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Inaugural
Address Listen to the
speech Vice President Johnson, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief
Justice, President Eisenhower, Vice President Nixon, President Truman, reverend
clergy, fellow citizens, 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 I before you and
Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears l 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 beliefs for which our
forebears fought are 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 those 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, in order 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 across 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 To that world assembly of sovereign states, the
United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war
have far outpaced 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 to let
the oppressed go free." And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the
jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, 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 100 days.
Nor will it be finished in the first 1,000 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 in
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? 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 Finally, whether you are citizens of |
