God of the free, we pledge our hearts and lives today to the cause of all free mankind. Grant us victory over the tyrants who would enslave all free men and nations. Grant us faith and understanding to cherish all those who fight for freedom as if they were our brothers. Grant us brotherhood in hope and union, not only for the space of this bitter war, but for the days to come which shall and must unite all the children of earth. Our earth is but a small star in the great universe. Yet of it we can make, if we choose, a planet unvexed by war, untroubled by hunger or fear, undivided by senseless distinctions of race, color, or theory. Grant us that courage and foreseeing to begin this task today that our children and our children's children may be proud of the name of man. The spirit of man has awakened and the soul of man has gone forth. Grant us the wisdom and the vision to comprehend the greatness of man's spirit, that suffers and endures so hugely for a goal beyond his own brief span. Grant us honor for the dead who died in the faith, honor for our living who work and strive for the faith, redemption and security for all captive lands and peoples. Grant us patience with the deluded and pity for the betrayed. And grant us the skill and the valor that shall cleanse the world of oppression and the old base doctrine that the strong must eat the weak because they are strong. Yet most of all grant us brotherhood, not only for this day but for all our years-a brotherhood not of words but of acts and deeds. We are all 'Fourth stanza of "America." of us children of earth-grant us that simple knowledge. If our brothers are oppressed, then we are oppressed. If they hunger, we hunger. If their freedom is taken away, our freedom is not secure. Grant us a common faith that man shall know bread and peace, that he shall know justice and righteousness, freedom and security, an equal chance to do his best, not only in our own lands, but throughout the world. And in that faith let us march toward the clean world our hands can make. Amen. (Read by President Roosevelt at United Nations Day Ceremony, White House, June 15, 1942. Copyright by STEPHEN VINCENT BENET. 1942. Reprinted by permission.) THE AMERICAN'S CREED 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, Former Clerk of the House of Representatives. (The Creed had its origin in many sources. It was accepted by the House of Representatives on behalf of the American people on April 3, 1918, and recited for the first time by Dr. P. P. Claxton, United States Commissioner of Education. Shortly thereafter it was recited by the author from the steps of our Nation's Capitol in the Third Liberty Loan Drive of World War I. Built out of phrases from the Constitution of the United States, The Declaration of Independence, Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, Webster's Speech to the Senate of January 26, 1830, Edward Everett Hale's "The Man Without a Country," The Oath of Allegiance (Sec. 1757, Revised Statutes of the United States), Washington's Farewell Address and the National Anthem-The Star Spangled Banner, our National Creed can be appropriately repeated by all of us, including those who come to us from other shores and those of our own flesh and blood who grow into manhood to take our places to support and defend our country.) PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG 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. (At the time of adopting the pledge in the above form, Congress also provided that: "Such pledge should be rendered by standing with the right hand over the heart. However, civilians will always show full respect to the flag when the pledge is given by merely standing at attention, men removing the headdress. Persons in uniform shall render the military salute. 36 U. S. C. 172.) ་ EPHEBIC OATH We will never bring disgrace to this our city, by any act of dishonesty or cowardice; we will fight for our ideals and sacred things of the city, both alone and with many; we will revere and obey the city's laws and do our best to incite a like respect and reverence in those about us; we will strive unceasingly to quicken the public's sense of civic duty; and thus in all these ways we will strive to transmit this city not only not less but greater, better and more beautiful than it was transmitted to us. (The Ephebic Oath was taken by the young men of Athens when they became of age to assume the full responsibility of citizenship. The word "country" may be substituted for the word "city.") PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Without reservation I give my undivided allegiance to the United States of America A government which is based upon, and responsible to, the will of the sovereign people: A Political Democracy. A government which guarantees the protection of private property and the exercise of free enterprise in the realm of industry, finance, and labor: An Economic Democracy. A government which calls for freedom from racial discrimination, class prejudice, and religious intolerance: A Social Democracy. A government which encourages men to reach for the higher development of mind, body, and soul and to contribute by the fullness of their lives to an enriched civilization: A Spiritual Democracy. I am an American. CREED OF AMERICANS RETTA MALONEY. Recognizing the hospitality accorded my parents, the freedom granted them to improve their economic status and to live the better life; Recognizing the privilege of my birth on American soil; Recognizing that this privilege has given me opportunities of free education, the freedom to choose my occupation, independence of religious belief, and the right to independence of thought and action; and Recognizing that my country faces the peril of losing for me and all other Americans these precious liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights I pledge anew my loyalty to the United States, and my faith in its ideals and institutions. I am ready to die for my country, if necessary, to perpetuate that for which it stands. I I am ready, likewise, to live for my country in any capacity of service may be called upon to render. 414536 O-57-9 I will accept without bitterness or rancor the misunderstandings and incidents which have their origin in the emotionalism of war. I will cherish, always, the Stars and Stripes as symbolic of all that I wish to believe, all that I wish to be. I am an American! (Drawn up by a group of Americans of Japanese ancestry as an expression of their attitudes and those of their fellows, and offered with the hope that it will serve as a source of courage and guidance in the critical days ahead, and issued in honor of "I Am An American Day." Hawaii. 1942.) RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES I may think as I please. I AM AN AMERICAN I may speak or write as I please, so long as I do not interfere with the rights of others. I have the right to vote. By my vote I choose the public officers who are really my servants. I have the right to choose my work, to seek any job for which my experience and ability have fitted me. I have the right to try to improve my lot through various means. I have the right to a prompt trial by jury, if I should be accused of a crime. I may seek justice in the courts where I have equal rights with others. I have the privilege of sharing in the benefits of many of the natural resources of my country. I may educate my children in free schools. I have the right to worship as I think best. I have the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." DUTIES It is my duty to obey my country's laws. It is my duty to vote, so my government may truly represent the will of the people. It is my duty to keep informed as to the honesty and ability of candidates for public office. It is my duty, by my vote and my influence, to correct injustice. It is my duty to pay such taxes as have been devised by representatives elected by me, to defray the cost of government. It is my duty to serve on juries when called on. It may sometimes become my duty to hold a public office for which I am suited, so my government may function efficiently. It is my duty to defend my country, if need should arise. It is my duty to abide by the will of the majority, to stand behind my government, so my nation may be unified in time of crisis. FRANCES CAVANAH and LLOYD E. SMITH. (Whitman Publishing Co. Copyright. 1942. Racine, Wis.) CHARTER OF LIBERTY ✦✦✦ Recall for a moment how that famous Charter expressed the great and fundamental American principles: That all men are created equal That they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights * That among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. And you learned more of it when you studied the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, with their ringing declarations that "We the people" should rule this country, and that the rights, the liberties and the dignity of each of us were secure and inviolate even against any agency of government itself. The point is that these great American principles and convictions apply to all our citizens. They Apply To You *** and to your children. They are the enduring assurances of your opportunities, your freedoms, your protections your responsibilities. Firmly they are woven into your life as a citizen. They safeguard you in every activity-in your choice of work, in your ownership of a home, in your form of worship, in your freedom to read and hear and discuss public matters, in your right to the protection of the courts, to the use of the schools, and to the fullest development of your own individual abilities. You, and Your Children. RAYMOND PITCAIRN. (Excerpts from TODAY WE ARE AMERICANS ALL. Copyright 1942. Raymond Pitcairn.) PRINCIPLES OF OUR GOVERNMENT 1. We have freedom and equality before the law. That means that every man may become what he wishes, that all people are born free and equal. 2. We have supremacy of the law, that is, this is a government in which the law is supreme and we must therefore be governed by it. 3. We know that the Constitution is a living document-that is one of the principles of the government. When it becomes necessary to make certain changes, those changes can be brought about in a lawful and orderly way. 4. The Constitution is a charter of human rights. If it were not for the Constitution there might be no freedom. For instance, a person might |