From the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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 …”
At times, the U.S. has lived up to those lofty ideals and we have accomplished many great things during our history. We are the richest country in the history of the world and we have liberated millions of people around the world from tyranny. We helped save the world from fascism during World War II and brought about the end of the Cold War. We should be proud of those achievements.
But there have been times in our history when we haven’t lived up to the lofty ideals spelled out in the Declaration of Independence.
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The U.S. status as a “shining city on a hill” and a beacon of hope for the rest of the world is up to us. We must pledge ourselves to continue working hard to make sure our country lives up to the ideals we were founded upon. That is the true meaning of patriotism.
“We can do better here in the United States, we can do better. We can do better in our relationships to other countries around the rest of the globe.” —Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
Dennis Patrick Crawford, Lincoln
