When in the course of history the threat of extinction confronts mankind, it
is necessary for the people of the United States to declare their
interdependence with the people of all nations and to embrace those
principles and build those institutions which will enable mankind to survive
and civilization to flourish.
Two centuries ago our forefathers brought forth a new nation; now we must
join with others to bring forth a new world order. On this historic occasion
it is proper that the American people should reaffirm those principles on
which the United States of America was founded, acknowledge the new crisis
which confronts them, accept the new obligations which history imposes upon
them, and set forth the causes which impel them to affirm before all people
their commitment to a Declaration of Interdependence.
We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal;
that the inequalities and injustices which afflict so much of the human race
as the product of history and society, not of God or nature; that people
everywhere are entitled to the blessings of life and liberty, peace and
security and the realization of their full potential; that they have an
inescapable moral obligation to preserve those rights for posterity; and
that to acheive these ends all the peoples and nations of the globe should
acknowledge their interdependence and join together to dedicate their minds
and their hearts to the solution of those problems which threaten their
survival.
It is essential that mankind free itself from the limitations of national
prejudice, and acknowledge that the forces that unite it are incomparably
deeper than those that divide it - that all people are part of one global
community, dependent on one body of resources, bound together by the ties of
a common humanity and associated in a common adventure on the planet earth.
Let us then join together to vindicate and realize this great truth that
mankind is one, and as one will nobly save or irreparably lose the heritage
of thousands of years of civilization to survive.
(End of Preamble)
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(Affirmations)
WE AFFIRM that the resources of the globe are finite, not infinite, that
they are the heritage of no one nation or generation, but of all peoples,
nations and of posterity, and that our deepest obligation is to transmit to
that posterity a planet richer in material bounty, in beauty and in delight
than we found it. Narrow notions of national sovereignty must not be
permitted to curtail that obligation.
WE AFFIRM that the exploitation of the poor by the rich, and the weak by the
strong violates our common humanity and denies to large segments of society
the blessings of life, liberty, and happiness. We recognize a moral
obligation to strive for a more prudent and more equitable sharing of the
resources of the earth in order to ameliorate poverty, hunger and disease.
WE AFFIRM that the resources of nature are sufficient to nourish and sustain
all the present inhabitants of the globe and that there is an obligation on
every society to distribute those resources equitably, along with a
corollary obligation upon every society to assure that its population does
not place upon Nature a burden heavier than it can bear.
WE AFFIRM our responsibility to help create conditions which will make for
peace and security and to help build more effective machinery for keeping
peace among nations. Because the insensate accumulation of nuclear,
chemical, and biological weapons under international supervision. We deplore
the reliance on force to settle disputes between nation states and between
rival groups within such states.
WE AFFIRM that the oceans are the common property of mankind whose
dependence on their incomparable resources of nourishment and strength will,
in the next century, become crucial for human survival, and that their
exploitation should be so regulated as to serve the interests of the entire
globe, and of future generations.
WE AFFIRM that the pollution flows with the waters and flies with the winds,
that it recognizes no boundary lines and penetrates all defenses, that it
works irreparable damage alike to Nature, and to Mankind - threatening with
extinction the life of the seas, the flora and fauna of the earth, the
health of the people in cities and the countryside alike - and that it can
be adequately controlled only through international cooperation.
WE AFFIRM that the exploration and utilization of outer space is a matter
equally important to all the nations of the globe and that no nation can be
permitted to exploit or develop the potentialities of the planetary system
exclusively for its own benefit.
WE AFFIRM that the economy of all nations is a seamless web, and that no one
nation can any longer effectively maintain its processes of production and
monetary systems without recognizing the necessity for collaborative
regulation by international authorities.
WE AFFIRM that in a civilized society, the institutions of science and the
arts are never at war and call upon all nations to exempt these institutions
from the claims of chauvinistic nationalism and to foster that great
community of learning and creativity whose benign function is to advance
civilization and the health and happiness of mankind.
WE AFFIRM that a world without law is a world without order, and we call
upon all nations to strengthen and to sustain the United Nations and its
specialized agencies, and other institutions of world order, and to broaden
the jurisdiction of the World Court, that these may preside over a reign of
law that will not only end wars but end as well that mindless violence which
terrorizes our society even in times of peace.
We can no longer afford to make little plans, allow ourselves to be the
captives of events and forces over which we have no control, consult our
fears rather than our hopes. We call upon the American people, on the
threshold of the third century of their national existence, to display once
again that boldness, enterprise, magnanimity and vision which enabled the
founders of our republic to bring forth a new nation and inaugurate a new
era in human history. The fate of humanity hangs in the balance. Throughout
the globe, hearts and hopes wait upon us. We summon all Mankind to unite to
meet the great challenge.
-Henry Steele Commager
copyright WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL OF PHILADELPHIA 1975
October 24, 1975
