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 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 shank 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 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.