"Our
forefathers came to certain conclusions and decided upon certain
courses of action which have been a great blessing to the world. . . .
They were a people who came under the influence of a great spiritual
development and acquired a great moral power. No other theory is
adequate to explain or comprehend the Declaration of Independence. It is
the product of the spiritual insight of the people. We live in an age
of science and of abounding accumulation of material things. These did
not create our Declaration. Our Declaration created them. The things of
the spirit come first. Unless we cling to that, all our material
prosperity, overwhelming though it may appear, will turn to a barren
scepter in our grasp. If we are to maintain the great heritage which has
been bequeathed to us, we must be like-minded as the fathers who
created it. We must not sink into a pagan materialism. We must cultivate
the reverence which they had for the things that are holy. We must
follow the spiritual and moral leadership which they showed. We must
keep replenished, that they may glow with a more compelling flame, the
altar fires before which they worshiped." - President Calvin Coolidge in a speech at an event commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence
To access the text of his entire speech, please visit:
Teaching American History: Speech on the 150th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence - Calvin Coolidge - 5 July 1926
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment