I feel like we're actually leading a sort of a revival here. There comes a time when a vision is seen, and then only later on can that vision be shown to others because it has materialized in some meaningful way.
Today I'm very happy to announce that Lorenzo Sears' biography of Founding Father John Hancock has been released for general use!
John Hancock: The Picturesque Patriot
Now be honest, how many of you actually know much at all about John Hancock, other than that he's that one guy who lived somewhere in a northern state and his autograph on the Declaration was the easiest one to see because its the largest? Seriously, very few people know much at all about John Hancock. But that can change, and for many it surely will change. That includes me, I'll raise my hand right now. I don't know much about Hancock myself.
We have a huge problem in this country, and we need to face it face on. Americans do not know their own Founding Fathers.
This is half because schools stopped teaching it generations ago. The other half is because of inconvenience - Why would anybody pick up a book written over a century ago to learn about John Hancock when they can read a compelling novel? Maybe Jurassic Park? Why would anybody buy a new book written about John Hancock (There are precious few, I'll get to this in a second) when they could go watch a football game? Or even beyond that, how many people prioritize family time most of all, or time put aside for spiritual pursuits and going to church?
There are hundreds of ways that the Founding Fathers get shoved out of our lives, even for some of the most noble of priorities. We have got to stop shoving the Founders out. It's killing us.
Convenience is king.
Most of you aren't going to take as much time as you should to read the Founders or read biographies about the Founders, so then it will be actively read to you and you only need to listen. Now the Founding Fathers can fit into your busy day, now you can learn while you are on a business flight between cities, now you can learn while you jog for an hour in the morning, or during the long commute. Maybe you listen to audio books or podcasts at night while you wind down for the day. Maybe you work solo all day in a warehouse. There are nearly endless possibilities.
A big target for me is home schoolers. The end-run-around that home schoolers commit against the school system is fantastic. But the problem is, it's expensive and its loaded with gatekeepers. Going to a discussion of one single book isn't saving one person all that much. $5, $10 maybe? But we now have more of a pile of books we can point to. So when budgets are tight and we have a good dozen or so books in audio format (which also highlights their written aspect) which can be offered, now you have something compelling that any home schooler would want at least some part of. Due to their age and sometimes rarity, many of these books are not cheap or can't be had altogether.
Now, as to shoving the Founding Fathers out. Yeah, this is happening a lot. The markets themselves are proof of this, go to the book store. There are not a constant flow of new written works about the Founding Fathers very often and why is this? On the one hand, most people who are interested only really focus on one or two Founders and the rest kind of don't exist. There are new books written about Jefferson or Washington or Franklin from time to time. But the rest of the Founders? Nah. There just isn't a big interest level. It's true. No customers means no new books, no interest means no customers. That is where we are actually at in this country, and it needs to change. And I'll tell you what, it isn't going to change because person A shoved a brand new book into person B's face for the cool new price of $39.95. That may get a dozen people, but a free audio book that makes people's lives more convenient will go quite a bit further. And since there are no customers anyways, a free open source audio book is the perfect fit.
Finally, let's not forget that this book about John Hancock is free and open source in the public domain. So, what of the gatekeepers? Let's talk about that a little bit. Have you ever attempted to buy a new book and look up the footnote, only to find that you had to go through another footnote which only meant another footnote? Historians do this "footnote maze-ing" on purpose as a way to protect their fiefdoms. If you cannot get out of their maze then you are captive and they have guarded their gate. Conversely, are you spending $10 a month for an Audible subscription for nonsense entertainment titles or are you getting solid audio books about the Founding Fathers for absolutely free? Yes, among other things, this is a jab (however small) at big tech. Specifically, Amazon. There may be some solid audio books you can get with that subscription. However, now a new and free audio alternative is being developed.
Why give money to big tech when you do not have to.
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