American Self-Reliance
by J. Ollie Edmunds
This country was not built by men who relied on somebody else to take care of them. It was
built by men who relied on themselves, who dared to shape their own lives, who had enough courage to blaze new trails with enough confidence in themselves to take the necessary risks.
This self-reliance is our American legacy. It is the secret of that something which stamped Americans as Americans. Some call it individual initiative, others backbone. But whatever it is called, it is a precious ingredient in our national character, one which we mustnot lose.
The time has come for us to re-establish the rights for which we stand—to re-assert our inalienable rights to human dignity, self-respect, self-reliance—to be again the kind of people who once made America great.
Such a crusade for renewed independence will require a succession of inspired leaders—leaders in spirit and in knowledge of the problem, not just men with political power, but men who are militantly for the distinctive way of life that was America. We are likely to find such leaders only among
those that promote self-reliance and who practice it with strict devotion and understanding.
American Heritage Library Table of Contents
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