ABSTRACT
The obligation that people feel to one another goes back to the very beginning of human history, as a natural, spontaneous act in human relations. Obligation to government, however, is not natural. The government may try to deceive the people, and the newspapers and television may do the same, but the truth has a way of coming out. In the never-ending contest between authority and liberty that goes on in every society, the agencies of government, at their best, are still on the side of authority. To believe in democracy was to believe in the principles of the Declaration of Independence that government is an artificial creation. It is established by the people to defend the equal right of everyone to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Patriotism would mean not blind obedience to a nation’s leaders, but a commitment to help one’s neighbors and to help anyone, regardless of race or nationality, achieve a decent life.
