I am An American by Elias Lieberman I am an American. My father belongs to the Sons of the Revolution; My mother, to the Colonial Dames. One of my ancestors pitched tea overboard in Boston Harbor; Another stood his ground with Warren; Another hungered with Washington at Valley Forge. My forefathers were America in the making: They spoke in her council halls; They died on her battlefields; They commanded her ships; They cleared her forests. Dawns reddened and paled. Stanch hearts of mine beat fast at each new star In the nation's flag. Keen eyes of mine foresaw her greater glory: The sweep of her seas, The plenty of her plains, The man-hives in her billion-wired cities. Every drop of blood in me holds a heritage of patriotism. I am proud of my past. I am an American. I am an American. My father was an atom of dust, My mother a straw in the wind, To his serene majesty. One of my ancestors died in the mines of Siberia; Another was crippled for life by twenty blows of the knout; Another was killed defending his home during the massacres. The history of my ancestors is a trail of blood To the palace gate of the Great White Czar. But then the dream came The dream of America. In the light of the Liberty torch The atom of dust became a man And the straw in the wind became a woman For the first time. "See," said my father, pointing to the flag that fluttered near, "That flag of stars and stripes is yours; It is the emblem of the promised land, It means, my son, the hope of humanity. Live for it die for it!" Under the open sky of my new country I swore to do so; And every drop of blood in me will keep that vow. I am proud of my future. I am an American. American Heritage Library Table of Contents

Back to Our Home Page T H E    I N T E R N E T    B R I G A D E Established April 1995 47671 Whirlpool Square - Potomac Falls, Virginia 20165 Linda Muller - WebMaster http://www.buchanan.org Disclaimer