“A thoughtful mind when it sees a nation’s flag, sees not
the flag, but the nation itself.And
whatever may be its symbols, its insignia, he reads chiefly in the flag, the
government, the principles, the truths, the history that belongs to the nation
that sets it forth.The American flag
has been a symbol of Liberty and men rejoiced in it.
“The stars upon it
were like the bright morning stars of God, and the stripes upon it were beams
of morning light.As at early dawn the
stars shine forth even while it grows light, and then as the sun advances that
light breaks into banks and streaming lines of color, the glowing red and
intense white striving together, and ribbing the horizon with bars effulgent,
so, on the American flag, stars and beams of many-colored light shine out
together….”Henry Ward
Beecher (1813 – 1887)
And Yet, Though Silent, It Speaks to Us
“This flag, which we honor and under which we serve, is the
emblem of our unity, our power, our thought and purpose as a nation.It has no other character than that which we
give it from generation to generation.The choices are ours.It floats
in majestic silence above the hosts that execute those choices, whether in
peace or in war.And yet, though
silent, it speaks to us – speaks to us of the past, of the men and women who
went before us, and of the records they wrote upon it.“We celebrate the day of its birth; and from
its birth until now it has witnessed a great history, has floated on high the
symbol of great events, of a great plan of life worked out by a great
people…”Woe be to the man or group of men that seeks to stand in our way in
this day of high resolution when every principle we hold dearest is to be
vindicated and made secure for the salvation of the nation. We are ready to plead at the bar of history,
and our flag shall wear a new luster.Once more we shall make good with our lives and fortunes the great faith
to which we were born, and a new glory shall shine in the face of our
people.”
President Wilson on Flag Day, 1917
The American 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.
Written in 1918
by William Tyler Page (a descendent of President Tyler)
