The annual 21-day “Honor America” period decreed by Congress between Flag Day and the Fourth of July is a good time to brush up on our historic documents, symbols and traditions.
For starters, why not get better acquainted with “The American’s Creed”?
The Creed’s significance isn’t in the class of the Constitution. Declaration of Independence or Bill of Rights. Nor is it as well known as the American Flag, Liberty Bell or Pledge of Allegiance.
But the 100-word statement of belief in the American system is considered one of the finest expressions relating to country and patriotism ever written.
The Americans Creed dates back only 66 years as a national document. Penned in 1917 by William Tyler Page, then clerk of the United States House of Representatives, it was adopted by the House April 3, 1918 on behalf of the nation.
The Creed follows:
“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 National of many sovereign State; 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.”
Page was born in l868 in Frederick, Md. and died in 1942. But for the American’s Creed which he penned, he might never have achieved recognition beyond his fairly routine duties as clerk of the House. As it is, his name will live as long as the Creed is cherished by his countrymen.
To give the 21-day “Honor America” salute more meaning on a personal basis, I offer this challenge: As a citizen, why not sit down and write a 100-word statement, as William Tyler Page did, of your own feelings of patriotism and loyalty toward America?