Things To Be Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving! Wherever this finds you today, and whoever you're sharing it with.

I'm fortunate to be sharing it with friends and family in the historic heart of Philadelphia — and thankful we haven't had to take to the road as winter weather closes in over North America.

This week, pursuing the theme of gratitude, I thought I'd list a couple of other things for which I'm thankful; while slipping in a plug for my new book.

I'm very thankful for the time and space I have had this summer to research and write my book Brits Who Shaped America, in which I've profiled some of the exceptional Britons who continued to influence and shape the United States in the century after the Revolutionary War was over. (It's available on Amazon as an eBook, audiobook, and now in paperback.)

Thanks are due, in particular, to the Free Library of Philadelphia and the Rosenbach Museum and Library for their support, and for access to their books and archives.

It's been a fascinating project, as I sought to answer my questions about how America evolved from a largely agrarian society in the 1780s into a world-leading superpower in such an incredibly short space of time.

It's also, in large part, a story about energetic and enterprising migrants who, between them, injected a lot of the intellectual, industrial, and cultural capital to make America what it was by the dawn of the twentieth century. A reminder, if needed, that migration brings benefits.

I am also very grateful to America for extending me a green card, and my welcoming neighbors here in Philadelphia — the City of Brotherly and Sisterly Love.

QUOTE

Even if you're struggling to be a proud American right now, you can still be a grateful American.

May Patterson (2016)