doesn't have traditions How about you look it up before being a pseud
Connor Evans
The Art of the Deal The Secret The Book of Mormon Dianetics The Shack Hamilton: the Musical Think and Grow Rich The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change How to Win Friends and Influence People
Isaac Gomez
>Le America has no traditions and culture meme Are people who say this only pretending to be retarded?
Josiah Lewis
Detected.
Christian Harris
Did you eurofags have Cowboys, the gold rush, or country and folk music? No, you didn't. So fuck you
Nathan Perry
Britfags had some great folk music, to be fair. but checked
Isaiah Rogers
A baseball rule book is all you need wtf
Matthew Foster
Unironically
Add in the final nail of the Coffin, The Enlightenment.
Jace Nelson
>art not sure how I feel about that one, I'm looking for Tradition not Super Capitalism. >The Secret no >Mormon a genuine choice, but Super Christianity is not exactly a Tradition that's going anywhere
I'm not even going to bother with the rest. The Shack was a terrible christian novel, I'd sooner add The Brother's Karamazov.
If you're serious, I'd like some explaining, pretty sure you're funposting though.
Justin Hughes
thanks user, I'm trying
The Enlightenment is not a book, but I see what you're aiming at. It seems I'll have to deal w/ Christianity as a whole. I was hoping to just side step it and ignore it but I guess not.
Henry Gomez
care to explain? I like baseball as much as the next guy, but beyond it being an American Past time, and America's Game, what does it add to the American Tradition? What's to be learned from it?
Thomas Adams
>cowboys >what are gauchos, vaqueros, etc
>gold rush >being a greedy cunt is part of being american seems about right >folk music really nigger
Gavin Morales
>>gold rush >>being a greedy cunt is part of being american >seems about right
fucking lol, pls no bully, I want to resurrect the American Spirit, that mean killing Uber-Capitalism
Michael Robinson
Is this a good history book of burgerland?
Levi Powell
not sure
Ayden King
>muh freedumbs
Jose Cook
Too bad for you I'm not Euro, I'm Aussie. We had 4/4 of those. Problem, mutt?
Leo Hughes
the Enlightenment is a shitshow
Liam Bell
Exactly what I was thinking. Add in Walden, and something Faulkner, just generally books that give a sense of being American
Dylan Davis
The buttblasted euros in this thread remind why this board is the Pinnacle of modern thought
Aiden Rodriguez
Read Emerson.
Carter Torres
>nobody's mentioned Thomas Paine
Josiah Cooper
Well, you have no melville or welles. So, no, there really isn’t a problem lmao
At least you have your island wasteland
Easton Sanchez
I can consume the work of Welles or Melville whenever I want. Those broader, more locally penetrating cultural elements, I can also lay claim to. America exports all its waste across the world, whatever pearls it has it throws before swine. Australia, however, is rich with concealed diamonds, unsullied by the dirty hands of mutts. I do not envy your position. If you would like any recommendations on Australian authors or directors though, I would be more than happy to oblige.
Aaron Harris
Lies My Teacher Told Me A People's History of the United States Legacy of Ashes Killing Hope
Brayden Sullivan
>I can consume the work of Welles or Melville whenever I want. Precisely. You can "consume" it, but never appreciate it, much less produce it. >. If you would like any recommendations on Australian authors my poor sides
Owen Bennett
Hahah, so these are the lies the mutt tells himself. Thank you for amusing me, friend.
Isaiah Hall
>mutt mutt mutt Is that all you’re provincial mind can muster? Name the australian melville. Give me any reason to believe an Australian isn’t just a third rate Englishman.