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 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
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 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 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 a new 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
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 America 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 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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