Q 	Who sponsors this booklet?
A 	The organization that sponsored the historic Freedom Train and is sponsoring continuing campaigns for
	more active, personal participation in citizenship — The American Heritage Foundation.

Q 	What is The American Heritage Foundation?
A 	It is a strictly non-partisan, non-political, educational organization, functioning in the interests of better 
	citizenship.

Q 	Who heads it up?
A 	A Board of Trustees consisting of leaders in the fields of industry labor and education.

Q 	Who is supposed to read this booklet?
A 	It is for everybody who really wants to be a "Good American." It describes the "working tools" of good
	citizenship and tells how to use them.

Now Freedom needs You!

You—the individual you—have a job in the running of your country. Are you working at it?

You are a member of a system of government based on the dignity and freedom of the individual. This system, 
created 175 years ago, is unique. There's no other just like it, and there never has been. It might be called "a
design for freedom and better living."

It certainly works! No other people on earth live so well. And—just count your freedoms! (Pages 3, 4, and 5) . . . 
But it could stop working.

When we, as individuals, stop working at it, our system will stop working. It's for the people by the people. It's 
people - people like you - who keep it ticking. Only the personal, active participation of people like you in the affairs
of the nation, the state, the city and the community can keep our system full of freedom .

Government, like nature, abhors a vacuum. The erosion of individual freedom starts with lack of interest in local 
affairs, unwillingness to be bothered, the failure of you and your neighbors to get things done for yourselves. No 
outside enemy can threaten our American system of freedoms so much as our own "let-George-do-it" apathy.

You be "George!" This book is to make you want to be. Let it. This book is to tell you how to be. Use it.

For now, to hold our freedoms, we must all rededicate ourselves to the state of mind and spirit that won those 
freedoms.

Now—as never before—freedom needs you.

YOUR RIGHTS
	AS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN

An outline of the major rights of the individual and safeguards against invasion of those rights by the federal 
government, as guaranteed by the Constitution and its amendments, by the common law and by Supreme Court
decisions.

Each of the state constitutions contains a bill of rights similar to the Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution, 
giving the individual added protection against oppression by state or local officials. 

The Fourteenth Amendment of the federal Constitution prohibits the States from depriving any person of life, liberty
or property, without due process of law, and from denying to any person equal protection of the law.

	1. 	Freedom to worship according to your conscience.

	2. 	Freedom of speech and freedom of the press, including right to criticize the government and 
		public officials.

	3. 	Right of the people to assemble peaceably and to petition the government for a redress of 
		grievances—fancied or real.

	4. 	The right to keep and bear arms. This means that the people as a whole shall have the right 
		to keep and bear arms for the defense of their country. Their right to carry certain types of 
		weapons for personal use, or to have them in the home, is frequently limited by various
		federal, state, and local regulations, such as the Sullivan Act in New York State.

	5. 	Protection of the people against unreasonable search and seizure of person and property by 
		the government without proper authority and good cause.

	6. 	No person shall be held to answer tor any major crime without review and indictment by a 
		grand jury. 

	7. 	No person shall be placed in jeopardy (indicted, prosecuted or imprisoned) twice tor the same 
		crime. 

	8. 	No person shall be compelled to act as a witness against himself in any criminal case.

	9. 	It a person is accused of crime, he has: the right to a speedy trial; the right to the help of a 
		lawyer; the right to trial by jury, impartially selected; the right to call witnesses in his favor.
		
		
	10. 	No wife may be required to testify against her husband (or vice versa) in any criminal 
		proceeding.

	11. 	No private property may be taken for public use without just compensation and due process of 
		law.

	12. 	Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual 
		punishments inflicted.

	13. 	A person is presumed to be innocent until proved guilty.

	14. 	The right to vote, secretly, for anyone you want. The Constitution protects you against 
		abridgment of this right. The specific right, however, is granted In the various states.

	15. 	Freedom of person, under the protection of Habeas Corpus, which gives any person who 
		claims to be unlawfully held by an officer or private person the right to have a hearing at once 
		so that he may know the reason why he is being held. This means that the (Government of the
		United States cannot secretly, or openly for that matter, arrest persons as individuals or 
		groups, throw them into prisons or concentration camps, hold them there indefinitely and do 
		what it pleases to them.

	16. 	No "ex post facto" law can be passed. This means that in our daily living and thinking we can 
		enjoy the liberty of doing and saying all that the existing law permits. Even if, at a later date, 
		our government makes these things illegal, it cannot "date back" the law to make illegal 
		anything that was done before the law was passed.

	17. 	Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying war against them, or 
		adhering  to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of 
		treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in 
		open court.

		This precise definition of treason in our Constitution prevents the possibility of a state or its 
		representatives branding as treason the slightest criticism of the government, making trials 
		secret and giving victims no opportunity to confront witnesses. 

	18. 	 Protection by the American system of "Checks and Balances" under which each department 
		of government is prevented from having too much power. (Page 31)

	19. 	The principles of Americanism hold that every man has:
			The Right to a good education.
			The Right to live where he pleases.
			The Right to work where he wants to.
			The Right to join and belong to an organization.
			The Right to own property.
			The Right to start his own business.
			The Right to manage his own affairs.
			The Right to make a profit or fail, depending on his own ability.
		
		There are also Limiting Principles:
			The Rights of any individual shall not interfere with equal rights of other individuals.
			The Rights of any individual shall not interfere with the welfare of the people as a 
			whole. 
				{Freedom of speech does not give the individual 
				the right to shout "fire" in a  crowded theater.}
			Every individual owes obedience to the laws under which he lives. 
				{He has the right  to talk, work and vote 
				to change a law, but not to disobey it.}

Some of the Fruits of Freedom

One way to measure the results of our system is to add up our physical and cultural gains in everything from 
bathtubs to symphony orchestras. Although it has only 6 per cent of the world's population and less than 6 per cent
of the world's land area, the United States, as of 1951, has:

	71.5 per cent of the world's motor vehicles (1 for every 4 people). 
	286,000 miles of paved roads.

	265,583 places of worship, representing 265 religious bodies.

	More than 58 per cent of the world's telephones (1 for every 3.9 people).

	170,130 public schools and 134,254 private schools, 
	1,788 colleges and universities.

	52 per cent of the world's radio and TV sets (1 for every 1.46 people).

	More than 7,100 public libraries.

	92 per cent of the world's bathtubs (1 for every 6 people).

	6,430 public hospitals. 

	85 per cent of the world's commercial air traffic.

	397,232 miles of railroad trackage, more than all Europe, including Russia in Asia.

	64 major museums of art, science and history.
	27 symphony orchestras. 650 music societies.

	39,044,000 homes wired for electricity.

	19,037 newspapers and magazines.
	2906 radio stations; 107 TV stations.

	50 million savings accounts; 193 million life insurance policies.

How to be a Good Citizen
Nine keys to good citizenship . . . the how and why of each

	THE RIGHT TO VOTE
		An inherent right of American citizenship
		Subject to the Constitution and the federal civil rights statutes, the
		right to vote in federal elections, is governed by state law.

	The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the 
	United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
							U. S. Constitution, 15th Amendment

	The right of citizens of the Ignited States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United
	States or by any State on account of sex.
							U. S. Constitution, 19th Amendment

		Other articles and amendments of the Constitution define the procedures 
		and set the rules for  electing the President, Vice-President and members 
		of the Congress of the United States.

1. The ballot of a free man
	Pledge: I will vote at all elections. I will inform myself on candidates and issues and will use my 
	greatest  	influence to see that honest and capable officials are elected. I will accept public office 
	when I can serve my community or my country thereby.

The right to vote—to vote in secret and to have your vote count—is a great right.

It is grounded in the faith that the average judgment of all of us together in the long run will be right—that "you 
can't fool all the people all of the time." It has many flaws. It has been corrupted, abused and neglected, but by 
means of it the American people over more than a century and a half have done pretty well for themselves.

Through agents chosen by you and others like you all laws are made. No man, regardless of his station in life, 
wields more power than you in the voting booth.

You can also vote by not voting, for by staying away from the polls you can help a self-seeking minority make the
wrong decision.

Don't be afraid to "lose your vote." The vote that doesn't elect a man still influences what he does. A candidate who
just squeaks through knows that you and others like you can repudiate him next time.

In this atom-splitting age you are voting on the gravest issues in the history of mankind.

When you reach voting age you become a member of the "ruling class"—the one and only ruling class of this 
country.

	Use this power to vote.
	Vote during the big year elections, of course - and at state elections. Vote at your party primary.
	Vote also for your city's mayor or village president.
	Vote for members of the school board.
	Vote on policies and officers of your union.
	Vote as a stockholder of any company you have invested in.
	Vote on civic improvements and bond issues.
	Vote on officers of your club, your lodge, your grange.
	Use your influence to encourage others to vote.

America, from the tiniest unit of community life on up to the big White House on Pennsylvania Avenue, is built on 
the ballot, and bossed by it.

Homespun Advice by a Great American Humorist
	"Be shure and vote at leest once at all elecshuns. Buckle on yer armer
	and go to the Poles. See two it that your naber is there. See that the
	kripples air provided with carriages. Go to the poles and stay all day.
	Bewair of the infamous lise whitch the Opposishun will be sartin to git up
	fur perlitical efTek on the eve of eleckshun. To the poles and when you
	git there vote jest as you darn please. This is a privilege we all persess,
	and it is 1 of the booties of this grate and free land."
							-Artemus Ward

BALLOT comes from the Italian word ballota meaning "ball" — an early means of casting a vote and still practiced 
in lodge elections where a white ball secretly dropped into a box signifies approval, and a black ball, disapproval, 
of a prospective member.

		''It's gittin so a straw vote brings out more voters than a reg'lar election."

		"Farmer Jake Beutley takes this means t' announce that he plowed an'
		voted both on election day."
								—Abe Martin

So you're going to Vote!
	Some of the how and why

In general, all citizens over 21 years of age (18 in Georgia) have the right to vote, but the various states have 
different laws as to how long you must live in the same place, when to register, etc. In certain states literacy tests or
poll taxes are required. In no state is property ownership a requirement.

Find out the regulations in your own state. Any local official can give you this information. Rule 1, Page 1 — Be sure 
you are registered.

KEEP ALERTED
Don't consider you have done your duty merely by voting in national elections every four years. There are also 
congressional elections, state elections, city elections and local elections of various kinds.

Failure of enough people to vote at party primaries and at these "in-between" elections is the main reason why the
wrong people often get into office. Keep yourself alerted to public notice of every election in your community.

Get your family to vote. Stay home with the baby when your wife goes to the polls.

Remind the folks in the shop and office about the state law which permits time off to vote.

Go to work on your friends and neighbors, the fellows at the lodge, other veterans of your post, the members of the
union.

Get them to vote!

THREE WAYS TO VOTE
You can vote for (1) Party, (2) Issues, (3) People.

If the total party program, as expressed in its platform, appeals to you as being best for the country, it is sound to 
vote a straight ticket for the people pledged to put that program into effect.

If a single issue seems to you more important than anything else, it is sound to vote for persons who support your 
view of that issue, regardless of party.

If the ability of an individual to judge each issue fairly and to keep the interests of the people uppermost appeals to 
you, it is sound to vote for that individual, regardless of party or any particular issue.

HOW ARE YOU TO KNOW THE CANDIDATES AND ISSUES?
Even if you spent your life at it, you couldn't be fully informed on all the candidates and issues on which you are 
asked to vote.

The answer is to do the best you can. It is better to vote on the basis of party allegiance and your own "sense of 
things" than not to vote at all. Your own knowledge and convictions, whatever they are, will be combined with the 
knowledge and convictions of a lot of other people. As a group we are usually wiser than we think we are.

Start in with your town, your township or your ward. Here you have a chance to learn something about the people 
you are voting for— even to know them personally. Honest, capable officials at this level are the very foundation of 
our national strength.

YOUR SENATORS
Try to learn something about the candidates for the Senate from your state. There are two of them, each with a 
term of six years. They are elected on an alternating basis.

YOUR REPRESENTATIVE
You live in a certain Congressional District of your state. Do you know the number of your district? Do you know the
Representative from your district who represents you in Congress? If not, find out who he is, what he stands for, 
and what his record is. Watch in the papers how he votes on important issues. See if his ideas check with yours. A 
Representative from your district is elected every two years.

IN CASE OF ABSENCE OR ILLNESS
If you, a qualified voter, expect to be absent from your county on election day, you may apply to the proper
authority, usually the Election Commission, for an absentee ballot. Such ballots usually must be applied for in 
advance.

After you have marked this ballot and have had the accompanying affidavit signed, mail it to the Election 
Commission for delivery to your precinct on election day.

In nearly every state, this same procedure applies for those who are unable to go to the polls because of illness.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE IS CHALLENGED
If your right to vote is challenged at the polls, you may be required to secure an affidavit of your registration from 
the Election Commission's headquarters or bring to the polling place two of your neighbors to testify to your
eligibility to vote.

WHO ARE ALL THOSE PEOPLE IN THE POLLING PLACE?
They are judges, clerks and watchers. Two or more election judges, at least one from each party. They initial 
ballots, pass on the eligibility of voters and are responsible for the counting of the ballots.

Two or more clerks selected on the same basis. They check registrations, check off each voter as he votes.

Poll watchers who have no official status but do have the right to challenge any voter if they have reason to believe
he is trying to vote illegally. They may be accredited representatives of parties, of candidates or of citizens' 
organizations. Also there may be a policeman to act on the judges' instructions in maintaining order.

THE "FORBIDDEN CIRCLE"
Around all polling places is an area where electioneering of any sort is out-of-bounds. In Chicago, for instance, this 
includes anything within 100 feet of the polling place.

THE OATH OF A FREE-MAN
	"I doe solemnly bind myself in the sight of God, that when I shall be called to give my
	voyce touching any . . . matter of this State, in which Freemen are to deal, I will give my
	vote and suffrage as I shall judge in mine own conscience may best conduce and tend
	to the publike weal of the body, without respect of persons, or favour of any man."
					—Stephen Daye, America's first printer (1639)

	"The freeman, casting with unpurchased hand,
		The vote that shakes the turret of the land.''
					—Oliver Wendell Holmes

VOTING MACHINES
If a voting machine is used in your polling place, you are entitled to receive full instructions regarding its use. It is 
completely reliable and enables you to split your ticket in any manner desired.

The voting machine, first used in 1892, is now available to about one-fourth of the country's voters. Its advocates 
say it expedites the count, reduces election costs and helps eliminate fraudulent practices.

HOW LONG MAY YOU STAY IN THE VOTING BOOTH?
In some states the law limits the time a person may spend in a balloting booth. In Illinois, for instance, it is five 
minutes.

WHAT IF YOU SPOIL A BALLOT?
If you accidentally spoil a ballot, return it to the election judge, who will give you another. The Judge then marks the 
returned ballot "spoiled," and it is counted as such when the tally is made.

YOUR VOTE MUST BE SECRET
When you enter the voting booth, you are alone with your conscience—by right and by law. Only in rare cases,
such as blindness, may another person accompany you. If you need assistance ask the election judge for it when 
you get your ballot.

MAY YOU LEAVE THE VOTING BOOTH TO ASK A QUESTION?
A voter is expected to know how he wants to vote before he enters the voting booth. If he is in doubt about any
point of procedure after entering, it is ordinarily within the discretion of the election judges to permit him to ask a
question, then resume voting.

THE PARTY SYSTEM
The best way to appreciate the function of political parties is to imagine yourself in a voting booth with a pencil and 
a blank sheet of paper with the job of writing in the names of people you consider best qualified for all the offices to
be filled. This would result in utter confusion, of course.

The party system serves as a clearing house for candidates and issues. It sifts them out and brings them into the
spotlight for you to judge.

Candidates without parties would be responsible to no group, subject to no check or discipline.

IF YOU CHANGE YOUR NAME
If you have changed your name by marriage or otherwise, it is imperative that you re-register, or you will be without
the right to vote.

HELP FOR VOTERS
The League of Women Voters, "a nonpartisan organization established in 1920 to encourage citizen participation in
government," now has active leagues in more than 600 communities, including many rural areas. It can advise
you how to make your personal influence count most effectively.

Although strictly nonpartisan in getting out the vote and its many other activities, it believes in the party system and 
urges its members, as individuals, to work in the party of their own choice. It does not endorse individual 
candidates. Its services are available to both men and women of all parties, whether members or not.

WAKE UP...SPEAK UP...STAND UP...FOR FREEDOM

A good citizen not only has a vote but he has a voice— and uses it. He not only has the right to choose, but to 
determine the candidates and issues from which to choose.

If your point of view is not expressed by someone else, you have the right, and almost the duty, to express it 
yourself.

Try to attend all meetings where matters of interest to you are discussed . . . town meetings, political rallies, public 
sessions of the city council, meetings of your union and any organization to which you belong. "Mulling things 
over," with everybody having his say, really is the life-blood of our system. Even though your ideas are not adopted
by the majority, you will feel better in making them heard, and others will respect you tor it.

If you don't feel capable of expressing yourself in public, write letters to the public officials or others involved, or to 
the "Voice of the People" columns in your local newspapers. Or get up a petition. 

"MACHINE POLITICS"
To be effective and to get its candidates elected, a political party must have an organization. The better the
organization is in both parties the better will be the candidates, the laws.

When you and a few other good citizens get together and decide to promote some worthy person for a certain 
office, then set up an organization to get him nominated and elected, you have in effect a "political machine."

In contrast to this are the big corrupt machines which have practiced and mastered the technique of controlling
votes through the dispensation of offices and favors. Sometimes these situations are discouraging to the average
good citizen, but there has never been a machine so powerful that it could withstand the rising tide of properly
organized public opinion. 

Only organized political effort by public-spirited citizens has a chance to effect reform. It does no good "to stand 
alone and holler."

IT STARTS IN THE PRECINCT
"Elections are won in the precincts" is an old political saying. That's where a political organization starts—with the 
precinct or election district. One good way for the average citizen to wield his greatest influence is to become a 
precinct captain or committeeman. You get your name on your party's ballot by petition, which you or your friends 
circulate. You get yourself elected by personal canvassing of voters.

On the level above precinct captains are county committeemen and committeewomen. Then come state 
committeemen and committeewomen. At the top is the national committee.

Party officials are usually selected at the primaries. They are primarily responsible for setting party policies and
deciding who is going to be nominated.

Do you know who are party officials in your precinct? Your county? An active interest in this subject is a good way 
to practice good citizenship.

WHAT IS A LOBBY?
It is the right of every American citizen to let his lawmakers know what he is in favor of, or against. When this is 
done in an organized fashion it is called "lobbying."

These lobbies represent every organization and enterprise you can think of and the pro and con of almost every
issue. Some are well paid, with permanent staffs, and are legally registered. Others are spontaneously aroused 
delegations of citizens who go to Washington or to the state capital to bring their ideas to bear directly on those
who make the laws. It is all part of our democratic process.

You, yourself, may he part of an association, a union, a bureau or a league which has a lobby.

As a good citizen you can best do your part by making sure that when an organization you are a member of is for
or against a certain law it is working in the best interests of all the people.

"DIVIDE AND CONQUER"
The technique of the dictators is practiced on a smaller scale by unscrupulous politicians who thrive on stirring up 
hatred and suspicion among various groups — pitting Protestants against Jews; Catholics against Protestants;
whites against Negroes; Italian-Americans against Anglo-Americans, and Polish-Americans against both.

Such politicians are undermining democracy and must be fought both inside and outside their parties.

THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE
If newspapers, magazines and radio don't give you enough information on candidates and issues so that you feel
you can vote intelligently, it is your right and privilege to go beyond that.

You are probably a member of a society or an organization of some kind which can appoint a committee to call on 
the officials or candidates involved to get the information which you and others like you w ant, and report back.

Getting people together is the main thing in political action, whether it is improving the alley in your block, or
sending a President to the White House.

A LOBBY OF ONE
Whenever you have a question to ask, a complaint to make or an idea to express, it is your democratic privilege to 
write a letter to a public official telling him how it looks to you and why, and asking him what he means to do and 
why. Such a letter, if courteous, thoughtful and to the point, can exert its influence.

FORMS OF ADDRESS

	To the President
		The President
 		The White House
		Washington 25, D. C.
			My dear Mr. President;
			I have the honor to ...
			Respectfully yours,

	To Cabinet Officer 
		The Honorable ...
		The Secretary of ...
		Washington 25, D. C.
			My dear Mr. Secretary (or Madam Secretary): ...
			Sincerely yours,
	
	To a U.S. Senator 
		Hon. ...
		United States Senate
		Washington 25, D. C.
			My dear Senator:
			Sincerely yours,

	To a U.S. Congressman
		Hon. ...
		House of Representatives
		Washington 25, D. C.
			My dear Congressman (Congresswoman*): ....

	To a Governor 
		Hon. ...
		Governor of ... 
		(Name of State Capital City)
			My dear Governor: (or Dear Sir or Madam:)

	To a State Senator or Representative
		Hon. ...
		The State Senate
		(Name of State Capital City)
			Dear Sir (or Madam): ... (or My dear Mr., Miss or Mrs. :)
	
	To a Mayor
		Hon. ...
		Mayor of the City of (City and State)
			Dear Sir (or Madam) or My Dear Mayor. . .:)

	The term "Congressman" seems likely to become general for both men and women, like "chairman."

Isn't it Queer?
	By ANGELO PATRI
Election Day is voting day. It is ballot box day. It is the day when we register our desires; when we choose our 
representatives. Does every man and woman of voting age go out on Election Day and cast his vote? He does not. 
Is not that queer?

For centuries man has demanded and fought for the right to vote. He has fought to have his vote count. The 
women fought as hard as the men. Yes, they fought harder. The women made the world ring with their shouts for 
the vote.

All of us gained the vote only after a long and bitter struggle. This vote was born of battle and thunder and fury.
Those who held the power over the people did not give it up easily. Slowly and painfully the common people
fought their way toward the ballot.

Do we all vote on Election Day? We do not.

After such a struggle, after such intense desire to possess this right, is it not queer that we do not exercise it to its
full extent? Is it not strange that we take so little interest in our government as we display on Election Day?

The wrong people are sometimes put in power because we are too lazy to vote intelligently. 

Is it not queer?

		"Ballots are the rightful and peaceful successors of bullets."
						—Abraham Lincoln

From "The Poor Voter on Election Day"
	By John Greenleaf Whittler

			The proudest now is but my peer,
				The highest not more high;
			Today, of all the weary year,
				A king of men am I.
			Today, alike are great and small.
				The nameless and the known;
			My palace is the people's hall.
				The ballot box my throne!

Compulsory Voting

	"Every freeholder, actually resident within the county . . . shall appear . . and give his vote at such 
	election, upon penalty of forfeiting two hundred pounds of tobacco to (the informer and suer)."

	(This law was enacted in 1705 and was in force throughout a greater part of the Colonial history of Virginia.)

	"There are two subjects, indeed, which I shall claim a right to further as long as I breathe, the 
	public education, and the subdivision of counties into wards (townships). I consider the 
	continuance of republican government as absolutely hanging on these two hooks."

	"Where every man is a sharer in the direction of his ward . . . and feels that he is a participator 
	in the government of affairs, not merely at an election one day in the year, but every day . . ."
									—Thomas Jefferson

Our forefathers rode for weeks through mud and storm to vote for the Declaration that made us free. All we have 
to do Is go to the nearest polling place to cast the votes that help preserve our freedom.

TRIAL BY JURY

	The Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment, shall be by Jury; and such Trial
	shall be held in the State where the said Crimes shall have been committed; but when not 
	committed within any State, the Trial shall be at such Place or Places as the Congress may 
	by Law have directed.
						U. S. Constitution, Article III, Section 2

	In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by 
	an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which 
	district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and 
	cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory 
	process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his 
	defence.
						U. S. Constitution, 6th Amendment, (Bill of Rights)

2. "Twelve men in a box"
	Pledge: I will serve on a jury when asked.

When you receive a notice of jury duty, your first reaction may be, "Brother, how can I get out of this?" It interferes
with your work or leisure. It's a lot of trouble. The pay is chicken feed.

Yet anyone who dodges responsibility of jury duty digs his little spadeful away from the foundation of one of our 
country's broadest freedoms.

The obligation to serve on a jury is the reverse side of the right of trial by jury.

When you sit in a jury box and look at the accused on the stand, how can you fail to say, ''There, but for the grace 
of God, go I?" Or, when listening to the two sides of a damage suit, how can you fail to say, ''What if I were in the 
same fix?"

A jury of twelve impartial, open-minded men and women, a little cross section of the community, under oath, is 
every man's protection against injustice, individual prejudice, intolerance and persecution.

As one authority said,

	"To discriminate correctly between conflicting items of evidence, to determine whether a skillful 
	prevaricator is twisting facts to his own advantage, to sense when they are being grossly 
	exaggerated, or manufactured out of whole cloth, sometimes requires the highest degree of 
	judgment, education, experience and mental acumen."

Therefore, when our busiest, most responsible and most intelligent citizens avoid jury duty, one of our greatest 
liberties starts falling apart.

Jury duty is a chance to have a front-row view of how our democratic justice is administered.

You may have wondered why justice moves so slowly - and why so much expense is justified in sometimes minor 
cases. From your seat in the jury box you will gain a new and comforting realization that the system of pleas, rules 
of evidence, objections, exceptions and legal briefs and arguments, complicated as it is, gives time and opportunity 
for the slightest ray of possible innocence to shine out - for the truth to prevail beyond the shadow of any 
reasonable doubt.

Lack of familiarity may have given you a distorted view of courtroom procedure, and a fear or dislike of courts in
general. Jury duty gives you a new insight into the reasons for the many happenings of the courtroom which 
cannot fail to send you home a better citizen.

HOW TO LOSE LIBERTY
	"... a people may prefer a free government; but if, from indolence, or carelessness,
	or cowardice, or want of public spirit, they are unequal to the exertions necessary for 
	preserving it; if they will not fight for it when it is directly attacked; if they can be 
	deluded by the artifices used to cheat them out of it; if by momentary discouragement,
	or temporary panic, or a fit of enthusiasm for an individual, they can be induced to lay 
	their liberties at the feet even of a great man, or trust him with powers which enable
	him to subvert their institutions - in all these cases they are more or less unfit for liberty; 
	and though it may be for their good to have had it even for a short time, they are 
	unlikely long to enjoy it."
								 - John Stuart Mill

	". . . a little neglect may breed great Mischief . . .
		For want of a Nail the Shoe was lost;
			for want of a Shoe, the Horse was lost,
				and for want of a Horse the Rider was lost,
	being overtaken and slain by the Enemy,
		all for want of care about a Horseshoe-Nail."
								—Benjamin Franklin


When that call comes
COURT and jury procedures vary considerably among the states, and many differ from the federal system, but to 
make you feel more "at home" as a juror, here are a few facts about juries that quite generally apply:

DIFFERENT KINDS OF JURIES
Grand Jury—Its function is to hear complaints of the commission of an offense and to inquire, by aid of testimony
presented by the district attorney, whether there are "prima facie" (Literal translation—"at first view.") grounds for 
criminal prosecution. It functions, therefore, solely in criminal courts. It does not try the accused, but merely 
inquires into the evidence submitted against him. If the required number think the accused should be brought to 
trial, they bring in a "true bill" and draw up an "indictment," or formal charge, against him. It they think there is no 
probability of guilt, the accused is set tree. The secrecy of the proceedings is closely guarded.

In a few states the Grand Jury may be done away with, even in murder cases, and the charges may thus be 
brought by the prosecutor, to avoid delays incident to Grand Jury hearings. 

According to common law, the Grand Jury is composed of 24. State statutes generally require a quorum of 12 to 
16 for action.

Trial Jury, Petit Jury or Common Jury—("Petit"—pronounced "petty," from the French word meaning little.) This type 
of jury is used in all criminal cases, except when the accused elects to be tried by the Court or is charged with only 
a "petty offense." It functions only after the Grand Jury has returned an indictment against the accused. Witnesses 
are presented both by the prosecuting officer in behalf of the state or commonwealth and by the attorney for the 
defendant. When the testimony is finished, each attorney "sums up" for his side, after which the prosecutor (in 
criminal case) or plaintiff's counsel (in civil case) has the last word.

The presiding judge then charges or instructs the jury, telling it the laws that apply to the case and facts to keep in 
mind in reaching its conclusion. The petit or common jury is employed in civil cases, except where the issue is of 
such a nature that the case may be decided by the Court (judge) without a jury. The procedure is much the same 
as in a criminal case, except that the district or state's attorney has no connection with it. Private citizens, and not 
the state or commonwealth, are the prosecutors in a civil suit, except where the state has a civil interest, as in a tax 
case, for example.

Coroner's Jury—It is impaneled by the coroner to help decide facts surrounding death of one or more persons
when there is cause to believe that death may have resulted from a criminal act. The coroner acts as a presiding
judge, has the power to call witnesses and may place suspected persons under bond to await Grand Jury action.

In many states, the coroner's jury consists of six men (or women). It is customary to select jurors from among
citizens who were at or near the scene where the death or deaths took place. In other cases the coroner's jury is 
composed of available citizens picked at random. The coroner himself selects them.

FUNCTIONS OF JUDGE AND JURY
Every case presents two distinct questions: (1) What are the true facts of the case? In general, the jury decides
only the facts in the case, and having done so, applies rules of law given by the judge in his charge or instructions 
to the jury, in arriving at a verdict. (2) What is the law governing those facts ?

HOW ARE JURORS SELECTED?
Generally speaking, all male inhabitants (women also in many jurisdictions) residing in the community, of age 21, 
are qualified to serve as jurors, subject to certain provisions which govern their selection. In some states names of 
prospective jurors are taken from the local assessment rolls, in others from the voting registration lists. Also in 
some states there is an upper age limit for jury service. According to common law, you can be tried only by a jury 
of your "peers." This means people just like you ... no better, no worse. 

''Jury lists" of all such persons are, in most jurisdictions, prepared regularly once a year. Jurors are chosen by lot 
or according to the sequence in which names appear on the list. This, of course, avoids "fixing."

A person summoned for jury duty is sometimes known technically as a talesman (ta -lez-man) or venireman 
(ve-ni -re-man).

WHY 12?
	"The choice of the number twelve is unquestionably based upon scriptural precedent, 
	and just as there were twelve prophets to foretell the truth, and twelve apostles to 
	preach the truth, twelve jurymen are chosen to ascertain the truth."
					—From "Twelve Men in a Box" : Stanley F. Brewster

EXEMPTIONS
"Jury dodging" is not the only reason why so small a percentage of the representative citizens are to be found 
serving on juries. Some states exempt by law those engaged in many different trades and professions. Many of 
these exemptions arc based on conditions of bygone times. Why don't you check the exemptions in your own state 
and use your influence to get them modernized?

WOMEN AS JURORS
As of 1951, eighteen states required women to serve on a jury. Twenty states and the District of Columbia 
permitted them to serve. Eight states definitely exclude women from jury service. There is a bill pending which
would require women to serve on federal juries, regardless of state provisions.

IF YOU DON'T ANSWER SUMMONS
Any person summoned as a juror and who, without reasonable cause, neglects to attend, is in "contempt of court" 
and subject to fines or even imprisonment. However, a delinquent is given the opportunity to show cause why the 
court should excuse his absence or exempt him from service.

FOREMAN OF THE JURY
He is the "chairman" of the meeting. His principal duties are: to preserve order; to maintain an orderly form of 
procedure; to put questions to vote; and once agreed, to announce the verdict to the court.

PROCEEDINGS IN JURY ROOM
After receiving the charge or instructions from the judge, the jury retires to a separate room. If the twelve agree in
a criminal case that the accused is guilty or not guilty, they so report to the Court. If, after discussion, they cannot 
possibly come to an agreement, they report that fact also.

In a civil case the jury decides in favor of the plaintiff or the defendant. If it finds in favor of the plaintiff in a suit to 
recover damages, it will also decide how much damages the defendant shall pay. Sometimes, when it thinks that no 
great wrong has been committed, it will simply require one side or the other to pay the costs of the case, or may 
even divide the costs. (In other cases, such as will cases, the jury's findings may be concerned only with the issues 
of fact and law that are presented and not with an award of damages.)

When civil juries have finished their work on a case, they are discharged. Then they either go home or wait and
serve on another case.

A good jury avoids heated argument 
Most juries start their proceedings by taking a vote. The danger in this is that once the ballot is announced, if there 
is a difference of opinion, the jurors naturally take sides at once, whereas if they are to agree, the one thing to 
avoid is taking sides at the start. A good jury avoids heated argument and tries to reconcile differences by friendly, 
temperate discussion.

HOW LONG MAY A JURY DELIBERATE?
This is up to the judge. In important cases which have taken several days, or possibly weeks, it is the practice of 
the courts to keep jurors together longer than in shorter cases, simply because of the difference in time and 
expense to re-try the case. In certain cases judges have allowed juries to deliberate as long as seven days without
discharging them.

There was a time in England when it was the practice, in criminal cases, for the judge to instruct the sheriff to "keep
the jurymen together in some private and convenient place without food and drink until they are agreed upon a 
verdict." In other words the jurors were starved into a state of unanimity, when necessary.

NUMBER REQUIRED FOR VERDICT
In case of illness of a juror which justifies dismissal, or in case of death of a juror, the trial may be carried on with
the remaining jurors if lawyers for both sides can agree. Otherwise the judge declares it a mistrial and a new trial 
must be held. In many states, as well as in federal courts, alternate jurors are provided.

In some jurisdictions juries are composed of less than twelve.

In several states the law provides that three-fourths (nine) of the jury may render a verdict in civil cases. This is 
also the case in most European countries where trial by jury is employed in civil cases.

POLLING OF JURY
After a jury has given its verdict, at the request of either party, each juror may be separately examined as to his
concurrence in the verdict. Should any juror dissent from the verdict, the judge may send the jury out for further
deliberation.

HOW MUCH IS A JUROR PAID?
The satisfaction of having performed a civic duty, rather than financial compensation, is the true reward for jury
service.

Although the daily rate ranges from $3 in some states to a high of $7.50, usual rate in state and local courts is $5 
per day. Federal courts pay $4 per day. Recently several state legislatures have acted on bills which increase 
jurors' pay.

ORIENTAL LIE DETECTORS
in the Orient a suspected perjurer was given rice to chew, then directed to spit it out. If the rice came out dry, this 
fact was considered proof of perjury on the theory that fear of detection tends to inhibit the natural flow of the 
salivary glands.

Some of the commonly accepted indications of lying are twitching of the muscles of the face, the tone of the voice, 
constant swallowing, the facial expression, and movements of the hands and feet. Charles Darwin stated that 
natives of India, when giving evidence, are able to control their faces, but cannot control their toes, the contortions 
of which often reveal the fact that the witness is lying.

Famous Galician Plea;
		"He didn't lend me the pot;
			and anyway the pot was broken; 
				and furthermore, I returned it to him long ago."
Modern Version:
		"He wasn't present at the scene of the crime when the man was shot; 
			and if he was present, he didn't shoot him; 
				and if he did shoot him, he was insane at the time."

COURTROOM PARLANCE
Unless you are a lawyer you are not expected to understand the legal phrases that are used in court proceedings. 
As a juror it is your right to have them explained to you. Here are the "translations" of a few of the more commonly 
used ones-.

Bench Warrant or capias—Issued by judge for arrest of persons, not already in custody, after grand jury
indictment.

Best evidence—Includes the best evidence procurable. For example, a written document is always regarded as 
best evidence of its existence and contents. In absence of proper explanation of why best evidence is not 
available, all secondary evidence (such as carbon copy of document) is inadmissible.

Burden of Proof—In every issue it is the affirmative (meaning usually the plaintiff's side in a civil suit and that of 
the prosecution in criminal cases) which must be proved. So jurors should not be influenced by any lack of 
aggressiveness by the defendant to disprove the allegations made against him. The defendant is obligated to 
prove nothing. It is the plaintiff, or prosecution, who assumes this burden.

"Challenging" of Jurors"
	Challenge for Cause—Used to exclude potential juror who is deemed unqualified by the attorney
examining him. The number of such challenges permitted is unlimited.
	Peremptory Challenge—Used by counsel on either side to reject a potential juror without giving 
reasons. (Each side is limited to a small and definite number of such challenges.)

Change of venue—Transfer of case to different court or different judge, usually on the ground that the presiding
judge may be prejudiced.

Corpus delicti—The fact or facts necessary to the commission of a crime; as in murder the actual death of the 
person alleged to have been murdered and as result of criminal act. (Often used erroneously to designate body of 
victim.)

Cross suit—.Action by defendant who not only answers plaintiff but makes charges himself. 

Deposition—Sworn testimony of a witness who is not present at trial, taken by some person authorized by law.

"Direct" and "Cross-Examination"—In the former, witness is asked to tell what he knows about facts in the case 
by means of questions which do not in any way suggest answers. In the latter, he may be asked leading questions
which suggest their answers in the strongest possible manner. 
	Direct examination is limited to matters relevant to 
the issue. Cross-examination, except as to questions bearing on credibility, must be confined to matters brought
out in the direct examination. 
	Re-direct Examination —.After cross-examination by opposing counsel, the attorney producing a 
witness may re-examine him on any new points brought out in cross-examination.

Directed verdict—.A verdict returned by a jury at the instruction of the judge. This action is taken in cases where 
under the law in the opinion of the judge only one verdict is possible.

Felony—.A serious crime punishable by death or term in penitentiary.

Former jeopardy (Plea of)—Charges defendant already has been tried for same offense. 

Hearsay evidence—That which a witness has not seen or heard himself but which was told to him by someone 
else. Seldom admissible.

Leading Question—.A question so worded as to suggest the reply.

Malice aforethought—.A deliberate intention to commit the act (necessary to the validity of an indictment for 
murder).

Objections—Questions asked of witnesses by opposing counsel are often challenged as being "irrelevant," 
"incompetent" or "immaterial." The judge either "sustains" the objection or "overrules" it and in latter case permits 
the witness to answer. If the objecting counsel considers the court's ruling to be in error, it is his privilege to "take 
an exception" to the ruling, with a view to having it reviewed later by a higher court "on appeal."

Sometimes the witness will answer the question objected to before the lawyer or judge can stop him. If he does, the 
objecting counsel may ask to have the answer "stricken from the record" and the jury is instructed to ignore it. 

Prima Facie—Describes evidence sufficient in law to raise a presumption of fact or establish the fact in question 
unless rebutted.

Quo warranto (by what authority)—Inquiring into the right of a public or corporation official to hold office.

Statute of limitation—.An enacted law fixing a definite time after which certain rights cannot be enforced.

Without prejudice—Without effect upon or detriment to any rights that existed prior to a certain act or prior to a 
ruling by the court.

"LAW ALONE CAN GIVE US FREEDOM"

		The Congress shall have Power To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper 
		for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this 
		Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer 
		thereof.
							U. S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8

		This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance 
		thereof . . . shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be 
		bound thereby...
							U. S. Constitution, Article VI

3. The law of the land
	Pledge: I will respect and obey the laws. I will assist public officials in preventing crime and
	the courts in giving evidence.

Laws are rules people make so they can live together without stepping on each other's toes.

The simplest law of all, perhaps, is the traffic light. When it is green it's supposed to protect you against the other 
fellow. When it is red it's supposed to protect the other person from you.

Ours is a government of laws—not of men.

Our Constitution guarantees that our laws may be made in one way, and one way only, by the people, through 
their elected representatives—not by one man, or a few men, or by any appointed group.

No man in this country is so big that he is above the law, and none so insignificant that he cannot look to the law 
for protection.

A good citizen cooperates with the law. He assists public agents in preventing crime, and the courts in giving 
evidence. A good citizen does not evade the law. He does not say, "I know somebody who can fix my ticket."

Laws necessarily change with needs of the times. A good citizen's attitude toward a law which he regards as unfair,
unreasonable and out of step with the times is that of working to get it changed—but obeying it while it is on the 
books.

There is the letter of the -law—and the spirit of the law.

You cannot make men good by law, and the hope of law and order is grounded in the reverence of a majority of 
people for justice, truth and goodness. But, in the final analysis, a law has teeth in it. Using federal offenses as an 
example, one great historian says,

		''If you refuse long enough to make out a correct income-tax
		return and refuse to obey an order to appear in courts you
		will get a touch of government power. Three or four husky
		fellows will take you by the scruff of the neck and the seat
		of the pants and hustle you into a police van motored by the
		power of internal combustion.''

		"Let reverence for the laws be breathed by every
		American mother to the lisping babe that prattles on
		her lap; let it be taught in schools, in seminaries, and
		in colleges; let it be written in primers, spelling books,
		and in almanacs; let it be preached from the
		pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced
		in courts of justice. .And, in short, let it become the
		political religion of the nation; and let the old and
		the young, the rich and the poor, the grave and the
		gay of all sexes and tongues and colors and conditions,
		sacrifice unceasingly upon its altars."
						—Abraham Lincoln

		"On .April 18, 1860, [President Lincoln] offered [Lee] the chief
		command of the United States Army. Lee's reply was what
		might have been expected, 'If I owned four millions of slaves,
		I would cheerfully sacrifice them to the preservation of
		the Union, but to lift my hand against my own State and people
		is impossible.'

		" 'Duty," said Robert E. Lee, 'is the sublimest word in our
		language. . . . There is a true glory and a true honor, the
		glory of duty done, the honor of the integrity of principle.'
		. . . This devotion to duty was the keynote of Lee's whole life."
						—Life of Robert E. Lee; J. G. and Mary Hamilton

		After surrendering the Confederate armies and refusing every sort 
		of lucrative and honorary post, he accepted the presidency of a war-
		shattered college {Washington College - which later became Washington 
		and Lee University} with only forty pupils in It, and thereby showed the 
		South how proudly the humbled might begin to build again. . . . 
						Robert E. Lee owned no slaves.

The American System of Checks and Balances
		To guard against hasty or ill-advised action or the concentration
		of powers in any one man or body of men, a system of
		checks and balances is provided in the federal Constitution.

	1. It would take six years completely to replace the elected branches of the federal government
composed exclusively of members of one party by the members of another. This is due to the fact that: The 
President is elected for four years; the members of the House of Representatives are elected every two years, and 
one-third of the Senators are elected every two years but for a six-year term.

	2. Laws passed either by the Senate or by the House of Representatives must be approved by a majority 
of the other body.

	3. The President can veto laws enacted by Congress, and his veto can be overridden only by a two-
thirds vote of each House.

	4. The courts have the right to interpret laws passed by Congress and to review the legality of acts of
officers of the Government charged with their administration. In many cases the courts have held acts of Congress 
invalid as being in conflict with a provision of the Constitution.

	5. The Senate has the power to review and reject Presidential appointments of diplomatic, judicial, and 
certain other officers of the Government, as well as the power to approve or reject treaties with foreign 
governments.

	6. The House of Representatives has the power to impeach and the Senate to place on trial and to 
remove from office all civil officers of the United States including even the President.

You get your feet wet, but never sink
"A monarchy is a merchantman, which sails well, but will sometimes strike on a rock and go to the bottom; while a 
republic is a raft, which would never sink, but then your feet are always in water.
						—Fisher Ames, as quoted by Ralph Waldo Emerson
						
TAXATION WITH REPRESENTATION

The Congress shall have Power: To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and 
provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States. . .
							U. S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8

No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or Enumeration herein before 
directed to be taken.
							U. S. Constitution, Article I, Section 9

All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur
with Amendments as on other Bills.
							U. S. Constitution, Article I, Section 7

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without 
apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.
							U. S. Constitution, 16th Amendment	

4. You and your taxes
	Pledge: I will pay my taxes understandingly (if not cheerfully).

Yes, it's human nature to squirm when the government (even though it's your government) strikes at your 
pocketbook nerve through taxation.

But it's also human nature to demand the conveniences, improvements and protection that you want for your 
family, your community and your country. 

What paves the street in front of your house, and throws a network of smooth highways across the country?
What keeps police cars cruising the streets, and maintains an army, a navy, an air force and the F.B. I.?
What supports the farmer s friend, the county agent, and sends consuls and ambassadors to protect our citizens 
and interests in foreign lands?

The answer, obviously, is TAXES—the tried and proved method of everybody chipping in to provide the things 
which all of us need and none of us can pay tor by himself. The weather forecast you read in the paper or get on 
the radio is made possible by a tax-supported organization. 

Your tax money and the other fellow's protect the purity of the water you drink and insure full weight and 
wholesomeness in the food you buy. Taxes make possible the public schools, the public libraries, the public parks, 
the public fire department and the public everything from the street light on the corner to the lighthouse at sea.

Every hour of the day and night your safety, your health, your security and your valuables are protected by public
servants paid tor by your taxes.

Taxes represent the cost of our government doing business. They are determined by the people we elect to office.
We give these people the right to do a lot of things with our money but hold them accountable to us.

If we feel they are spending it unwisely or too freely we can "turn the rascals out."

"In this world" wrote Benjamin Franklin, ''nothing is certain but death and taxes."' But isn't our method of taxation
with representation an improvement over the confiscatory system of the dictator who sees what you ha\'e and 
takes as much as he wants?

"MONEY MAKES THE MARE GO"
	Hardheaded Advice from America's First Secretary of the Treasury
Alexander Hamilton, champion of the Constitution and Secretary of the Treasury under George Washington, is 
given credit for our simple, decimal currency system, a mint, a national bank, our internal revenue and tariff 
policies and the restoration of a wavering national credit.

He wrote: "An adequate provision for support of the Public Credit is a matter of high importance to the honour and 
prosperity of the United States."

He referred to money as that which "sustains the life and motion" of the body politic "and enables it to perform its
most essential functions." He continued, "A complete power, therefore, to procure a regular and adequate supply 
of revenue, as far as the resources of the community will permit, may be regarded as an indispensable ingredient 
in every constitution."
								—From "The Federalist"

"TAX FARMERS"
In the times of the ancient Romans, and even after their time, "tax farmers" were given the right to levy on the 
territory they were responsible for any tax they could squeeze out of it, as long as they delivered their quota of 
money to the government. They could pocket the extras—and did.

			"Ther's one good thing about taxes—
			they keep us aroused an' anxious t' vote."
						—Abe Martin

OUCH!
Taxes are levied by four levels of government— federal, state, county and municipal.

To become law, a tax must be voted upon and passed by the elected representatives of the people.

FEDERAL TAXES
Some of the more important federal taxes are:

	1. Income taxes—levied on individuals, corporations and other business units.
	2. Taxes on tobacco and liquor, two types of excise taxes. An excise tax is exacted for the privilege of 
	doing business and is collected at the source.
	3. Gasoline taxes.
	4. Social Security taxes {for old age and unemployment insurance). Old Age and Survivor s Insurance
	—If you are employed in almost any commercial or industrial business, you are required by law to pay a 
	very small part of your weekly earnings to the federal government for your part in the old age and 
	survivor's insurance program. Actually, the amount you pay is withheld by your company, which also 
	makes a contribution equal to yours. Generally speaking, benefits are paid to those who retire at 65 or 
	to survivors of qualified workers. To collect this insurance it is necessary to file a claim at the nearest 
	office listed in all major cities under "U. S. Government- Social Security Board."
		Unemployment insurance taxes are paid to both the federal and state governments by 
	employers in most industrial and commercial organizations. In only a few states do the employees make
	any contribution.
		The money collected is used to pay weekly benefits to those temporarily unemployed, and the 
	amount and duration of payments vary with each state. Information regarding such benefits may be 
	obtained from the local Unemployment Compensation Office.
	5. Inheritance taxes. If you inherit $60,000.00 or more, the estate will probably be required to file an 
	inheritance tax return.
	6. Luxury taxes, such as those on furs and jewelry. Although this type of tax is still in force, it is 
	generally considered an emergency wartime measure.
	7. Gift taxes. You may make gifts up to and including $3,000 per year per recipient. In addition, you are 
	allowed $30,000 which you can distribute as you wish during your lifetime. On gifts beyond these 
	amounts taxes are required.
	8. Taxes on admissions, such as baseball and theater tickets.
	9. Taxes on club dues.
	10. Customs duties and tariffs levied on certain foreign products entering this country.

STATE TAXES
Some of the most important are:

	1. Real property tax, assessed on real estate which you own.
	2. Personal property tax, assessed on the total valuation of your personal property.
	3. Income tax, levied by 34 states on corporations, individuals or both.
	4. Sales tax, levied on retail sales in the majority of states.
	5. Gasoline tax, in all states.
	6. Motor vehicle tax, which you pay for your automobile license.
	7. Alcoholic beverage and tobacco tax.
	8. Unemployment insurance tax, paid by commercial and industrial concerns.
		In only a few states do employees pay.
	9. Inheritance taxes, in most states.
	10. Gift taxes, in some states.
	11. Licenses for the privilege of doing business.
	12. Taxes on stock transfers.

COUNTY TAXES
Real estate and personal property taxes are the principal county taxes. Sometimes the county makes special 
assessments (approved by the voters) for improvements such as roads.

MUNICIPAL TAXES
	Real property tax.
	Personal property tax.
	License Fees for the privilege of doing business.
	Sales tax, assessed by a few cities.
	Income tax, in a few cities.
	Motor vehicle taxes, assessed by some cities in the form of local automobile licenses.

A HIDDEN TAX
A hidden tax is one which is not apparent to the eye, and is usually part of anything you buy. For example, the 
price of a loaf of bread includes all the taxes which have been imposed from the time it is raw wheat until it reaches
you.

A DIRECT TAX
A direct tax is one directly paid by the person on whom the ultimate tax burden falls. In other words, there is no 
middle man between you and the government. Examples are property, income, and inheritance taxes.

AN INDIRECT TAX
An indirect tax is one which is paid by someone other than the person who will finally pay it. In other words, it is a 
tax which is passed on to someone else. The manufacturer of an imported product pays the customs duty, an 
indirect tax because he will pass this on to the consumer by increasing the price of the product.

TAX COMMISSIONS
A state fiscal body, consisting usually of three appointive or elective members, which supervises local tax officials,
assesses public utility and other property, collects most taxes not collected locally. If you consider your tax 
assessment unfair you may appeal to a tax reviewing board.

TAX COURT OF THE U. S.
The federal government knows mistakes can be made in the taxes claimed from you. That's why we have the 
United States Tax Court. You can contest before that court, before you pay, certain taxes which the Commissioner 
of Internal Revenue claims you owe. From the decisions of the Tax Court you may appeal to a higher court.

U.S. PAPER CURRENCY
There are four kinds in circulation: silver certificates, national bank notes, United States notes and Federal 
Reserve notes. It is issued in the following denominations, the face of the bills carrying portraits as indicated:

$1	Washington	$100	Franklin
$2	Jefferson	$500	McKinley
$5	Lincoln	$1,000	Cleveland
$10	Hamilton	$5,000	Madison
$20	Jackson	$10,000	Chase
$50	Grant	$100,000*	Wilson

*Probably none in circulation. There is one on display at the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, Washington, D. C.

The Spirit of Liberty
"Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women. When it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it. No 
constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it. . . . The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure 
that it is right. The spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the minds of other men and women. The 
spirit of liberty is the spirit which weighs their interests alongside its own without bias. The spirit of liberty 
remembers that not even a sparrow falls to earth unheeded. The spirit of liberty is the spirit of Him who, near two 
thousand years ago, taught mankind that lesson it has never learned, but has never quite forgotten; that there may
be a kingdom where the least shall be heard and considered side by side with the greatest."
								—Judge Learned Hand

		"If a nation values anything move than freedom, it will lose its freedom; 
		and the irony of it is that if it is comfort or money that it values more, 
		it will lose that too," 
							—Somerset Maugham

THE RIGHT TO DECLARE WAR
	The Congress shall have Power
		To declare War . . .
		To raise and support Armies . . .
		To provide and maintain a Navy . . .
		To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;
		To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections
		and repel Invasions;
		To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of 
		them as may be employed in the Service of the Ignited States . . .
							U. S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8

	A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to
	keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
							U. S. Constitution, 2nd Amendment 
									(Bill of Rights)

5. The duty to bear arms
	Pledge: I will work for peace but will dutifully accept my responsibilities in time of war and will 
	respect the Flag.

	1776: We won freedom	1812: We held freedom	1861: We preserved the Union
	1898: We strengthened freedom
	1917: Our freedom threatened and saved
	1941: Again our freedom was attacked and saved.

Probably the greatest of all powers is the power to declare war. In America this power is not given to any one man. 
It is not given to our generals and admirals. It is not given to the President and his cabinet. It is given only to our 
elected representatives—the Congress of the United States. We have given the Congress also the power, in time 
of war, to abridge some of our liberties for the common good.

The most fervent hope in every American heart is that the differences between nations may be settled without war.

	Only a burning wrong can force us into another war.
	
	Only a burning devotion to the principles of a free government and to national unity and strength on the 
	part of all the people can insure our victory over the forces of tyranny, if it is our destiny again to engage 
	them.

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
	Unanimously agreed to by representatives of the Thirteen Colonies, July 4, 1776

[OPENING WORDS]
	"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political 
bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and 
equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of 
mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

"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. 
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or 
to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in 
such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

[CLOSING WORDS]
	"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we 
mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

			HE STANDS IN THE UNBROKEN LINE
			OF PATRIOTS WHO HAVE DARED TO
			DIE THAT FREEDOM MIGHT LIVE,
			AND GROW, AND INCREASE ITS BLESSINGS.
			FREEDOM LIVES, AND THROUGH
			IT, HE LIVES-IN A WAY THAT HUMBLES
			THE UNDERTAKINGS OF MOST MEN.
				—Inscription on the memorial death certificate sent to the nearest
				of kin of U. S. soldiers, sailors or marines killed in World War II.

The Bell
It is probably the only bell in the world to which every man takes off his hat. Its 2,080 pounds of ancient bronze
hang from its beam of solid hand-hewn black walnut in Independence Hall in Philadelphia where both the 
Declaration and the Constitution were penned and proclaimed. Armed guards watch it day and night.. Around its
crown are these words from the Bible:

			"PROCLAIM LIBERTY THROUGHOUT ALL
			THE LAND AND TO ALL THE INHABITANTS
			THEREOF-—LEY. XXV, 10"

This inscription was chosen by Isaac Norris, speaker of the Assembly of the colony of Pennsylvania, who in 1751 
was chairman of a committee to get a bell for the steeple of the state house.

The Bell was cast in London. When hung in 1752, it broke at the first stroke of the clapper. It was recast by a local 
bell-caster, but this time its tone was not satisfactory. It was melted once again and a third bell was founded.

Throughout the events which led up to the Revolution the Bell proclaimed many occasions of joy and sorrow.

In strict historical accuracy, the Liberty Bell did not ring, on July 4, 1776. The motion for independence was 
unanimously carried on July 2. It was accepted by final vote on July 4, and the document was rushed to the
printers.

On July 8 a crowd gathered from far and near and the Declaration was read aloud to the people by Colonel John
Nixon in front of Independence Hall to the tune of cheers, musket shots, fireworks and the ringing of bells—the
voice of the Liberty Bell shouting above them all.

In 1835, on July 8, the precise anniversary of the date when it had proclaimed liberty throughout the land, as the 
bell was tolling, muffled, for the death of Chief Justice John Marshall, suddenly it cracked, never to be heard in this 
world again.

THE CRISIS
	"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, 
	in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the 
	love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have 
	this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we 
	obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: 'tis dearness only that gives every thing its value. 

	Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed, if 
	so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated."

					Opening words of The Crisis, written by Thomas Paine 
					at the lowest tide of America's hope, December, 1776.

They say it was written upon a drumhead by the campfires of Washington's defeated and retreating army. By order 
of General Washington it was hastily printed in Philadelphia, rushed to the front and read aloud to the troops on 
Christmas night before the crossing of the Delaware and the attack on Trenton, which was the turning point of the 
Revolutionary War.

Thomas Paine's Common Sense, printed anonymously, was the direct forerunner of the Declaration of
Independence, and he is credited with first using the famous five words—"The United States of America."

EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW

		"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal ..."
							—Declaration of Independence

		Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or 
		prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . .
							—U. S. Constitution, 1st Amendment
									(Bill of Rights)

		Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime 
		whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United 
		States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
							—U. S. Constitution, 13th Amendment

		No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or 
		immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person 
		of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person 
		within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. 
							—U. S. Constitution, 14th Amendment

		The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by 
		the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of
		servitude. 
							—U. S. Constitution, 15th Amendment

6. Live and let live
	Pledge: In thought, expression and action; at home, at school and in all my contacts, I will avoid 
any group prejudice based on class, race or religion.

In youthful sports we learn that the best pitchers or finest quarterbacks are the boys who throw or pass better, 
without regard to the color of their skin, the kind of churches they go to, or the size of homes they come from.

Jew and Gentile, white and Negro, Catholic and Protestant, skilled and unskilled, rich and poor, intelligent and dull, 
tall and short, man and woman, blonde and brunette are all members of this club, the United States of America, 
and furthermore are members of the human race.

Tolerance is not merely "putting up" with the other fellow. It's the spirit of trying to understand him. It is judgment of 
people as people rather than as classes.

Intolerance and group prejudice are a resentment of anybody that's different, a manifestation of insecurity and 
ignorance, and a form of bullying akin to that of chickens picking on the one with part of its feathers already off.

Intolerance whispers and listens to gossip and rumor.

The intolerant is one who has a mob or a safe majority with him and is mean enough to take advantage of it, which
is why appeals to intolerance are so generally used by rabble rousers and demagogues.

An appeal to prejudice, an attempt to divide the United States along social, racial and religious lines, and so to 
conquer it, was the chief hope of our enemies during the war. Fair play starts at home, where "little pitchers have 
big ears." Even a thoughtless remark by parents and absorbed by children can foster intolerance in school and in 
the play groups of the neighborhood, where it grows its first poisonous roots and often assumes its cruelest forms.

We have made many laws of liberty in this country, nurtured many forms of freedom. But there is one law made
long before 1776 which will last far longer than any manmade regulation:

"Do unto others as you would that they do unto you." Let it shine from out the heart of every man. Let it spread
through the neighborhood, the countryside and the city block; through the shop and office; through the city and 
state—north and south, east and west—through the country and throughout the world. It is our one hope of world 
peace.

TWO LETTERS
Abraham Lincoln's letter to Mrs. Bixby of Massachusetts:
	
	Dear Madam:
		I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the
	Adjutant-General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have
	died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any
	words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so
	overwhelming. But I can not refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may 
	be found in the thanks of the republic they died to save. I pray that our heavenly 
	Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the 
	cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to 
	have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

						Yours very sincerely and respectfully.
						Abraham Lincoln

Message from Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany to Frau Meier of Delmenhorst-Oldenburg:

	His Majesty, the Kaiser hears that you have sacrificed nine sons in defense of the
	Fatherland in the present war. His Majesty is immensely gratified at the fact, and in 
	recognition is pleased to send you his photograph, with frame and autograph signature.

At Iwo Jima
Excerpt from memorial address delivered by Rabbi Roland B. Gittelsohn at the dedication of the Fifth Marine 
Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima, in March, 1945.

	". . . Here lie men who loved America because their ancestors generations ago
	helped in her founding, and other men who loved her with equal passion because
	they themselves or their own fathers escaped from oppression to her blessed shores. 

	Here lie officers and men, Negroes and whites, rich men and poor—together. 

	Here are Protestants, Catholics, and Jews—together. 

	Here no man prefers another because of his faith or despises him because of his
	color. Here there are no quotas of how many from each group are admitted or allowed. 
	
	Among these men there is no discrimination. No prejudice. No hatred. Theirs is the 
	highest and purest democracy.

	Any man among us, the living, who fails to understand that will thereby betray those who 
	lie here dead. Whoever of us lifts his hand in hate against a brother or thinks himself 
	superior to those who happen to be in the minority makes of this ceremony and of the
	bloody sacrifice it commemorates an empty, hollow mockery. 

	Thus, then, do we, the living, now dedicate ourselves to the right of Protestants, Catholics,
	and Jews, of white men and Negroes alike, to enjoy the democracy for which all have here 
	paid the price."

THE NEGRO AND DEMOCRACY

		"This land is ours by right of birth.
		This land is ours by right of toil;
			We helped to turn its virgin earth.
			Our sweat is in its fruitful soil.

		"And never yet has come the cry—
		When that fair flag has been assailed—
			For men to do, for men to die.
			That we have faltered or have failed."
					—James Weldon Johnson

RELIGIOUS RITES AND THE LAW

	". . . no person can, in the name of religious worship or God's will, resort to rites and practices which 
	violate the ordinary laws for the protection of life and property. Nor can any person in the name of 
	religion, as the Supreme Court once said, commit 'other open offenses against the enlightened 
	sentiment of mankind.' It was on that ground that polygamy was abolished."
							—Charles A. Beard

		This is the land where hate should die—
		No feuds of faith, no spleen of race.
			No darkly brooding fear should try
			Beneath our flag to find a place.
					—Denis A. McCarthy

	"These 100 men are more than just a number. They are Kelly, Martinez, Bianchi, Sadowski, Tominac 
	and Baker. They are Wierdorfer, Fournier, Lopez, Thompson, Bjorkland and Smith. They are these 
	United States."
							—Former Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson,
							announcing 100th Congressional Medal of
							Honor awarded to infantrymen, May 3, 1945.

	Prejudice—being down on anything you are not up on.

OUR FREE COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM

	". . . every Township in this Jurisdiction, after the Lord hath increased them to the number of fifty 
householders shall then forthwith appoint one within their Town to teach all such children as shall resort to him to 
write and read, whose wages shall be paid either by the Parents or Masters of such children, or by the inhabitants 
in general . .." —Massachusetts School Law—1647

This law founded the first system of public education in the American colonies. Now every State of the United 
States has a compulsory education law and nonsectarian, state-controlled schools, open free and equally to all. 
This school system has been expanded in recent years to include free, public tax-supported adult education which 
is springing up in various school districts.

