Martha MacCallum uncovered 400 years of forgotten American bravery

Constance Hopkins is a moody teenager dragged from her beloved London in 1620 to embark on a dangerous two-month voyage aboard a modest ship called the Mayflower, risking life and limb to settle in the New World where she imagines “savages and wild animals lying in wait for us.” William Dawes Jr.has a bone to pick with the great poet Longfellow for omitting his rightful place alongside Paul Revere and the other Midnight Riders in the poem “Paul Revere’s Ride,” lamenting “history’s amnesia due to an unpoetic name.”George Shannon is the youngest member of Lewis and Clark’s thrilling 8,000-mile expedition, joining the historic two-year journey through the American frontier at just 17, and getting lost not once, but twice — leaving him humiliated in front of Sacagawea.These are only a few of the unsung heroes mingling alongside celebrated figures in “The Book of Valor: America’s Story of Survival, Gallantry & Grace,” Martha MacCallum’s new book that tells the story of our country through the first-person “voices” of 12 men and women of great daring.The Fox News anchor’s sweet spot has been highlighting the Greatest Generation, having written about the heroes from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima in her first book, “Unknown Valor.”Now, she traces nearly 400 years of fearlessness. It’s a celebration of the courage, sacrifice and resilience of those who helped shape America — more illuminating and entertaining than any history book we skimmed through in high school.“I feel like every American needs a refresher on some of these stories, especially when the country is in a very difficult and divisive place,” MacCallum told The Post, noting the ubiquitous tension that transcends party.

“I hope these stories will remind all of us from whom we came and the stuff that we’re made of, regardless of party.”The more we understand our glorious and gritty history, the deeper we can appreciate the country and the sacrifices to preserve...