Symbols of Liberty
| "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof - Lev. XXV, v. x. By order of the Assembly of the Province of Pensylvania [sic] for the State House in Philada." |
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We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
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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.
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The Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution. |
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Although he could not foresee our present national peril, Abraham Lincoln continually exhorted his generation to maintain our free Republic. You will find below a small selection of his comments on defending and preserving our country's liberties. As he wrote in 1861, "The struggle of today, is not altogether for today -- it is for a vast future also."
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"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."~~~~~~~~~~
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(audio)
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If tomorrow all the things were gone, I'd worked for all my life
and I had to start again with just my children and my wife
I'd thank my lucky stars to be living here today
cause the flag still stands for freedom
and they can't take that away
