Potus Geeks Book Review: Awakening the Spirit of America by Paul Sparrow
As the world approached the second great war of the twentieth century, the of the most popular Americans were President Franklin Roosevelt and aviator Charles Lindbergh. Roosevelt, often referred to by his initials FDR, was credited by many Americans for guiding the nation on its way out of the Great Depression through a combination of comprehensive social legislation and reassuring oratory. Lindbergh, known as "Lucky Lindy" had personified American ingenuity and resilience by completing the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance of 3,600 miles, flying alone for almost 34 hours in his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis. But despite their having notoriety in common, the two men couldn't be more different. Lindberg was athletic, Roosevelt was physically disabled, though he was able to conceal his disability from the public. Lindbergh was an isolationist, an antisemite and an admirer of Nazi Germany. Roosevelt was an interventionist who longed to help those suffering in Europe at the hands of Hitler and his supporters. He saw the German dictator for the monster that he was.
It was not only these two titans who were divided on these issues. Many Americans feared the prospect of their nation being drawn into another European conflict, with the resulting casualties that would follow, while others did not want their nation to stand by idly while a genocide orchestrated by a megalomaniac took place in Europe. This polarization sets the backdrop for Paul Sparrow's outstanding 2024 chronicle of those times, entitled Awakening the Spirit of America: FDR's War of Words With Charles Lindbergh and the Battle to Save Democracy.
Sparrow sets the stage for this conflict so beautifully, as if the reader is present when these events are unfolding. He generously shares much of FDR's persuasive rhetoric, as well as the process leading up to many of the great addresses given by FDR in his fireside chats, campaign speeches, State of the Union Addresses, Inaugural addresses and other public communications. He also highlights Lindbergh's "America First" campaign, and the arguments that the aviator turned activist used to play on public fears about the nation being drawn into another large scale war. Lindbergh not only sought to convince Americans that peaceful co-existence with Germany was possible, but also attacked Jewish businessmen who he accused of controlling the media and providing the nation with "fake news."
This book also tells the story of the formation of the relationship between Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, examining the intense pressure that Churchill was under and the courage he exhibited while under that pressure, as well as the political tightrope that Roosevelt had to skillfully walk as he worked towards his goal of aiding those suffering as the result of Hitler's aggression, while realizing that moving too quickly would quash any hope of achieving that goal because of Americans' understandable aversion to getting into another hot war. The author makes a convincing case as to why FDR, though far from perfect, was probably the best leader for the nation at that particular point in history.
This book is valuable both as a chronicle of a very precarious time for democracy in America, but also as a reminder that those who fail to learn from the mistakes of history may be bound to repeat them. It is a lesson as relevant today as it was in the 1940s. The following quote from Roosevelt is as observant today as it was when he spoke these words in his 1940 re-election campaign:
"Certain techniques of propaganda, created and developed in dictator countries, have been imported into this campaign [1940]. It is the very simple technique of repeating and repeating and repeating falsehoods, with the idea that, by constant repetition and reiteration, with no contradiction, the misstatement will finally come to be believed. They are used to create fear by instilling in the minds of our people doubt of each other, doubt of their government, and doubt of the purposes of their democracy."
It was not only these two titans who were divided on these issues. Many Americans feared the prospect of their nation being drawn into another European conflict, with the resulting casualties that would follow, while others did not want their nation to stand by idly while a genocide orchestrated by a megalomaniac took place in Europe. This polarization sets the backdrop for Paul Sparrow's outstanding 2024 chronicle of those times, entitled Awakening the Spirit of America: FDR's War of Words With Charles Lindbergh and the Battle to Save Democracy.
Sparrow sets the stage for this conflict so beautifully, as if the reader is present when these events are unfolding. He generously shares much of FDR's persuasive rhetoric, as well as the process leading up to many of the great addresses given by FDR in his fireside chats, campaign speeches, State of the Union Addresses, Inaugural addresses and other public communications. He also highlights Lindbergh's "America First" campaign, and the arguments that the aviator turned activist used to play on public fears about the nation being drawn into another large scale war. Lindbergh not only sought to convince Americans that peaceful co-existence with Germany was possible, but also attacked Jewish businessmen who he accused of controlling the media and providing the nation with "fake news."
This book also tells the story of the formation of the relationship between Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, examining the intense pressure that Churchill was under and the courage he exhibited while under that pressure, as well as the political tightrope that Roosevelt had to skillfully walk as he worked towards his goal of aiding those suffering as the result of Hitler's aggression, while realizing that moving too quickly would quash any hope of achieving that goal because of Americans' understandable aversion to getting into another hot war. The author makes a convincing case as to why FDR, though far from perfect, was probably the best leader for the nation at that particular point in history.
This book is valuable both as a chronicle of a very precarious time for democracy in America, but also as a reminder that those who fail to learn from the mistakes of history may be bound to repeat them. It is a lesson as relevant today as it was in the 1940s. The following quote from Roosevelt is as observant today as it was when he spoke these words in his 1940 re-election campaign:
"Certain techniques of propaganda, created and developed in dictator countries, have been imported into this campaign [1940]. It is the very simple technique of repeating and repeating and repeating falsehoods, with the idea that, by constant repetition and reiteration, with no contradiction, the misstatement will finally come to be believed. They are used to create fear by instilling in the minds of our people doubt of each other, doubt of their government, and doubt of the purposes of their democracy."