	"Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, 
schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged." —Northwest Ordinance, 1787

	"There shall be reserved the lot No. 16, of every township, for the maintenance of public schools within 
the said township." —Federal Land Ordinance, 1788

The ordinance pertaining to the Northwest Territory established the policy of federal aid for public education. The
idea was further developed in the Morrill Act of 1862, which has given the states more than 13 million acres of 
public domain for the support of state mechanical and agricultural colleges. In 1917 Congress passed the Smith-
Hughes Act, granting federal aid for schools which conduct vocational training courses, such as home economics 
and manual training. Today the federal government is helping to pay for the education of millions of World War II 
veterans.

7. Life, liberty, and pursuit of learning
	Pledge: I will support our system of free public education by doing everything I can to improve 
the schools in my own community. 

Many "isms" and ideologies are being peddled and sold around the world today. Most of them dismiss, ignore and 
brush lightly aside the inalienable rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. Isn't it fortunate that we have at 
hand a system of education which can give to our boys and girls the knowledge and ability to separate the true 
from the half true—to look "isms" straight in the eye?

The coming generation, with minds and hearts reinforced with such knowledge, is more powerful than an army. Our
public schools, our private schools and our schools conducted under religious auspices all must provide the
climate and the soil for the roots and the fruits of freedom.

So, good citizen, keep our system of education strong. The schools are yours. You pay for them. There is much
that you can do to improve them, and the need is urgent. Teachers enjoy—or ought to enjoy—freedom from social
and political pressures; freedom to seek the eternal truths and to present these truths in a way that will stimulate
young minds to look for truth and be able to recognize it when they find it.

Teachers should be proud of their profession. They deserve the friendliness, sociability and respect accorded to
doctors, lawyers and members of other professions. Teachers should be able to live their private lives as any other 
self-respecting citizen lives his—neither playing "Mrs. Grundy" to the community nor being dictated to by the
social arbiters of the community, whoever they may be.

Help to make your schools a force for national unity by protecting our children from bigotry and prejudice. It has 
been said, ''America fears no enemy but ignorance."

The generation which did not fight the war is trying to understand what happened, why it happened, and what can
be done to straighten out the world. Help it to find out through even better, stronger, freer schools which bring to it 
the distilled truth wrested from the experience of all recorded time; which encourage the search tor truth; and which
foster the undeveloped talents which are America's greatest source of wealth.

SCHOOLS AND JAILS
	by Mark Twain

Mark Twain, referring to a foreign dispatch, once said, ". . . the vast expense of maintaining the army had made it 
necessary to retrench, and so the government had decided that to support the army it would be necessary to 
withdraw the appropriation from the public schools. . . .

"It is curious to reflect how history repeats itself the world over. Why, I remember the same thing was done when I 
was a boy on the Mississippi River. There was a proposition in a township there to discontinue public schools 
because they were too expensive. An old farmer spoke up and said if they stopped the schools they would not 
save anything, because every time a school was closed a jail had to be built.

"It's like feeding a dog on his own tail. He'll never get fat. I believe it is better to support schools than jails. . ."

A Citizen's Survey
Are you proud of your schools? Maybe you have a right to be, but in many communities our public schools need 
the help that only the organized opinion of good citizens can give them. Why don't you start by getting the answers 
to these simple questions:

	1. How is your school board chosen? (Elected, appointed by mayor or other political official or group?)
	2. How is your school superintendent chosen? (Elected, appointed by school board, appointed by mayor 
	or other political official or group of officials?)
	3. To whom is he directly responsible? (School board? Mayor? City council or commission? Public?)
	4. How much freedom of action does he have (freedom of choice, freedom from municipal red tape, 
	freedom from political influence) in:
		a) selection of new teachers and retention of old ones
		b) setting educational standards and selection of textbooks
		c) experiments in new methods and procurement of new equipment
	5. Are the salary of your school superintendent and his prestige in the community adequate to attract a 
	man (or woman) of high professional standing?
	6. Is the "teacher tenure" or job security adequate to attract new teachers? Is there an adequate pension 
	system? What is the retirement age?.
	7. How many teachers have left your schools during the past five years? For what principal reasons?
	8. Are women teachers permitted or encouraged to continue teaching after marriage?
	9. Are there two salary standards—one for men teachers and another for women teachers?
	10. How do teachers' salaries in your community compare with those of other trades and professions?
	11. What encouragement is offered your teachers to increase their own knowledge, ability and 
	professional advancement?
	12. How many graduates of your high schools this June plan to enter the teaching profession?
	13. What educational associations recognize your school system?
	14. Are graduates of your high schools required to take entrance examinations for admission to the state 
	university? near-by colleges? any college or university?
	15. What are the educational requirements needed to become a teacher in your schools? For 
	advancement and or increase in salary?
	16. Are your school buildings adequate in size and facilities to meet the great increase in the U.S. 
	birthrate which began in 1941 and has continued every year since? Shift in population?
	17. Are there mechanical facilities (motion picture projectors, phonographs, radios, public address 
	systems, laboratory facilities) to let your teachers take advantage of the tremendous strides in visual 
	education made by the Armed Forces during the war?
	18. What opportunities for vocational training are offered?
	19. What program of physical and health education is offered?
	20. What is the school tax rate in your community?
	21. How are supplies and equipment purchased?
	22. How many pupils are there per teacher in your grade schools? high schools?
	23. How do your schools report to you as a taxpayer? As a parent?
	24. Is there an active Parent-Teacher Association or similar organization in your community? Are you a 
	member?
	25. Have you visited the school in your neighborhood since you went there in 1942 to get your first War 
	Ration book?

The Length of a Child's Legs. 
The size of an American township, as widely adopted, was governed by the length of a child's legs. Each township 
was presumed to provide a public school for the children of families residing therein. Boundaries were so arranged 
that a child living anywhere in the township could walk to and from school each day.

FOOTNOTES ON EDUCATION
	"The real object of education is to give children resources that will endure as long as life endures; habits 
that time will ameliorate, not destroy; occupations that will render sickness tolerable, solitude pleasant, age 
venerable, life more dignified and useful, and death less terrible." —Sidney Smith 

"That man is best educated who is most useful. . . . There are persons who are always talking about preparing for 
life. The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live. A school should not be a preparation; a school should be 
lite." —Elbert Hubbard

"A man cannot leave a better legacy to the world than a well-educated family." —Thomas Scott

"I honestly believe it iz better tew know nothing than tew know what aint so." —Josh Billings

EARLIEST COMMUNITY PLEDGE
The "Mayflower" Compact (Written and signed by the Pilgrims on the "Mayflower," on their way to America, 1620)

	In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyall Subjects of our dread 
soveraigne Lord King James, by the grace of God of Great Britaine, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the 
Faith &c.
	Having under-taken for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian Faith, and honour of our 
King and Countrey, a Voyage to plant the first Colony in the Northerne parts of Virginia, doe by these presents 
solemnly & mutually in the presence of God and one of another, covenant, and combine our selves together into a 
chill body politike, for our better ordering and preservation, and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and vertue 
hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equall Lawes, Ordinances, acts, constitutions, offices from time
to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the generall good of the Colony: unto which we promise 
all due submission and obedience. In witnesse whereof we have here-under subscribed our names. Cape Cod 11.
of November, in the yeare of the raigne of our soveraigne Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland 18. 
and of Scotland 54. Anno Domino 1620.

8. Live alone?... We wouldn't like it!
	Pledge: I will try to make my community a better place in which to live.

The Pilgrim Fathers "got together" to come to this country. From other countries came groups which settled 
together at a "good bend in the crick." Neighbors built cabins near each other, leaned on each other, worked with 
each other, protected each other.

Man has always liked someone else to talk to; someone else to walk with, to learn with, to worship with, to run races 
against, to wrestle, to argue politics with, and with whom to deplore the weather. Men early found that by their joint 
efforts they could achieve something far greater than they could hope to accomplish singly.

The more things that people working together in a community can do without depending on the federal or state
government, the more our individual rights will be preserved, the stronger our nation will be.

You have cast your vote and paid your taxes. Don't stop there. There is also an intangible obligation to make a 
community a little better for the time you have lived in it.

You don't have to be a professional do-gooder to be a good citizen. No matter how busy he is, in addition to 
church and school, nearly everybody can find time for at least one community activity. It may be the Boy Scouts or
Girl Scouts, the 4-H Club, the Red Cross, the Future Farmers of America, the Community Fund, the Campfire Girls, 
slum clearance, a new park, a public swimming pool or golf course, or merely your family helping another family.

The spirit which motivates these groups is what makes one community so much better to live in than another town
the same size which doesn't have that spirit. These things call for your time and ability rather than your money, and 
they will give every good citizen an inner glow of pride and satisfaction for having done them.

THE MAKING OF A TOWN
	by William Allen White

". . . the material—the brick and stone and mortar and lumber that make this town, are but a small part of it. 
Hundreds of towns in the country have just as much brick, stone, lumber and lime as Emporia has, that are not 
nearly such good towns.

"Those who have lived during the half century now passed, put something here besides houses and streets and 
trees and material things. They put practical work in politics, in religion, in education, in business, in the social 
organization to make this a good town. Emporia did not just grow. To have a clean town meant a fight, every day in 
the year tor someone; it meant sacrifice for scores of men and women—sacrifice of time and money and health 
and strength. To have all these schools and churches meant that thousands gave freely and in a great faith 
without material results in sight, that we who now enjoy what we have, might reap where we have not sown. 

"This town is the child of many prayers. This town is the ideal realized only after those who dreamed the ideal, laid
them down to rest with the dream still a dream. This town is the fruit of great aspiration, and we who live here now,
have a debt to posterity that we can pay only by still achieving, still pursuing; we must learn to labor and to wait, 
even as they learned it who built here on this townsite when it was raw upland prairie. . ."

Make no little plans 
"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably in themselves will not be realized.
Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never
die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing intensity. Remember
that our sons and grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your
beacon beauty." -Daniel Bumham. Architect of the Chicago Plan. l909

''It's Not My Fault"
	by JOHN" EDGAR HOOVER, Director
	Federal Bureau of Investigation

"The old familiar alibi of the criminal —'It's not my fault'—is heard too often in our daily lives. Failure to meet our 
responsibilities often shows itself in our home life. It was the bus driver's fault that Mr. Smith was late for work. 
Jimmy didn't do his homework last night because he had misplaced his books. Mrs. Smith missed her dentist 
appointment because the car wouldn't start.

"While these excuses seem unimportant, we fail to realize that many of us in our daily life refuse to admit the truth, 
that we as individuals have often shirked our responsibilities . . . The mature person refuses to deceive himself
and consequently will not deceive others . . .

"A nation of individuals willing to face their responsibilities and aware of their civic, religious and community duties 
will make for a nation living together in decency, honor and mutual respect."

SHOW PLACES AND BACK PLACES
"If a city has splendid public buildings and filthy, overcrowded back streets, fine drives for . . . automobiles and 
gloomy tenements for the poor to live in, statues of poets and great men in the show places, and grim death busily
at work all the time in the back places, it is because the voters are indifferent, and those who ought to know better
have very narrow ideas of what a city is and ought to be." -Charles and Mary Beard

COMMITTEES OF UNITY
One hundred fifty American cities have established Mayors' Committees of Unity. Representing all social, religious 
and economic groups within the community, these committees foster cooperation on many civic projects and 
sponsor educational programs to promote intergroup good will. United communities mean a strong, united nation. 
Is there a Mayor's Committee of Unity in your city?

		"If the little ant and the silly bee seek by their
		diligence the good of their commonwealth,
		much more ought man."
						—Captain John Smith

It's yours, ain't it?
"Ten years after I came to this country I made a trip to Washington. The first morning I walked from the White House
through Constitution Avenue to the Capitol. At the entrance to the Capitol, probably still having the many 'verboten' 
signs of Germany (the country of my birth) in mind, I asked the police officer on guard very timidly, 'Is one permitted
to enter the Capitol and look around?' The policeman's answer, short and to the point, is one of my fondest
memories. 'Hell, yes!' he said. 'Walk right in. Don't you know it's yours?'' —G. P. Schwabacher

9. Nation in miniature
	Pledge: I will practice and teach the principles of good citizenship right in my own home.

Our country, when you come right down to it, is just a lot of families.

In the family are cradled the cardinal virtues that enable good families to add up to a great nation—standards of 
conduct, respect for the rights and property of others, loyalty, health, tolerance, cooperation, self-reliance, good 
breeding and a sense of the fitness of things.

In principle, the family must be the keystone, the microcosm, the atom-that-can't-be-split of our republic.

