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We observe today not
a victory of party but a celebration of freedom,
symbolizing an end as well as a beginning,
signifying renewal as well as change. For I have
sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn
oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and
three-quarters ago.
The world is very
different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the
power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all
forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary
belief for which our forebears fought is still at
issue around the globe, the belief that the rights
of man come not from the generosity of the state but
from the hand of God.
We dare not forget
today that we are the heirs of that first
revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and
place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has
been passed to a new generation of Americans, born
in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a
hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient
heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the
slow undoing of these human rights to which this
nation has always been committed, and to which we
are committed today at home and around the world.
Let every nation
know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we
shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any
hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to
assure the survival and the success of liberty. This
much we pledge--and more.
To those old allies
whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we
pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United,
there is little we cannot do in a host of
cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we
can do, for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at
odds and split asunder.
To those new states
whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge
our word that one form of colonial control shall not
have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more
iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find
them supporting our view. But we shall always hope
to find them strongly supporting their own freedom,
and to remember that, in the past, those who
foolishly sought power by riding the back of the
tiger ended up inside.
To those peoples in
the huts and villages of half the globe struggling
to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our
best efforts to help them help themselves, for
whatever period is required, not because the
Communists may be doing it, not because we seek
their votes, but because it is right. If a free
society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot
save the few who are rich.
To our sister
republics south of our border, we offer a special
pledge: To convert our good words into good deeds,
in a new alliance for progress, to assist free men
and free governments in casting off the chains of
poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot
become the prey of hostile powers. Let all our
neighbors know that we shall join with them to
oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the
Americas. And let every other power know that this
hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own
house.
To that world
assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations,
our last best hope in an age where the instruments
of war have far out-paced the instruments of peace,
we renew our pledge of support: To prevent it from
becoming merely a forum for invective; to strengthen
its shield of the new and the weak; and to enlarge
the area in which its writ may run.
Finally, to those
nations who would make themselves our adversary, we
offer not a pledge but a request: That both sides
begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark
powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf
all humanity in planned or accidental
self-destruction.
We dare not tempt
them with weakness. For only when our arms are
sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond
doubt that they will never be employed.
But neither can two
great and powerful groups of nations take comfort
from our present course--both sides overburdened by
the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by
the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both
racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror
that stays the hand of mankind's final war.
So let us begin anew,
remembering on both sides that civility is not a
sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to
proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let
us never fear to negotiate.
Let both sides
explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring
those problems which divide us.
Let both sides, for
the first time, formulate serious and precise
proposals for the inspection and control of arms,
and bring the absolute power to destroy other
nations under the absolute control of all nations.
Let both sides seek
to invoke the wonders of science instead of its
terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer
the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths
and encourage the arts and commerce.
Let both sides unite
to heed in all corners of the earth the command of
Isaiah to "undo the heavy burdens...(and) let
the oppressed go free." And if a beachhead of
co-operation may push back the jungle of suspicion,
let both sides join in creating a new endeavour, not
a new balance of power, but a new world of law,
where the strong are just and the weak secure and
the peace preserved.
All this will not be finished in the first one
hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first
one thousand days, nor in the life of this
Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on
this planet. But let us begin.
In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than
mine, will rest the final success or failure of our
course. Since this country was founded, each
generation of Americans has been summoned to give
testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of
young Americans who answered the call to service
surround the globe.
Now the trumpet summons us again--not as a call
to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to
battle, though embattled we are; but a call to bear
the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and
year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in
tribulation," a struggle against the common
enemies of man; tyranny, poverty, disease and war
itself.
Can we forge against these enemies a grand and
global alliance, North and South, East and West,
that can assure a more fruitful life for all
mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?
[Crowd shouts approval]
In the long history of the world, only a few
generations have been granted the role of defending
freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not
shrink from this responsibility; I welcome it. I do
not believe that any of us would exchange places
with any other people or any other generation. The
energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to
this endeavor will light our country and all who
serve it, and the glow from that fire can truly
light the world.
And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your
country can do for you; ask what you can do for your
country. My fellow citizens of the world, ask not
what American will do for you, but what together we
can do for the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or
citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high
standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of
you. With a good conscience our only sure reward,
with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go
forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing
and His help, but knowing that here on earth, God's
work must truly be our own.
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