America was, as the founders knew, an experiment. Like all experiments, it started with a precept, a "given"--in this case a set of truth so rock-ribbed and essential that they were deemed "self-evident." Truth cast in language that, in turn, spells out the truth for succeeding generations deserves to be called a creed. So it is with Thomas Jefferson's preamble to the Declaration of Independence. The faith of a nation is captured in it's words, words that flash with moral inspiration and shine on as a lasting inheritance.--From the American Creed