Amy A. Kass ^[1] (1940–2015) was born on Constitution Day, a fitting coincidence given the life she would lead. At the University of Chicago, where she taught for 34 years, she co-founded a yearlong common core seminar devoted to human and civic excellence with her husband and colleague, Leon R. Kass: “Human Being and Citizen.” One of her last projects was an anthology, assisted by Leon and their friend Diana Schaub, What So Proudly We Hail: The American Soul in Story, Speech and Song ^[2] (2011). In this work, Amy brought together her love of country and love of literature. Alongside our founding documents and the speeches of great statesmen, Amy compiled a treasure trove of short stories, classic and contemporary, to invite reflection on American identity and character.

With the aim of bringing this “literary approach to making citizens” to a broader audience of educators—from teachers to homeschoolers—Amy and her co-editors soon embarked on a digital learning venture, whatsoproudlywehail.org ^[3], complete with discussion guides, primary source texts, and model conversations. I had the privilege to assist them in their work, and we are delighted to now share our labor of love with its new host, the Great Hearts Institute.

A speech Amy delivered to the Washington, DC chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 2011 ^[4] is excerpted in the upcoming issue of VIRTUE. In it, she provides an overview of the structure and aims of the anthology and its sister website before turning to a discussion of Edward Everett Hale’s 1863 short story, “The Man Without a Country ^[5],” and demonstrating the power of story to produce better citizens and better patriots.

“The Man Without a Country” is the first short story discussed in ten-part “The Meaning of America ^[6]” curriculum. You can view a model conversation between the WSPWH editors and historian Wilfred McClay here ^[7].