The American Creed: A Spiritual and Patriotic Primer

Front Cover
Macmillan, Oct 7, 2002 - History - 169 pages
What makes us all Americans--whatever our differences--is adherence to a creed, a creed based upon cornerstone truths the founders believed "self-evident." From the earliest days, the survival of the new republic hinged not merely upon the expression of these grand principles of liberty and equality but upon their spiritual underpinnings. Freedom and faith were intertwined. America, as a foreign observer once put it, is a nation with the soul of a church.
In this stirring and timely book, Forrest Church charts the progress of this creed from the America's beginnings to the present day by evoking those whose words-whether in declarations, songs, inaugural addresses, speeches, or prayers-have expressed its letter and captured its spirit. What emerges is our shared destiny. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream that this country might someday "rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed," echoes Thomas Jefferson's belief that "equal and exact justice to all" is the "creed of our political faith." Our connection with the past represents our commitment to the future and vice versa.
A "spiritual and patriotic primer," The American Creed distills the essence of American history while also matching its sweep. Church lets the story of the Declaration of Independence unfold before our eyes, giving us both the big picture and the details that place it into brilliant focus. Those steeped in our nation's heritage will find fresh insight and renewed purpose. Those still discovering its riches could have no finer introduction. In its scope and embrace, this is a book for us all.

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Contents

1 A CITY ON A HILL
1
2 SOUL FREEDOM
10
3 THE LIBERTY BELL
19
4 WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS
30
5 A NEW BIRTH OF FREEDOM
43
6 E PLURIBUS UNUM
57
7 AMERICAS MISSION
68
8 AMERICAN FUNDAMENTALS
80
10 NEW FRONTIERS OLD TRUTHS
102
11 THE AMERICAN DREAM
111
12 AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL
120
CONCLUSION
132
DEDICATION TO MY CHILDREN
141
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
153
NOTES AND SOURCES
157
Copyright

9 THE FOUR FREEDOMS
90

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