Inaugural Address of John F. Kennedy

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Inaugural Address of John F. Kennedy

 

Inaugural Address of John F. Kennedy

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 1961

 

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 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 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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