Dean Alfange, a “progressive” of his era and a labor activist, wrote 163 words, in the form of a letter, 70 years ago that was first published in Reader’s Digest in 1952.

“My Creed”

“I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon.

“I seek to develop whatever talents God gave me—not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me.

“I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed. I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia.

“I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any earthly master nor bend to any threat.

“It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say – ‘This, with God’s help, I have done.’

“All this is what it means to be an American.”

A plaque of Alfange’s words, unattributed, and confusingly misnamed — as I explain below — in Hagerstown, Indiana.

Alfange’s “My Creed” should not be confused with “The American’s Creed,” written by “American public servant” William Tyler Page, (1868 1942) — who worked in the U.S. Capitol for 61 years — in 1917 and accepted by the U.S. House of Representatives on April 3, 1918, which also stands as a reverend testament to American patriotism — and against the clear and present danger posed by the radical left, who is determined to steal from us our country as we know it.

“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.”