Democracy must be based on homes where the interests of man, woman and child receive equal consideration.

Whether in a crowded rooming house or on the farm, the answer must come from men and women of intelligence 
and good will who look on the successful maintenance of a family as one of the greatest acts of good citizenship.

Just as democracy starts in the home as an obligation, it ends there as a reward. To the degree that all the other 
duties of citizenship have been fulfilled, your home will be your castle, secure from the threat of confiscation, and 
those in it safe from detention camps and firing squads.

Women need help
The home, we all agree, is the foundation of the social structure. And women are the bed rock under that 
foundation. Any woman who achieves success as a mother has a more pervasive influence over the next 
generation than any cell of communists. And her mother's mite certainly outweighs in social significance the 
manufacture of millions of can openers.

"The home, in effect, is the transmission belt of our culture, for it is there that the child learns its first lessons. It is 
the place where our social health is either insured or undermined insidiously. . . .

". . . The complexity of modern business with its emphasis on centralization has succeeded in taking more and 
more men out of their homes for more and more hours of the day. Only on farms, really, and in towns and smaller 
cities do men still share family life with their women and children. There is no question but that the majority of 
American men do right by their women financially. American women are the best fed, best clothed and the best 
housed . . . women in the world.

"But women want more than financial security. They want social security. They want emotional security. By and
large, they don't want out of the home. They want men back in the home sharing the living to be found there. They
want a homing pigeon—not a lame duck. 

"Many women are seriously disturbed over the transient character of so much of modern living. The rather obvious 
decline in the role of the church and the staggering increase in the divorce rate are hardly reassuring. . .

"And underlying all their thoughts is the unconscious recognition that in the past forty years they have raised two 
generations for war. War with its implications of death is the ultimate violation of all women's basic instincts.

	"Yes, women need help!
	"There's little men can do to aid them except as men are willing to share the duties of adulthood"
							—Otis Wiese, Editor, McCall's Magazine

"A little of citizenship ought to be taught at the mother's knee and in the nursery. Citizenship is what makes a
republic; monarchies can get along without it. What keeps a republic on its legs is good citizenship."—.Mark Twain

"While children may tear up a house once in a while, they rarely break up a home.''

A Heart for Hospitality
". . . And that was w hat a home was for. That was the obligation a man took upon himself when he married—to
build a refuge for those for whom he was responsible, a harbor of safety during all their youth, a sure retreat in
case of later need, a haven of comfort and welcome in time of trouble. That was why homes had front rooms—to
provide a place for courtings, for weddings, for reunions, for the honoring of guests, for all the essential rites and
ceremonies attendant upon and necessary to family life . . .

"A cellar provisioned against the fangs of winter will in reality save time, energy, and money. An extra chair in the 
dining room, an extra bed in the house, a heart for hospitality, might do more for the peace of the world than 
armored cruisers or a league of something that does nothing. You cannot hate a man whom you have invited to sit 
at your table, and you cannot help feeling an interest in the welfare of one who has slept in your house. . ."
									—Delia T. Lutes

CHILDREN'S CHARTER
Every ten years since 1909 a White House conference has been called by the President of the United States to 
report on what is being done and what ought to be done for the nation's children.

President Hoover's White House Conference on "Child Health and Protection" in 1930 drew up the Children's 
Charter of 19 points.

The 1940 conference on "Children in a Democracy" found many signs of progress since 1930 in the health and 
care of children, and mapped out a new program of activity.

HOME
	by Edgar A. Guest

			It takes a heap o' livin' in a house t' make it home,
			A heap o' sun an' shadder, an' ye sometimes have t' roam
			Afore ye really 'predate the things ye lef behind.
			An' hunger fer 'em somehow, with 'em alius on yer mind.
			It don't make any differunce how rich ye get t' be.
			How much yer chairs an' tables cost, how great yer luxury;
			It ain't home t' ye, though it be the palace of a king.
			Until somehow yer soul is sort o' wrapped round everything.

			Home ain't a place that gold can buy or get up in a minute;
			Afore it's home there's got t' be a heap o' livin' in it;
			Within the walls there's got t' be some babies born, and then
			Right there ye've got t' bring 'em up t' women good, an' men;
			And gradjerly, as time goes on, ye find ye wouldn't part
			With anything they ever used—they've grown into yer heart:
			The old high chairs, the playthings, too, the little shoes they wore
			Ye hoard; an' if ye could ye'd keep the thumbmarks on the door.

			Ye've got t' weep t' make it home, ye've got t' sit an' sigh
			An' watch beside a oved one's bed, an' know that Death is nigh;
			An' in the stillness o' the night t' see Death's angel come,
			An' close the eyes o' her that smiled, an' leave her sweet voice dumb.
			Fer these are scenes that grip the heart, an' when yer tears are dried.
			Ye find the home is dearer than it was, an' sanctified;
			An' tuggin' at ye always are the pleasant memories
			O' her that was an' is no more—ye can't escape from these.

			Ye've got t' sing an' dance fer years, ye've got t' romp an' play,
			An' learn t' love the things ye have by usin' 'em each day;
			Even the roses 'round the porch must blossom year by year
			Afore they 'come a part o' ye, suggestin' someone dear
			Who used t' love 'em long ago, an' trained 'em jes' t' run
			The way they do, so's they would get the early mornin' sun;
			Ye've got t' love each brick an' stone from cellar up t' dome;
			It takes a heap o' livin' in a house t' make it home.

A Religious Nation
Religion is a personal and private matter. According to the first article of the Bill of Rights, Congress cannot set up
a national church, lay taxes to support one church or all churches. It cannot compel people to attend church or
punish them for not attending. Although it appropriates money to support chaplains and rabbis in the armed
forces and for a chaplain to say prayers for Congress, this is not regarded as an "establishment of religion."

Religion does not affect the right to vote, or the right to hold office.

Still the cornerstone of our republic is a religious concept: that "every human being is endowed with a soul that is
sacred in the eyes of a Sovereign God and with the power to distinguish between right and wrong; that the 
judgment expressed by a majority of such divinely created human beings is likely to be closest to God's will for all 
of them; and that every mortal soul is endowed by its Creator with certain natural inalienable rights that no human 
agency whatever can justly invade."

This principle is common to all three of our great religious faiths—Protestantism, Catholicism and Judaism.

The relation of religion to government is expressed not only in the services and activities of our 265,583 places
of worship, but in many other ways.

The sessions of both houses of Congress, the Supreme Court and of our state legislatures are opened with prayer.

There are still millions of good American homes where grace before meals is not considered old-fashioned.

The juror swears with his hand on the Holy Bible, which is the world's biggest-selling book. Every oath ends with 
the words, "So help me, God."

To a great extent, America was colonized by men and women who sought freedom from religious persecution.

The celebrated "Mayflower Compact" was drawn up "in the presence of God and one of another."

Our Declaration of Independence states that men "are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights" 
and places "a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence."

Every State Constitution assumes that religion is essential to the wellbeing of the community.

Our national songs are essentially religious, and our national motto, "In God we trust" appears on all of our coins.

Abraham Lincoln said, "I find myself often going to my knees in the certain conviction that there is nowhere else to 
go."

World War II gave currency to a great truth—"There are no atheists in foxholes." In the armed forces the only flag 
ever raised above the national emblem is the chapel pennant with the cross.

The most skeptical recognizes that "the laws of Nature do not account for the origin of the laws of Nature."

Practically on his deathbed. Woodrow Wilson said, "The sum of the whole matter is this, that our civilization cannot
survive materially unless it is redeemed spiritually."

FROM THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PREAMBLE
WE the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic 
Tranquility, provide for the common defence, 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.

The Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the Constitution:

ARTICLE I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or 
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition 
the Government for a redress of grievances.

ARTICLE II
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear 
Arms, shall not be infringed.

ARTICLE III
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, 
but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

ARTICLE IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable
searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by 
Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

ARTICLE V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment
of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of
War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or 
limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or 
property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

ARTICLE VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the 
State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously 
ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the 
witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance 
of Counsel for his defence.

ARTICLE VII
In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be 
preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than
according to the rules of the common law.

ARTICLE VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

ARTICLE IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained 
by the people.

ARTICLE X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved 
to the States respectively, or to the people.

Bold Idea
For ten years after the Declaration of Independence our soul burned without a body. We had the name of a nation,
but were not yet a nation. In those days Maine was farther from Georgia than Georgia is from Patagonia today. The
task of building a loose league of states into a federal government had never been performed before in the world.

At the time a wagonload of cabbages coming in from Connecticut to New York City had to pay a tax at the state line.
Connecticut and Pennsylvania were on the verge of war over a valley located in New York State. The idea that 
sovereign, independent states should give up supreme sovereignty and acknowledge their interdependence was a
new idea, terrifying to some.

The idea is regarded as the most originally American idea on earth.
					Adapted from "Journey into America." by- Donald Culross Peattie

THE SNAP-BACK OF DEMOCRACY
"Dictatorship is brutal because it is brittle. It cannot bend; it can only break or be broken. It cannot lead its people; 
it can only drive them.

"Democracy, on the other hand, is resilient. It bends without breaking. It sways to the left or to the right, and returns 
to the point of normal balance. It calls for leaders, not for drivers. A free people can be led a greater distance and 
to greater heights than a slave people can be driven." —David Sarnoff

"THE SAGACITY OF THE MANY"
"There may be those who . . . say in their hearts that the masses are ignorant; that farmers know nothing of 
legislation; that mechanics should not quit their workshops to join in forming public opinion. But true political
science does indeed venerate the masses. . . .

"Truth is not to be ascertained by the impulses of an individual; it emerges from the contradictions of personal
opinions; it raises itself in majestic serenity above the strifes of parties and the conflict of sects; it acknowledges
neither the solitary mind, nor the separate faction as its oracle; but owns as its only faithful interpreter the
dictates of pure reason itself, proclaimed by the general voice of mankind. . .

"Thus the opinion which we respect is, indeed, not the opinion of one or of a few, but the sagacity of the many."
									—George Bancroft

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.

						Written by William Tyler Page, Clerk of the U. S.
						House of Representatives. Accepted by the House of
						Representatives, on behalf of the American people.
						April 1, 1918.

The Star Spangled Banner
	O say can you see by the dawn's early light
		What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming,
	Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
		O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
	And the rocket's red glare, the bomb bursting in air,
		Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there
			O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
			O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

	On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
		Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
	What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
		As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
	Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam
		In full glory reflected now shines in the stream
			'Tis the star-spangled banner—O long may it wave
			O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

	And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,
		That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
	A home and a Country should leave us no more?
		Their blood has wash'd out their foul footstep's pollution
	No refuge could save the hireling and slave
		From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
			And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
			O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

	0 thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
		Between their lov'd home and the war's desolation!
	Blest with vict'ry and peace may the heav'n rescued land
		Praise the power that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
	Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just.
		And this be our motto—"In God is our Trust."
			And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave.
			O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

					(The Star-Spangled Banner, adopted by Congress in 1931 as the
					national anthem of the United States, was written by Francis
					Scott Key, a Baltimore Lawyer, in 1814. England was at war with
					the United States, and Key had gone aboard a British warship to
					arrange the release of an American prisoner, he was forced to stay
					on board during the night-long bombardment of Fort McHenry
					near Baltimore. In great anxiety he wondered whether the fort
					could withstand the British attack. At daybreak, as firing ceased,
					Key saw the Stars and Stripes still waving. In joy and relief he
					wrote this great poem.)

OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM
A Gallup poll shows that only 31 percent of the population actually knows the name of our national anthem.

AMERICA
	My country! 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing:
	Land where my fathers died! Land of the pilgrims' pride!
		From every mountain side let freedom ring!

	My native country, thee, land of the noble free, thy name I love;
	I love thy rocks and rills, thy woods and templed hills:
		My heart with rapture thrills like that above.

	Let music swell the breeze, and ring from all the trees sweet freedom's song:
	Let mortal tongues awake; let all that breathe partake;
		Let rocks their silence break, the sound prolong.

	Our father's God to Thee, Author of liberty, to Thee we sing:
	Long may our land be bright with freedom's holy light;
		Protect us by Thy might, great God, our King!

Our national hymn was written by Samuel Francis Smith while he was still a theological student at Andover 
Academy, in 1832. "I did not know at the time that the tune was the British 'God Save the King,' " he said. "I did not
purpose to write a national hymn. I laid the song aside and nearly forgot I had made it. Some weeks later I sent it to 
[a friend], and on the following Fourth of July he brought it out, much to my surprise, at a children's celebration in
the Park Street Church, Boston."

