Edgar A. Guest (1881-1959) was born in Birmingham, England, and brought to the U.S. by his father in 1891. He was known as the "Poet of the People" for his sentimental verses. He became a writer of daily rhymes for the Detroit Free Press in the 1890 s. His poems became so popular they became syndicated to newspapers throughout the country and made his name a household word. His first book A Heap o Livin (1916) became a best-seller and was followed by similar collections of his optimistic rhymes on such subjects as home, mother, and the virtue of hard work. Other volumes include Poems of Patriotism, Just Folks, Path to Home and The Light of Faith. A PATRIOTIC WISH ~ Edgar Guest I'd like to be the sort of man the flag could boast about; I'd like to be the sort of man it cannot live without; I'd like to be the type of man That really is American: The head-erect and shoulders-square, Clean-minded fellow, just and fair, That all men picture when they see The glorious banner of the free. I'd like to be the sort of man the flag now typifies, The kind of man we really want the flag to symbolize; The loyal brother to a trust, The big, unselfish soul and just, The friend of every man oppressed, The strong support of all that's best, The sturdy chap the banner's meant, Where'er it flies, to represent. I'd like to be the sort of man the flag's supposed to mean, The man that all in fancy see wherever it is seen, The chap that's ready for a fight Whenever there's a wrong to right, The friend in every time of need, The doer of the daring deed, The clean and generous handed man That is a real American. LINES FOR A FLAG RAISING CEREMONY ~ Edgar Guest Full many a flag the breeze has kissed; Through ages long the morning sun Has risen over the early mist The flags of men to look upon. And some were red against the sky, And some with colors true were gay, And some in shame were born to die, For Flags of hate must pass away. Such symbols fall as men depart, Brief is the reign of arrant might; The vicious and the vile at heart Give way in time before the right. A flag is nothing in itself; It but reflects the lives of men; And they who lived and toiled for pelf Went out as vipers in a den. God cleans the sky from time to time Of every tyrant flag that flies, And every brazen badge of crime Falls to the ground and swiftly dies. Proud kings are mouldering in the dust; Proud flags of ages past are gone; Only the symbols of the just Have lived and shall keep living on. So long as we shall serve the truth, So long as honor stamps us fair, Each age shall pass unto its youth Old Glory proudly flying there! But if we fail our splendid past, If we prove faithless, weak and base, That age shall be our banner's last; A fairer flag shall take its place. This flag we fling unto the skies Is but an emblem of our hearts, And when our love of freedom dies, Our banner with our race departs. Full many a flag the breezes kiss, Full many a flag the sun has known, But none so bright and fair as this; None quite so splendid as our own! This tells the world that we are men Who cling to manhood's ways and truth; It is our soul's great voice and pen, The strength of age, the guide of youth, And it shall ever hold the sky So long as we shall keep our trust; But if our love of right shall die Our Flag shall sink into the dust.
SHOW THE FLAG ~ Edgar Guest Show the flag and let it wave As a symbol of the brave Let it float upon the breeze As a sign for each who sees That beneath it, where it rides, Loyalty to-day abides. Show the flag and signify That it wasn't born to die; Let its colors speak for you That you still are standing true, True in sight of God and man To the work that flag began. Show the flag that all may see That you serve humanity. Let it whisper to the breeze That comes singing through the trees That whatever storms descend You'll be faithful to the end. Show the flag and let it fly, Cheering every passer-by. Men that may have stepped aside, May have lost their old-time pride, May behold it there, and then, Consecrate themselves again. Show the flag! The day is gone When men blindly hurry on Serving only gods of gold; Now the spirit that was cold Warms again to courage fine. Show the flag and fall in line! OUR DUTY TO OUR FLAG ~ Edgar Guest Less hate and greed Is what we need And more of service true; More men to love The flag above And keep it first in view. Less boast and brag About the flag, More faith in what it means; More heads erect, More self-respect, Less talk of war machines. The time to fight To keep it bright Is not along the way, Nor 'cross the foam, But here at home Within ourselves -- to-day. 'Tis we must love That flag above With all our might and main; For from our hands, Not distant lands, Shall come dishonor's stain. If that flag be Dishonored, we Have done it, not the foe; If it shall fall We first of all Shall be to strike a blow. A CREED ~ Edgar Guest Lord let me not in service lag. Let me be worthy of our flag. Let me remember when I'm tired, The sons heroic who have died. In freedom's name and in my way, Teach me to be as brave as they. In all I am, in all I do, Unto our flag I would be true. For God and country let me stand, Unstained of soul, clean of hand. Teach me to serve and guard and love, The starry flag that flies above.
MEMORIAL DAY ~ Edgar Guest The finest tribute we can pay Unto our hero dead to-day, Is not a rose wreath, white and red, In memory of the blood they shed; It is to stand beside each mound, Each couch of consecrated ground, And pledge ourselves as warriors true Unto the work they died to do. Into God's valleys where they lie At rest, beneath the open sky, Triumphant now o'er every foe, As living tributes let us go. No wreath of rose or immortelles Or spoken word or tolling bells Will do to-day, unless we give Our pledge that liberty shall live. Our hearts must be the roses red We place above our hero dead; To-day beside their graves we must Renew allegiance to their trust; Must bare our heads and humbly say We hold the Flag as dear as they, And stand, as once they stood, to die To keep the Stars and Stripes on high. The finest tribute we can pay Unto our hero dead to-day Is not of speech or roses red, But living, throbbing hearts instead, That shall renew the pledge they sealed With death upon the battlefield: That freedom's flag shall bear no stain And free men wear no tyrant's chain. THE FLAG ON THE FARM~ Edgar Guest We've raised a flagpole on the farm And flung Old Glory to the sky, And it's another touch of charm That seems to cheer the passer-by, But more than that, no matter where We're laboring in wood and field, We turn and see it in the air, Our promise of a greater yield. It whispers to us all day long, From dawn to dusk: "Be true, be strong; Who falters now with plow or hoe Gives comfort to his country's foe." It seems to me I've never tried To do so much about the place, Nor been so slow to come inside, But since I've got the flag to face, Each night when I come home to rest I feel that I must look up there And say: "Old Flag, I've done my best, To-day I've tried to do my share." And sometimes, just to catch the breeze, I stop my work, and o'er the trees Old Glory fairly shouts my way: "You're shirking far too much to-day!" The help have caught the spirit, too; The hired man takes off his cap Before the old red, white and blue, Then to the horses says: "giddap!" And starting bravely to the field He tells the milkmaid by the door: "We're going to make these acres yield More than they've ever done before." She smiles to hear his gallant brag, Then drops a curtsey to the flag. And in her eyes there seems to shine A patriotism that is fine. We've raised a flagpole on the farm And flung Old Glory to the sky; We're far removed from war's alarm, But courage here is running high. We're doing things we never dreamed We'd ever find the time to do; Deeds that impossible once seemed Each morning now we hurry through. The flag now waves above our toil
And sheds its glory on the soil, And boy and man looks up to it As if to say: "I'll do my bit!" HEROES ~ Edgar Guest There are different kinds of heroes; there are some you hear about. They get their pictures printed, and their names the newsboys shout; There are heroes known to glory that were not afraid to die In the service of their country and to keep the flag on high; There are brave men in the trenches, there are brave men on the sea, But the silent, quiet heroes also prove their bravery. I am thinking of a hero that was never known to fame, Just a manly little fellow with a very common name; He was freckle-faced and ruddy, but his head was nobly shaped, And he one day took the whipping that his comrades all escaped. And he never made a murmur, never whimpered in reply; He would rather take the censure than to stand and tell a lie. And I'm thinking of another that had courage that was fine, And I've often wished in moments that such strength of will were mine. He stood against his comrades, and he left them then and there When they wanted him to join them in a deed that wasn't fair. He stood alone, undaunted, with his little head erect; He would rather take the jeering than to lose his self-respect. And I know a lot of others that have grown to manhood now, Who have yet to wear the laurel that adorns the victor's brow. They have plodded on in honor through the dusty, dreary ways, They have hungered for life's comforts and the joys of easy days, But they've chosen to be toilers, and in this their splendor's told: They would rather never have it than to do some things for gold. A PATRIOTIC CREED ~ Edgar Guest To serve my country day by day At any humble post I may; To honor and respect her flag, To live the traits of which I brag; To be American in deed As well as in my printed creed. To stand for truth and honest toil, To till my little patch of soil, And keep in mind the debt I owe To them who died that I might know My country, prosperous and free, And passed this heritage to me. I always must in trouble's hour Be guided by the men in power; For God and country I must live, My best for God and country give; No act of mine that men may scan Must shame the name American. To do my best and play my part, American in mind and heart; To serve the flag and bravely stand To guard the glory of my land; To be American in deed: God grant me strength to keep this creed!
THE AMERICAN'S CREED ~ William Tyler Page (1868-1942) I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, for the people, whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect Union, one and inseparable, established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes. I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it; to support its Constitution; to obey its laws; to respect its flag; and to defend it against all enemies.
William Tyler Page Examples of documented phrases in The American's Creed: "The United States of America" Preamble, Constitution of the United States. "A Government of the people, by the people, for the people" Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address "Whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed" Declaration of Independence "A sovereign Nation of many sovereign States" Drawn from Article IV of the Constitution "A perfect Union" Preamble to the Constitution "One and inseparable." Daniel Webster's famous reply to Robert Y. Hayne in the Senate in 1830 "Established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes." Derived from Declaration of Independence. "I therefore believe it is my duty to my Country to love it" In substance from Edward Everett Hale's "The Man Without a Country" "To obey its laws" Compiled from Article VI, Constitution of the United States
Historical Notes: The American's Creed was a result of a nationwide contest for writing a National Creed, which would be a brief summary of the American political faith founded upon things fundamental in American history and tradition. The contest was the idea of Henry Sterling Chapin, Commissioner of Education of New York State. Over three thousand entries were received, and William Tyler Page was declared to be the winner. James H. Preston, the mayor of Baltimore, presented an award to Page in the House of Representatives Office Building on April 3, 1918. The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the commissioner of education of the state of New York accepted the Creed for the people of the United States, and the proceedings relating to the award were printed in the Congressional Record of April 13, 1918. It was a time when patriotic sentiments were very much in vogue. The United States had been a participant in World War I only a little over a year at the time the Creed was adopted. The author of the American's Creed, William Tyler Page, was a descendant of John Page, who had come to America in1650 and had settled in Williamsburg, Virginia. Another ancestor, Carter Braxton, had signed the Declaration of Independence. Still another ancestor, John Tyler, was the tenth president of the United States. William Tyler Page had come to Washington at the age of thirteen to serve as a Capitol Page. Later he became an employee of the Capitol building and served in that capacity for almost sixty-one years. In 1919 he was elected clerk of the House. Thirteen years later, he became clerk of the House of Representatives and held this position for the remainder of his life. Referring to the Creed, Page said: "It is the summary of the fundamental principles of the American political faith as set forth in its greatest documents, its worthiest traditions, and its greatest leaders." I AM THE FLAG ~ Lawrence M. Jones *I am a composite being of all the people of America. *I am the union if you are united. *I am one and indivisible if you are undivided. *I am as strong as the weakest link. *I am an emblem of your country. *I am a symbol of a shadow of the real. *I am a sign pointing to past achievements. *I am a promise of greater things for the future. *I am what you make me. *I am purity if you are pure. *I am bravery if you are brave. *I am loyalty if you are loyal. *I am honor if you are honorable. *I am goodness if you are good. *I am hope if you are hopeful. *I am truth if you are true. *I am the Constitution. *I am law and order.
*I am as tolerant or as intolerant as you force me to be. *I am liberty as you understand liberty. *I am as a pillar of fire by night, but you must provide the fuel. *I march at the head of the column, but you must carry me on. *I stand for greater and more glorious achievement than can be found in recorded history, but you must be my inspiration. *I am the Flag! NATIONAL SYMBOL ~ Charles Evans Hughes (1862-1948) The flag is the symbol of our national unity, our national endeavor, our national aspiration. The flag tells of the struggle for independence, of union preserved, of liberty and union one and inseparable, of the sacrifices of brave men and women to whom the ideals and honor of this nation have been dearer than life. It means America first; it means an undivided allegiance. It means America united, strong and efficient, equal to her tasks. It means that you cannot be saved by the valor and devotion of your ancestors, that to each generation comes its patriotic duty; and that upon your willingness to sacrifice and endure as those before you have sacrificed and endured rests the national hope. It speaks of equal rights,
of the inspiration of free institutions exemplified and vindicated, of liberty under law intelligently conceived and impartially administrated. There is not a thread in it but scorns self-indulgence, weakness, and rapacity. It is eloquent of our community interests, outweighing all divergences of opinion, and of our common destiny. THE STORY OF OLD GLORY ~ Captain William Driver (1803-1806) On March 17, 1824, when the flag bore twenty-four stars, it received a nickname that is still often used today. The name was given to it by Captain William Driver of Salem, Massachusetts, the master of the schooner Charles Doggett. His mother and her friends presented him with a beautifully made large American flag 12 feet by 24 feet in size for his vessel. He was so delighted with the gift that he immediately hauled the flag up the mainmast. As the flag rippled in the breeze, Captain Driver cried, I