Twenty-Five Greatest Champions of America: Part Two
There are two fundamental ways in which one can advance those principles. He (or she) can personally and individually perpetuate them throughout society or he can help strengthen and empower larger institutions (including the country itself) to advance those cornerstone principles.
With this in mind, the American Revolution and Founding Era section of Suite101.com now presents the second installment of the "Twenty-Five Greatest Champions of America's Founding Principles."
Our last article provided the names of the first five: Bob Hope (#25), Robert E. Lee (#24), Walt Disney (#23), the Reverend Billy Graham (#22), and Rosa Parks (#21). Now, our list continues...
Number 20: Mark Twain
Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, on November 30, 1835, one of his early life's goals was to be a steamboat captain. It was during this time that he picked up the nick name "Mark Twain." After brief service in the Confederate army, Clemens began writing under the pen name "Mark Twain" and went on to become the most famous author in American history. Among his best works were The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. They each helped shape America's culture and strengthened her sense of identity. While Twain may not come to mind as a direct champion of America's founding principles, he in many ways defined what those principles were with the profound mark he placed on America's literary and cultural soul. Twain's influence on the United States resembles Shakespeare's role in the development of western civilization. There will probably never be another writer in America like Mark Twain.
Number 19: Dorothea Dix
When looking back at the history of western Europe, Asia, and the United States, it is easy to overlook those unfortunate few individuals that often escaped notice from mainstream society. Yet their plight was among the most excruciating ever experienced in history. Living often in horrid misery and dreadful squalor were thousands of mentally disabled individuals abandoned by families and forgotten by society. Yet in the 1830s, one woman emerged who would not let these people be forgotten or ignored any longer. A dedicated nurse and social reformer, Dorothea Dix studied the awful conditions of insane asylums, prisons, and alms houses and publicized her findings to a shocked world. While she often chose to remain in the background and work through others, Dix's efforts were indispensable to improving the conditions of thousands of people in America
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