Four years later the song was published in a collection and soon caught the public fancy.

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL
	O beautiful for spacious skies, 
		For amber waves of grain,
	For purple mountain majesties
		Above the fruited plain.
			America! America!
			God shed His grace on thee,
			And crown thy good with brotherhood
			From sea to shining sea.

	O beautiful for pilgrim feet
		Whose stern impassioned stress
	A thoroughfare of freedom beat
		Across the wilderness.
			America! America!
			God mend thine every flaw.
			Confirm thy soul in self-control,
			Thy liberty in law.

	O beautiful for heroes proved
		In liberating strife.
	Who more than self their country loved,
		And mercy more than life.
			America! America!
			May God thy gold refine
			Till all success be nobleness,
			And every gain divine.

	O beautiful for patriot dream
		That sees beyond the years
	Thine alabaster cities gleam
		Undimmed by human tears.
			America! America!
			God shed His grace on thee,
			And crown thy good with brotherhood
			From sea to shining sea.

							Written by Katherine Lee Bates in 1893
							Copyright by Thomas Y. Crowell Company

"The frontier remains in the American character. We are the nation that likes new ideas and looks for new ways. We
are the people to whom nothing seems impossible. This is not a boast; this is the strong hope of youth, untried. We 
still dare to believe that the most practical thing on earth is an ideal." —Donald Culross Peattie

GOD BLESS AMERICA
	God Bless America, Land that I love,
	Stand beside her and guide her
		Thru the night with a light from above;

	From the mountains, to the prairies.
	To the oceans white with foam,
		God bless America, My home, sweet home.

Irving Berlin wrote "God Bless America" in 1917 as the finale for a musical show but, for various reasons, laid it 
aside and forgot about it. Just before World War II, at the time of the Munich Conference, Mr. Berlin was in Europe:
''Democracies were kowtowing to dictators," he comments, "and one wondered when grasping hands would be 
stretched farther.

"When I got back, Kate Smith wanted a song that would sort of wake up America. I sat down and tried to write one. 
I made several efforts, but everything I wrote was too definite. . . . Suddenly I remembered the song I had laid aside 
twenty years before. I got it out . . . made a few changes and found I'd hit the nail on the head. It's not a patriotic 
song, but rather an expression of gratitude for what this country has done for its citizens, of what home really 
means,"

Royalties from "God Bless America" have been donated by Mr. Berlin to the Boy and Girl Scouts of America.
Copyright 1939 by Irving Berlin, Inc. Copyright assigned to Herbert Swope, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., and Gene Tunney, as 
Trustees.

IN THE BYPATHS OF HISTORY
"Ben Franklin is credited in the history books with saying, 'We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we
shall all hang separately.' . . . Unfortunately, it was all too true. Every man who signed the Declaration knew that
he  might be signing his own ticket to the gallows." - Roger Butterfield in The Saturday Evening Post

Counting the Counties. 
There are more counties named Washington than any other ... 33 states have Washington Counties. Next are 
Jefferson, 26; Lincoln, 24; Franklin, 25; Jackson, 24; Adams, 12.

Alone at Last
A human commentary on the personal lives of public men is revealed in this excerpt from a letter from our first 
President to his secretary, Tobias Lear, July 31, 1797:

	Dear Sir,
		I am alone at present, and shall be glad to see you this evening.
		Unless some one pops in, unexpectedly— Mrs. Washington & myselfj will do what I
		believe has not been done within the last twenty Years by us,—that is to set down to
		dinner by ourselves. I am
							Your affectionate,
								George Washington

"Americay"
All the early presidents pronounced America as if it were spelled "Americay." In songs and poetry of the period 
"America" was usually rhymed with words having an "ay" ending.

Our Founding Fathers
The wise men who framed our Constitution were not gray beards. Washington, one of the eldest, was only 55; 
Jefferson, 44; Madison, 36, and Hamilton, 30. A lot of them were in their thirties; several in their twenties.

Bachelor President. 
Our only unmarried president was James Buchanan. At the time of his first inauguration Grover Cleveland was a 
bachelor, but shortly afterward - June 2, 1886 - he was married in the White House.

Return Voyage of the Mayflower
When the Mayflower sailed for "home" in April following the midwinter landing, an old historian says:
		"Not one of the colonists went in her.
		So sweet was the taste of freedom
		even under the shadow of death."

Sparks From The Forge of Freedom

		"Liberty is the one thing you can't have unless you give it to others."
		—William Allen White

		"Democracy means not, 'I'm as good as you are,' but 'you're as good as I am.' "
		—Theodore Parker

		"As I would not be a slave, so would I not be a master." 
		—Abraham Lincoln

		"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigues
		of supporting it." 
		—Thomas Paine

		"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."
		—John Philpot Curran

		"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?
		Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me,
		give me liberty or give me death!"
		—Patrick Henry

		"No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his body, to risk his
		well-being, to risk his life, in a great cause."
		—Theodore Roosevelt

		"I have not yet begun to fight."
		—John Paul Jones

		"The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for among old parchments or
		musty records. They are written as with a sunbeam in the whole volume of human
		destiny by the hand of divinity itself, and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power."
		—Alexander Hamilton

		"For what avail the plough or sail, Or land or life, if freedom fail?"
		—Ralph Waldo Emerson

		"Liberty will not descend to a people, a people must raise themselves to liberty; it
		is a blessing that must be earned before it can be enjoyed."
						* * *
		"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve
		neither liberty nor safety."
		—Benjamin Franklin

		"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." 
		—Nathan Hale

		"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives
		us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's
		wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his
		orphan —to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves
		and with all nations."
		—Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865

		"What is liberty? Liberty is an elusive thing, it isn't a thing that you can lock up
		in the safe, turn the key and go away, and expect to find there when you come back.
		Eternal vigilance alone is the price that you pay. . ."
		—Alfred E. Smith

		"Liberty and Union, now and forever one and inseparable." 
		—Daniel Webster

		"Our country has liberty without license and authority without despotism."
		—Cardinal Gibbons

		"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
		—Generally credited to Voltaire

		"Sir, I would rather be right than be President." 
		—Henry Clay

The Flag of the United States of America
		I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America 
		and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, 
		With liberty and justice for all.
					—The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag

The Flag has 13 horizontal stripes—7 red and 6 white representing the 13 original colonies—and a "union" of white 
stars of five points on a blue field, each star with one point upward. The number of stars is the same as the number 
of States in the Union.

On the admission of a State into the Union a star will be added and will take effect on the 4th day of July next 
succeeding such admission.

WHEN THE FLAG IS FLOWN
On the day the President of the United States is inaugurated (January 20, every fourth year), Lincoln's Birthday 
(February 12), Washington's Birthday (February 22), Army Day (April 6), Mother's Day (Second Sunday in May),
Memorial Day (May 30), at half mast until noon, then raised to the peak for the rest of the day. 

Flag Day (June 14), Independence Day (July 4), Anniversary of the day on which Francis Scott Key wrote "The 
Star-Spangled Banner" (Sept. 14), Constitution Day (September 17), Gold Star Mother's Day (last Sunday in 
September), Columbus Day (October 12), Navy Day (October 27), Presidential Election Day (first Tuesday after 
the first Monday in November every fourth year), Armistice Day (November 11), Thanksgiving Day, on Admission 
Day and Election Days in the different states, and on any other patriotic occasions.

Information on these pages based on Public Law 829—77th Congress

RAISING AND LOWERING THE FLAG
The flag is not raised before sunrise and is lowered at sunset. In raising and lowering the flag it must not touch the 
ground. Those present should stand at attention, ready to salute.

SALUTING THE FLAG
It is proper to salute the flag when it is passing in a parade (about five or six paces away) and during the ceremony 
of raising or lowering the flag.

To salute the flag correctly, a person in uniform stands at attention, raises the right hand to forehead over the right 
eye, palm downward, fingers extended and close together, the arm at an angle of about forty-five degrees. The 
hand is moved outward about twelve inches, then dropped to side. 

A man not in uniform does not formally salute. He removes his hat with his right hand and holds it near his left 
shoulder, which means that his hand is held over his heart. He stands at attention. 

A woman places her right hand over her heart and stands at attention.

DISPLAYING THE FLAG
When carried in a procession with another flag or flags, the Flag of U.S.A. should be either (1) on the marching 
right, (2) when there is a line of other flags, the Flag of U.S.A. should be in the front of the center of that line.

When grouped with other flags (state flags, pennants of societies, etc.), the Flag of U.S.A. should be at center or 
at highest point.

When displayed with another flag against a wall with crossed staffs the Flag of U.S.A. should be on flag's own right 
and its staff should be in front.

When displayed over middle of street the Flag should be suspended vertically with stars to north in an east and 
west street, or to the east in a north and south street.

When displayed from staff projecting from window or building, stars should go clear to peak of staff (unless at half 
staff).

When Flag is suspended over sidewalk from a rope extending from a building to a pole, it should be hoisted out
from the building towards the pole, stars first.

When displayed in a manner other than on staff or rope, the Flag should always be displayed flat, whether 
indoors or out. The stars should be uppermost and to the Flag's right (your left). It should be shown in a window in 
the same manner, that is, the stars should be at the left of the observer in the street.

When festoons, rosettes or drapings are desired, use red, white and blue bunting, but never the Flag.

When flags of states or cities or pennants of societies are flown on the same halyard, the Flag of U.S.A. should 
always be at the peak. When flown from adjacent staffs the Flag of U.S.A. should be hoisted first and lowered
last. In such a case, no other Flag or pennant should be placed at the right of the Flag of U.S.A., that is, to the 
observer's left.

When flown at half staff the Flag should be hoisted to the peak for an instant, then lowered to the half-staff position,
but before lowering the Flag for the day it should be raised again to the peak.

When flags of two or more nations are displayed they should be flown from separate staffs of the same height and 
the flags should be approximately equal size. International usage forbids the display of the flag of one nation above 
that of another in time of peace.

Bunting of the national colors should be arranged with the blue at the top. 

When used on a speakers' platform, the Flag, if displayed flat, should be above and behind the speaker. If flown 
from a staff it should be at the speaker's right. It should never be used to cover the speaker's desk nor to drape 
over the front of the platform.

When displayed in church—(1) In body of church the Flag should be on staff in position of honor at congregation's 
right as it faces the clergyman. (2) If in a chancel or on a platform the Flag should be on the clergyman's right, as 
he faces the congregation.

When worn as a badge, the Flag should be small and without folds. It should be pinned to the left breast of dress or
coat or to the left coat lapel. It must not be used as a part of a costume or as a decoration.

No advertising or lettering may appear upon it. The Flag as a trade-mark for merchandise is prohibited by law. No 
advertising sign should be fastened to a pole from which the Flag is flown.

Do not use the Flag as a portion of a costume or athletic uniform. Do not put on cushions, handkerchiefs or boxes.

What you can do about it
	The Nine Promises of a GOOD CITIZEN
Ask yourself,
	"Am I truly a citizen—or just a fortunate tenant of this great nation?"

On the opposite page [below] is a summary of the working tools of good citizenship. Pledge yourself here and now to these 
nine points—that you, your children and your children's children may continue to enjoy the American Heritage of 
"life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness."

							1.
	I will vote at all elections. I will inform myself on candidates and issues and will use my greatest influence
to see that honest and capable officials are elected. I will accept public office when I can serve my community or my 
country thereby. (Pages 8 to 19)

							2.
	I will serve on a jury when asked. (Pages 20 to 27)

							3.
	I will respect and obey the laws. I will assist public officials in preventing crime and the courts in giving
evidence. (Pages 28 to 30)

							4.
	I will pay my taxes understandingly (if not cheerfully). (Pages 32 to 37)

							5.
	I will work for peace but will dutifully accept my responsibilities in time of war and will respect the Flag.
	(Pages 38 and 39)

							6.
	In thought, expression and action; at home, at school and in all my contacts, I will avoid any group 
prejudice based on class, race or religion. (Pages 42 to 45)

							7.
	I will support our system of free public education by doing everything I can to improve the schools in my
own community. (Pages 46 to 51)

							8.
	I will try to make my community a better place in which to live. (Pages 52 to 55)

							9.
	I will practice and teach the principles of good citizenship right in my own home. (Pages 56 to 60)

NOW . . . FREEDOM NEEDS YOU

					The Freedom Pledge
					I am an American. A free American.
						Free to speak—without fear
					Free to worship God in my own way
						Free to stand for what I think right
					Free to oppose what I believe wrong
						Free to choose those who govern my country.

					This heritage of Freedom I pledge to uphold
					For myself and all mankind.

End of Text

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