I'm An American Day 1941 -- The Dangerous Days

On May 17, 1941, Maurice Evans reenacts "The Dangerous Days," a play based on the writings of the American poet Walt Whitman. Walt Whitman (Maurice Evans) comes home and burns his poems after having been rejected by his publisher. Democracy (Sophia Stewart) tells Whitman to speak of the democratic poem in his heart. She reveals that only he can see the future, hear in her spirit and speak her thoughts. The spirit admits America is the currently alone in democracy but other countries are preparing. She emphatically requests Whitman to shutdown any doubters and invoke her words in his poems. Whitman begins to speak of seeing immigrants arriving and leaving, foreign offspring, urban development, migrants working and foreign-born success. Democracy warns of men and possible war. She says one country must lead and Whitman agrees it must be America. Together, they compose a poem of Americans singing and being prosperous. Democracy asks Whitman to take notes and tell the future America what it must do. Whitman tells the patriotic spirit if one is destroyed they both are lost. The special dramatic broadcast closes with Whitman calling upon the fighting spirit of pioneers.