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The
American's Creed
by William Tyler
Page
WILLIAM TYLER PAGE, of Friendship
Heights, Maryland,
gave to the citizens of this Country The American's
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.
Examples of documented
phrases in The American's Creed are as follows:
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"The United States of America." -- Preamble, Constitution of
the United States.
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"A Government of the people, by the people, for the people."
-- Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.
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"Whose just powers are derived from the consent of the
governed." -- Declaration of Independence.
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"A sovereign Nation of many sovereign States." -- Drawn from
Article IV of the Constitution
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"A perfect Union." --Preamble to the Constitution.
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"One and inseparable." -- Daniel Webster.
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"Established upon those principles of freedom, equality,
justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and
fortunes." -- Derived from Declaration of Independence.
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"I therefore believe it is my duty to my Country to love it."
-- In substance from Edward Everett Hale's "The Man Without a Country."
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"To obey its laws." -- Compiled from Article VI, Constitution
of the United States.
The complete proceedings in regard to the official acceptance of
The American's Creed may be found in the Congressional Record, No. 102, April
13, 1918. The American's Creed is destined to live in American history as it is
a composite of fundamental patriotic literature.
This creed was written
as a result of a nationwide contest. Henry Sterling Chapin, of New York,
conceived the idea of promoting the contest for the writing of a national creed,
which should be the briefest possible summary of American political faith and
yet be founded upon the fundamental things most distinctive in American history
and tradition. Mayor James H. Preston of Baltimore, Maryland, offered a reward
of a thousand dollars for the winning creed. It seemed especially fitting that
the birthplace of the National Anthem should have the honor of presenting the
prize for the National Creed.
One day, when the contest had been in
progress for some time, the idea was presented to Mr. Page that he should write
a creed and thus enter this contest. Coming home from church on a Sunday in May,
1917, the thought occurred to Mr. Page to compose a creed fashioned along the
lines of the Christian or Apostles' Creed.
William Tyler Page was a
student of history and so was familiar with the great documents of our United
States as well as the famous statements of many of our great Americans. The
compilation of his proposed creed was changed day by day until finally completed
to his satisfaction.
The creed was sent to the committee on manuscripts
for the contest in August, 1917. Then in March, 1918, Mr. Page received notice
from the committee that he was the successful competitor among more than three
thousand contestants. The award was presented by Mayor Preston on April 3, 1918,
in the House of Representatives Office Building, Washington, D.C. The creed was
accepted on the part of the United States by the Commissioner of Education and
by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Three days after the award Mr.
Page purchased Liberty Bonds with the prize money and gave them to his
church.
In the words of William Tyler Page, "The
American's Creed is a summing up, in one hundred words, of the basic principles
of American political faith. It is not an expression of individual opinion upon
the obligations and duties of American citizenship or with respect to its rights
and privileges. It is a summary of the fundamental principles of American
political faith as set forth in its greatest documents, its worthiest traditions
and by its greatest leaders."
The family roots of William Tyler Page go
back to 1650, when the first progenitor of his family, John Page, settled in
Williamsburg, Virginia. Carter Braxton, Mr. Page's great-great grandfather, was
a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a member of the House of
Burgesses of Virginia which adopted the resolutions of Patrick Henry. Mr. Page
is both a lineal and collateral descendant of President John Tyler.
Mr.
Page gave almost sixty-one years of service at the United States Capitol,
starting to work as a page on December 19, 1881, at the age of thirteen. In 1919
he was elected Clerk of the House and held that office until December, 1931.
Then a new post was created for him -- emeritus minority clerk -- which he held
for the remainder of his life.
The last public appearance of William
Tyler Page was on Sunday evening, October 18, 1942, when he was a guest of the
Daughters of the American Revolution at the 50th anniversary celebration of the
Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, and led in the recitation of The American's
Creed. The next day, on October 19, 1942, Mr. Page passed into the Great Beyond.
On this day the House of Representatives adjourned in honor of his memory. For
twenty-two consecutive years Mr. Page led the assemblage in The American's Creed
at the Continental Congresses of the DAR.
The Nation lost a great
American citizen. During his mature life Mr. Page worked tirelessly in
interpreting the meaning of the Flag and disseminating patriotic information
concerning its religious and patriotic symbolism.
The American's Creed as
given to us by William Tyler Page arouses in every American a deep sense of
responsibility to preserve our Country and our constitutional form of Government
as given to us by our Forefathers.
History of The American's Creed
by
MARGUERITE COURTRIGHT PATTON
Published by
NATIONAL
SOCIETY DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
1776 D STREET NW, WASHINGTON, DC
20006-5392
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