name thee Old Glory! Captain Driver retired to Nashville, Tennessee in 1837. Captain Driver was an ardent patriot and flew his flag on all occasions, on every holiday and Election Day. He had a rope strung across the street so that the flag would hang over it. In 1860, the Captain's wife and daughter took the flag apart, cut off the raveled and frayed seams, replaced the old stars and added new ones to make 34 total, the correct number for the date. By the time the Civil War erupted, almost everyone in and around Nashville recognized Captain Driver's "Old Glory." When Tennessee seceded from the Union, Rebels were determined to destroy his flag, but repeated searches revealed no trace of the banner. Then on February 25th, 1862, Union forces captured Nashville and raised a small American flag over the capital. Immediately folks began asking Captain Driver if "Old Glory" still existed. Happy to have soldiers with him this time, Captain Driver went home and began ripping at the seams of his bedcover. As the stitches holding the quilt-top to the batting unraveled, the onlookers peered inside and saw the original "Old Glory"! Captain Driver gently gathered up the flag and returned with the soldiers to the capitol. The Captain climbed up to the tower to replace the smaller banner with his beloved flag. The Sixth Ohio Regiment cheered and saluted and later adopted the nickname "Old Glory" as their own, telling and re-telling the story of Captain Driver's devotion to
the flag. The story of Captain Driver's adventure with his flag captured the public s imagination. From that time forward Americans adopted the nickname "Old Glory" for the American flag. In 1873, the old sea captain placed a small bundle into arms of his daughter. He said to her, "Mary Jane, this is my flag, Old Glory. It has been my constant companion. I love mother loves her child. Cherish it as I have cherished it." His daughter, Mrs. Mary Jane Roland, in turn gave it to President Warren G. Harding in 1922. The President deposited Old with the Smithsonian Institution, where it remains to this day. Captain Driver's grave is located in the old Nashville City Cemetery, and is one of three places authorized by act of Congress where the Flag of the United States may be flown 24 day. the ship it as a Glory hours a Monument to Capt. Driver Nashville City Cemetery THE MEANING OF OUR FLAG ~ Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1837) If one asks me the meaning of our flag, I say to him: It means just what Concord and Lexington meant, what Bunker Hill meant. It means the whole glorious Revolutionary War. It means all that the Declaration of Independence meant. It means all that the Constitution of our people, organizing for justice, for liberty and for happiness, meant. Under this banner rode with Washington and his armies. Before it Burgoyne laid down his arms. It waved on the highlands at West Point. When Arnold would have surrendered these valuable fortresses and precious legacies, his night was turned into day and his treachery was driven away by beams of light from this starry banner. It cheered our army, driven out from around New York, and in their painful pilgrimages through New Jersey. This banner streamed in light over the soldiers' heads at Valley
Forge and at Morristown. It crossed the waters rolling with ice at Trenton, and when its stars gleamed in the morning with a victory, a new day of hope dawned on the despondency of this nation. Our Flag carries American ideas, American history and American feelings. Beginning with the Colonies, and coming down to our time, in its sacred heraldry, in its glorious insignia, it has gathered and stored chiefly this supreme idea: Divine right of liberty in man. Every color means liberty; every thread means liberty; every form of star and beam or stripe of light means liberty not lawlessness, but organized, institutional liberty liberty through law, and laws for liberty! OLD GLORY *I am the flag of the United States of America. * I was conceived in the dreams of liberty and in the hopes of freedom. * Though I was never an orphan, I was adopted by the Continental Congress in 1777 and proclaimed the national emblem of a nation, newly born on this continent, fighting valiantly for survival and destined to bring to all mankind a new concept of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. * I have been many places and seen many things. * I have witnessed every event of American History. * I was there when they fired the shot heard around the world. * I was there in the late twilight at Ft. McHenry and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the immortal Star Spangled Banner, now our national anthem. * I saw Molly Pitcher take the cannon swap from the hands of her dead husband and help carry on the fight for freedom. * I felt the biting cold at Valley Forge and gave warmth and comfort to General Washington and his tired and hungry Continental Army. * I rode with Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain boys. * I saw the signal that started the midnight ride of Paul Revere. * I was flown upon the decks of the old Ironsides and from the masts of the Yankee and the China Clippers. * I blazed the trail with Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett. * I led settlers coming West and crossed Death Valley in a covered wagon. * I was carried through the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli by the United States Marines. * I galloped up the slopes of San Juan Hill with Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders of the United States Calvary. * I stayed with the boys until it was over, over there. * I saw many of the youth and manhood of our nation fall and lie still in death. They had given their last full measure of devotion. The war was over for them forever and I kept my lonely vigil over their graves and stayed to watch the poppies grow amid the crosses, row on row in Flanders Field.
* I was raised by five brave Marines on Mount Suribachi on an island called Iwo Jima. * I waved farewell to the four immortal chaplains who went down with their ship and to honored glory. * I am many things to many people. * I am an inseparable link in the chain that binds men to God and country. Each link welded in the fires of purity by the sacred hands of God, himself. * And because I am on the side of God, the godless would destroy me but they dare not because I am protected by the mighty land Armies of the nation, the powerful and deadly fleet of the Navy and the screaming eagles of the Air Force, watching and waiting to swoop down and destroy anything that could harm me. * To some, I am yesterday, today and tomorrow. * To others, I am a glorious child. * To some, a grand old man or a most gracious lady. * I have several names. * I'm called the Red, White and Blue, the Star-Spangled Banner, the Stars and Stripes. * But, I am most commonly known by my nickname given to me by an old sea captain, who called me Old Glory. * I drape the caskets of our nation's heroes, born to their last resting place, the caskets of presidents, generals, admirals, humble privates and the unknown soldier. * Wherever free men gather, wherever there is justice, equality, faith, hope, charity, truth or brotherly love there too am I. * I shall remain until, like the old soldier, I'll just fade away and be retired by time alone * May history never write my obituary. * For I am the stars and stripes forever. * I am Old Glory! I AM OLD GLORY ~ Master Sergeant Percy Webb, USMC. Originally Published in the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago I Am Old Glory : For more than ten score years I have been the banner of hope and freedom for generation after generation of Americans. Born amid the first flames of America's fight for freedom, I am the symbol of a country that has grown from a little group of thirteen colonies to a united nation of fifty sovereign states. Planted firmly on the high pinnacle of American Faith my gently fluttering folds have proved an inspiration to untold millions. Men have followed me into battle with unwavering courage. They have looked upon me as a
symbol of national unity. They have prayed that they and their fellow citizens might continue to enjoy the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, which have been granted to every American as the heritage of free men. So long as men love liberty more than life itself; so long as they treasure the priceless privileges bought with the blood of our forefathers; so long as the principles of truth, justice and charity for all remain deeply rooted in human hearts, I shall continue to be the enduring banner of the United States of America. I AM WHAT YOU MAKE ME (The Flag Speaks) ~ Franklin K. Lane (1864-1921) First published during World War I I am whatever you make me, nothing more. I am your belief in yourself, your dream of what a people may become. I live a changing life, a life of moods and passions, of heartbreaks and tired muscles. Sometimes I am strong with pride, when workmen do an honest piece of work. Sometimes I droop, for then purpose has gone from me, and cynically I play the coward; But always I am all that you hope to be, and have the courage to try for. I am song and fear, struggle and panic, and ennobling hope. I am the day s work of the weakest man,
and the largest dream of the most daring. I am what you make me, nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color, a symbol of yourself, a pictured suggestion of that big thing which makes this nation. My stars and my stripes are your dream and your labors, they are bright with cheer, brilliant with courage, firm with faith. Because you have made them so out of your hearts. For you are the makers of the flag and it is well that you glory in the making. PLEDGE TO THE FLAG ~ Judge Learned Hand (1872-1961) I Am an American Day Speech, New York Central Park, May 21, 1944 We have gathered here to affirm a faith, a faith in a common purpose, a common conviction and a common devotion. Some of us have chosen America as the land of our adoption; many of the rest have come from those who did the same. For this reason we have some right to consider ourselves a picked group, a group of those who had the courage to break from the past and brave the dangers and the loneliness of a strange land. What was the object that nerves us, or those who went before us, to this choice? We sought liberty; freedom from oppression, freedom from want and freedom to be ourselves. This we then sought. This we now believe that we are by way of winning. What do we mean when we say that first of all we seek liberty? I often wonder whether we do not rest our hopes too much upon constitutions, upon laws and upon courts. Theses are false hopes; believe me, these are false hopes. Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women. When it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it. No constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it. While it lies there, it needs no constitution, no law, and no court to save it. And what is this liberty, which must lie in the hearts of men and women? It is not the ruthless, the unbridled will. It is not freedom to do as one likes. That is the denial of liberty, and leads straight to its overthrow. A society in which men recognize no check upon their freedom, soon becomes a society where freedom is the possession of only a savage few; as we have learned to our sorrow. What then is the spirit of liberty? I cannot define it; I can only tell you my own faith. The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right. The spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the minds of other men and women. The spirit of liberty is the spirit which weighs their interests alongside its own without bias. The spirit of liberty remembers that not even a sparrow falls to earth unheeded. The spirit of liberty is the spirit of Him who, nearly two thousand years ago, taught mankind that lesson it has
never learned, but has never quite forgotten; that there may be a kingdom where the least shall be heard and considered side by side with the greatest. And now in that spirit, that spirit of an America which has never been, and which may never be; nay, which never will be, except as the conscience and the courage of Americans create it; yet in the spirit of that America which lies hidden in some form in the aspirations of us all; in the spirit of that America for which our young men are at this moment fighting and dying; in that spirit of liberty and of America I ask you to rise and with me to pledge our faith in the glorious destiny of our beloved country. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ANALYZED BY RED SKELTON'S TEACHER ~ Richard Bernard "Red" Skelton (1913-1997) As a schoolboy, one of Red Skelton's teachers explained the words and meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance to his class. Skelton later wrote down, his recollection of this lecture. The following words were spoken by the late Red Skelton on his CBS television show, January 14, 1969, as he related the story of his teacher, Mr. Laswell, who felt his students had come to think of the Pledge of Allegiance as merely something to recite in class each day. I remember this one teacher, to me he was the greatest teacher, a real sage of my time. He had such wisdom. We were all reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and he walked over. Mr. Laswell was his name. He said: "I've been listening to you boys and girls recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester and it seems as though it is becoming monotonous to you. If I may, may I recite it and try to explain to you the meaning of each word? I Me; an individual; a committee of one. PLEDGE Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity. ALLEGIANCE My love and my devotion. TO THE FLAG Our standard; Old Glory ; a symbol of Freedom; wherever she waves there is respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts; Freedom is everybody's job. UNITED That means that we have all come together. STATES Individual communities that have united into forty-eight great states.
Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose. All divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that is love for country. AND TO THE REPUBLIC Republic, a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people; and it's from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people. FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION One Nation, meaning, so blessed by God. INDIVISIBLE Incapable of being divided. WITH LIBERTY Which is Freedom; the right of power to live one's own life, without threats, fear, or some sort of retaliation. AND JUSTICE The principle, or qualities, of dealing fairly with others. FOR ALL For All, which means, boys and girls, it's as much your country as it is mine. And now, boys and girls, let me hear you recite the Pledge of Allegiance: I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands; one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: Under God. Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said that is a prayer and that would be eliminated from schools, too? I AM AN AMERICAN~ Elias Lieberman I am an American. My father belongs to the Sons of the Revolution; My mother, to the Colonial Dames. One of my ancestors pitched tea overboard in Boston Harbor; Another stood his ground with Warren; Another hungered with Washington at Valley Forge. My forefathers were America in the making: They spoke in her council halls; They died on her battlefields; They commanded her ships; They cleared her forests. Dawns reddened and paled. Stanch hearts of mine beat fast at each new star in the nation's flag. Keen eyes of mine foresaw her greater glory: The sweep of her seas, The plenty of her plains, The man-hives in her billion-wired cities. Every drop of blood in me holds a heritage of patriotism.
I am proud of my past. I am an American. I am an American. My father was an atom of dust, My mother a straw in the wind, To his serene majesty. One of my ancestors died in the mines of Siberia; Another was crippled for life by twenty blows of the knout; Another was killed defending his home during the massacres. The history of my ancestors is a trail of blood To the palace gate of the Great White Czar. But then the dream became the dream of America. In the light of the Liberty s torch the atom of dust became a man And the straw in the wind became a woman for the first time. "See," said my father, pointing to the flag that fluttered near, "That flag of stars and stripes is yours; It is the emblem of the promised land, It means, my son, the hope of humanity. Live for it die for it!" Under the open sky of my new country I swore to do so; And every drop of blood in me will keep that vow. I am proud of my future. I am an American.