--- product_id: 43064652 title: "If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty" price: "30018CFA" currency: XOF in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.sn/products/43064652-if-you-can-keep-it-the-forgotten-promise-of-american store_origin: SN region: Senegal --- # If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty **Price:** 30018CFA **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty - **How much does it cost?** 30018CFA with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sn](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/43064652-if-you-can-keep-it-the-forgotten-promise-of-american) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description #1 New York Times bestselling author Eric Metaxas delivers an extraordinary book that is part history and part rousing call to arms, steeped in a critical analysis of our founding fathers' original intentions for America. In 1787, when the Constitution was drafted, a woman asked Ben Franklin what the founders had given the American people. "A republic," he shot back, "if you can keep it." More than two centuries later, Metaxas examines what that means and how we are doing on that score. If You Can Keep It is at once a thrilling review of America's uniqueness—including our role as a "nation of nations"—and a chilling reminder that America's greatness cannot continue unless we embrace our own crucial role in living out what the founders entrusted to us. Metaxas explains that America is not a nation bounded by ethnic identity or geography, but rather by a radical and unprecedented idea, based on liberty and freedom for all. He cautions us that it's nearly past time we reconnect to that idea, or we may lose the very foundation of what made us exceptional in the first place. Review: Another Metaxas masterpiece - From the very beginning, Eric Metaxas, writing from a Christian worldview, engages the reader with reminiscent historical accounts and thoughts of patriotism. He skillfully brings you along on his own eye-opening journey of discovery his deep and reverential awe for America. He begins with both a charge to educate and also to be an active participant in the keeping of the trust that has been given us through the founding of the United States of America. He reminds us of what it means to love our country and what it means to be an American. Fascinating and detailed biographical sketches and quotations from America’s founding fathers and from other significant leaders of our country are woven throughout in Metaxas-style masterful storytelling with skillful command of language and vocabulary, along with colorful and vivid descriptions. He delivers impassioned pleas to recover the spirit of patriotism, to recall biblical virtues, remember our responsibilities, recall both the good and bad of our past, and most importantly, to take action in doing our part to preserve America for ourselves, our future, and the world. Eric Metaxas builds a strong argument for the multi-dimensional components of the “how and why” our country, Constitution, and government was established, and then he dissects the fundamental aspects of virtue and leadership that contributed to its founding. Heroes are extolled and remembered for their lack of selfishness and pride and for their desire only for the good of our country. This book is an enjoyable and moving read, written intellectually but on a level that it easily comprehendible. Metaxas builds a strong case for the charge of keeping and defending America, and I made copious notes of his quote-worthy statements. Many of the biographical sketches will be familiar if you have read his books Amazing Grace and Seven Men and the Secret of Their Greatness, but they are, nonetheless, crucial to the complete understanding of the concepts he puts forth in this book. Once again, Metaxas delivers a compelling read. Written by Monica Flippin Review: Preaching Patriotism - This is a very well-written book to the extent that it is an easy read, with plenty of poetic phraseology and interesting characterizations. I read it to update my own book “George Washington’s Liberty Key.” While I didn’t find anything really new about George Washington, I didn’t see any obvious errors about him or anyone else mentioned in the book, with the exception of Metaxas’ insistence that Parson Weems wrote that the six-year-old Washington “chopped down” the cherry tree. Actually, Washington was said to have “barked” it, ie cut the bark enough to seriously interrupt the sap flow so that the tree would eventually die. As well, along with a number of eminent historians, I disagree with Metaxas’ “arguable” assertion that Lincoln was a greater president than Washington. I did notice that much of the book is spent discussing and supporting Os Guinness’ “Golden Triangle of Freedom” (Freedom requires Virtue; Virtue requires Faith; Faith requires Freedom.” My own book’s assessment (from studying Washington’s and Lafayette’s words) is that the “Key to Liberty” is found in the triad of “Character (unwritten rules of virtuous behavior), Culture (national character), and Constitution (written rules).” I think I tend to agree with Metaxas that many of the pragmatic Founders (to include Washington) believed that enlightened morality was not enough to keep the average American virtuous and on the straight and narrow, that the average person needs religion, by which is probably meant a God-fearing (eternal punishment) belief system. Metaxas is quite clear in asserting that a Judeo-Christian belief system is what is called for. On the other hand, the reader is left to wonder as to whether all Judeo-Christian religions qualify as adequate and how close other religions, even those that might be antithetical to American values, might come to fulfilling the Golden Triangle’s faith requirement. All in all, the book is essentially a timely, interesting exhortation to “keep the Republic,” with a number of the author’s examples of how to do so: some of which are faith, tolerance, ritual, hero worship, dedication to patriotic art, etc. Check out one of William J. Bahr’s books: George Washington's Liberty Key: Mount Vernon's Bastille Key – the Mystery and Magic of Its Body, Mind, and Soul , a best seller at Mount Vernon. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #28,210 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #26 in Political Ideologies #28 in Democracy (Books) #94 in United States History (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 2,508 Reviews | ## Images ![If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71GoAmUyeEL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another Metaxas masterpiece *by M***. on June 14, 2016* From the very beginning, Eric Metaxas, writing from a Christian worldview, engages the reader with reminiscent historical accounts and thoughts of patriotism. He skillfully brings you along on his own eye-opening journey of discovery his deep and reverential awe for America. He begins with both a charge to educate and also to be an active participant in the keeping of the trust that has been given us through the founding of the United States of America. He reminds us of what it means to love our country and what it means to be an American. Fascinating and detailed biographical sketches and quotations from America’s founding fathers and from other significant leaders of our country are woven throughout in Metaxas-style masterful storytelling with skillful command of language and vocabulary, along with colorful and vivid descriptions. He delivers impassioned pleas to recover the spirit of patriotism, to recall biblical virtues, remember our responsibilities, recall both the good and bad of our past, and most importantly, to take action in doing our part to preserve America for ourselves, our future, and the world. Eric Metaxas builds a strong argument for the multi-dimensional components of the “how and why” our country, Constitution, and government was established, and then he dissects the fundamental aspects of virtue and leadership that contributed to its founding. Heroes are extolled and remembered for their lack of selfishness and pride and for their desire only for the good of our country. This book is an enjoyable and moving read, written intellectually but on a level that it easily comprehendible. Metaxas builds a strong case for the charge of keeping and defending America, and I made copious notes of his quote-worthy statements. Many of the biographical sketches will be familiar if you have read his books Amazing Grace and Seven Men and the Secret of Their Greatness, but they are, nonetheless, crucial to the complete understanding of the concepts he puts forth in this book. Once again, Metaxas delivers a compelling read. Written by Monica Flippin ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Preaching Patriotism *by W***R on April 27, 2018* This is a very well-written book to the extent that it is an easy read, with plenty of poetic phraseology and interesting characterizations. I read it to update my own book “George Washington’s Liberty Key.” While I didn’t find anything really new about George Washington, I didn’t see any obvious errors about him or anyone else mentioned in the book, with the exception of Metaxas’ insistence that Parson Weems wrote that the six-year-old Washington “chopped down” the cherry tree. Actually, Washington was said to have “barked” it, ie cut the bark enough to seriously interrupt the sap flow so that the tree would eventually die. As well, along with a number of eminent historians, I disagree with Metaxas’ “arguable” assertion that Lincoln was a greater president than Washington. I did notice that much of the book is spent discussing and supporting Os Guinness’ “Golden Triangle of Freedom” (Freedom requires Virtue; Virtue requires Faith; Faith requires Freedom.” My own book’s assessment (from studying Washington’s and Lafayette’s words) is that the “Key to Liberty” is found in the triad of “Character (unwritten rules of virtuous behavior), Culture (national character), and Constitution (written rules).” I think I tend to agree with Metaxas that many of the pragmatic Founders (to include Washington) believed that enlightened morality was not enough to keep the average American virtuous and on the straight and narrow, that the average person needs religion, by which is probably meant a God-fearing (eternal punishment) belief system. Metaxas is quite clear in asserting that a Judeo-Christian belief system is what is called for. On the other hand, the reader is left to wonder as to whether all Judeo-Christian religions qualify as adequate and how close other religions, even those that might be antithetical to American values, might come to fulfilling the Golden Triangle’s faith requirement. All in all, the book is essentially a timely, interesting exhortation to “keep the Republic,” with a number of the author’s examples of how to do so: some of which are faith, tolerance, ritual, hero worship, dedication to patriotic art, etc. Check out one of William J. Bahr’s books: George Washington's Liberty Key: Mount Vernon's Bastille Key – the Mystery and Magic of Its Body, Mind, and Soul , a best seller at Mount Vernon. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Book For Such a Time As This. *by M***R on August 5, 2016* History is being re-written. Rather that looking at what this country accomplished in the light of the 17th and 18th centuries, it is being judged by today's social justice. Our cynical society looks past the good, the honorable, and the true in a concerted effort to "find the dirt" on our founding fathers. Teachers love to point out that Jefferson and Washington were slave owners -- and when viewed in the light of today's understanding, this builds impenetrable emotional barriers that prevents students from even considering these men as heroes who dedicated their lives to the creation of the most exceptional experiment in political history; the idea that people could govern themselves. Eric Metaxas reopens the doors to examine the people who helped to found our country and he challenges us to, instead, examine the good, the moral, and the heroic -- both then and now. Eric is a prolific storyteller that weaves connections between the visions of our forefathers and how we, as a county, continue to be looked upon by the rest of world as the ones who always will come to the rescue. I teach history. I found myself cheering at finding new material to present to my students and creative ways to help them examine the honorable in who we were and who continue to be. Media sources of all sorts bombard our kids with messages of what selfish xenophobes Americans are. In the chapter Venerating Our Heroes, Eric states that one of the very reasons he wrote this book was that "...by ceasing to tell these mythic and heroic stories of our history, we had in fact lost touch with ourselves..." He continues, "We are more than political ideas. We are a people who live those ideas out in common." I began to create curriculum that encourages my students to research and write some of those very stories: Lessons from American Heroes. Another thoughtful application from the chapter The Idea of America, is to have students research some of the benevolent organizations founded here in America and how they are reaching around the world to bring aid and comfort. I will ask the question, how have we, as a nation, promoted that which is charitable? Finally, Eric challenges us to look at the morality of our leaders. This is where I can freely admit to being extremely cynical over my lifetime — one that has been filled with leaders whose grab for greed and power has only been equalled by their sexual improprieties. Never was there a more important plea than his call for "leaders who themselves love the country and the freedoms of this country more than they love themselves and their own career or reputations or 'legacies'." (p. 153) As we continue our self examination of who "we the people" really are in the light of the of ever-present violence and hate that permeates this world, If You Can Keep It offers a reassuring hope that we so desperately need at this time. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sn/products/43064652-if-you-can-keep-it-the-forgotten-promise-of-american](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/43064652-if-you-can-keep-it-the-forgotten-promise-of-american) --- *Product available on Desertcart Senegal* *Store origin: SN* *Last updated: 2026-08-10*