President Calvin Coolidge - The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution

"No other theory is adequate to explain or comprehend the Declaration of Independence. It is the product of the spiritual insight of the people. We live in an age of science and of abounding accumulation of material things. These did not create our Declaration. Our Declaration created them. The things of the spirit come first. Unless we cling to that, all our material prosperity, overwhelming though it may appear, will turn to a barren sceptre in our grasp. If we are to maintain the great heritage which has been bequeathed to us, we must be like-minded as the fathers who created it. We must not sink into a pagan materialism. We must cultivate the reverence which they had for the things that are holy. We must follow the spiritual and moral leadership which they showed. We must keep replenished, that they may glow with a more compelling flame, the altar fires before which they worshiped."

- President Calvin Coolidge, from his book "Foundations of the Republic," a Speech on the 150th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

" I believe in the American Constitution. I favor the American system of individual enterprise, and I am opposed to any general extension of government ownership and control. I believe not only in advocating economy in public expenditure, but in its practical application and actual accomplishment. I believe in a reduction and reform of taxation and shall continue my efforts in that direction. I am in favor of protection...I want agriculture and industry on a sound basis of prosperity and equality. I shall continue to strive for the economic, moral and spiritual welfare of my country. The laws of the land are being and will continue to be enforced."

- President Calvin Coolidge - An excerpt from his address accepting the Republican Presidential Nomination, August 14, 1924.

Music: Liberty Fanfare by John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra