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The American people having derived their origin from many other nations, and the聽Declaration of National Independence being entirely based on the great principle of human equality, these facts demonstrate at once our disconnected position as regards any other nation; that we have, in reality, but little connection with the past history of any of聽them, and still less with all antiquity, its glories, or its crimes. On the contrary, our聽national birth was the beginning of a new history, the formation and progress of an聽untried political system, which separates us from the past and connects us with the future聽only; and so far as regards the entire development of the natural rights of man, in moral,聽political, and national life, we may confidently assume that our country is destined to be聽the great nation of futurity.

It is so destined, because the principle upon which a nation is organized fixes its聽destiny, and that of equality is perfect, is universal. It presides in all the operations聽of the physical world, and it is also the conscious law of the soul 鈥� the self-evident聽dictates of morality, which accurately defines the duty of man to man, and consequently聽man鈥檚 rights as man. Besides, the truthful annals of any nation furnish abundant evidence,聽that its happiness, its greatness, its duration, were always proportionate to the聽democratic equality in its system of government.鈥�

What friend of human liberty, civilization, and refinement, can cast his view over the聽past history of the monarchies and aristocracies of antiquity, and not deplore that they聽ever existed? What philanthropist can contemplate the oppressions, the cruelties, and聽injustice inflicted by them on the masses of mankind, and not turn with moral horror from聽the retrospect?

America is destined for better deeds. It is our unparalleled glory that we have no聽reminiscences of battle fields, but in defence of humanity, of the oppressed of all聽nations, of the rights of conscience, the rights of personal enfranchisement. Our annals聽describe no scenes of horrid carnage, where men were led on by hundreds of thousands to聽slay one another, dupes and victims to emperors, kings, nobles, demons in the human form called heroes. We have had patriots to defend our homes, our liberties, but no aspirants to crowns or thrones; nor have the American people ever suffered themselves to be led on by wicked ambition to depopulate the land, to spread desolation far and wide, that a human being might be placed on a seat of supremacy.

We have no interest in the scenes of antiquity, only as lessons of avoidance of nearly聽all their examples. The expansive future is our arena, and for our history. We are聽entering on its untrodden space, with the truths of God in our minds, beneficent objects聽in our hearts, and with a clear conscience unsullied by the past. We are the nation of聽human progress, and who will, what can, set limits to our onward march? Providence is with us, and no earthly power can. We point to the everlasting truth on the first page of our national declaration, and we proclaim to the millions of other lands, that “the gates of hell” 鈥� the powers of aristocracy and monarchy 鈥� “shall not prevail against it.”

The far-reaching, the boundless future will be the era of American greatness. In its聽magnificent domain of space and time, the nation of many nations is destined to manifest聽to mankind the excellence of divine principles; to establish on earth the noblest temple聽ever dedicated to the worship of the Most High 鈥� the Sacred and the True. Its floor shall聽be a hemisphere 鈥� its roof the firmament of the star-studded heavens, and its聽congregation an Union of many Republics, comprising hundreds of happy millions, calling, owning no man master, but governed by God鈥檚 natural and moral law of equality, the law of brotherhood 鈥� of “peace and good will amongst men.”鈥�

Yes, we are the nation of progress, of individual freedom, of universal聽enfranchisement. Equality of rights is the cynosure of our union of States, the grand聽exemplar of the correlative equality of individuals; and while truth sheds its effulgence,聽we cannot retrograde, without dissolving the one and subverting the other. We must onward to the fulfilment of our mission 鈥� to the entire development of the principle of our organization 鈥� freedom of conscience, freedom of person, freedom of trade and business pursuits, universality of freedom and equality. This is our high destiny, and in nature鈥檚 eternal, inevitable decree of cause and effect we must accomplish it. All this will be our future history, to establish on earth the moral dignity and salvation of man 鈥� the聽immutable truth and beneficence of God. For this blessed mission to the nations of the聽world, which are shut out from the life-giving light of truth, has America been chosen;聽and her high example shall smite unto death the tyranny of kings, hierarchs, and聽oligarchs, and carry the glad tidings of peace and good will where myriads now endure an聽existence scarcely more enviable than that of beasts of the field. Who, then, can doubt聽that our country is destined to be the great nation of futurity?