Here is the video clip of the
first six minutes of Lyndon
B. Johnson's Let Us Continue speech. Scroll down for the
transcript.
It follows the full text transcript of
Lyndon B. Johnson's Let Us Continue speech, delivered
before a joined session of Congress at Washington D.C. -
November 27, 1963.
Mr. Speaker, Mr.
President, Members of the House, Members of the
Senate, my fellow Americans:
All I have I would
have given gladly not to be standing here today.
The greatest leader of our time has been struck
down by the foulest deed of our time. Today John
Fitzgerald Kennedy lives on in the immortal
words and works that he left behind. He lives on
in the mind and memories of mankind. He lives on
in the hearts of his countrymen.
No words are sad enough to express our sense of
loss. No words are strong enough to express our
determination to continue the forward thrust of
America that he began.
The dream of conquering the vastness of space --
the dream of partnership across the Atlantic --
and across the Pacific as well -- the dream of a
Peace Corps in less developed nations -- the
dream of education for all of our children --
the dream of jobs for all who seek them and need
them -- the dream of care for our elderly -- the
dream of an all-out attack on mental illness --
and above all, the dream of equal rights for all
Americans, whatever their race or color -- these
and other American dreams have been vitalized by
his drive and by his dedication.
And now the ideas and the ideals which he so
nobly represented must and will be translated
into effective action.
Under John Kennedy's leadership, this Nation has
demonstrated that it has the courage to seek
peace, and it has the fortitude to risk war. We
have proved that we are a good and reliable
friend to those who seek peace and freedom. We
have shown that we can also be a formidable foe
to those who reject the path of peace and those
who seek to impose upon us or our allies the
yoke of tyranny.
This Nation will keep its commitments from South
Viet-Nam to West Berlin. We will be unceasing in
the search for peace; resourceful in our pursuit
of areas of agreement even with those with whom
we differ; and generous and loyal to those who
join with us in common cause.
In this age when there can be no losers in peace
and no victors in war, we must recognize the
obligation to match national strength with
national restraint. We must be prepared at one
and the same time for both the confrontation of
power and the limitation of power. We must be
ready to defend the national interest and to
negotiate the common interest. This is the path
that we shall continue to pursue. Those who test
our courage will find it strong, and those who
seek our friendship will find it honorable. We
will demonstrate anew that the strong can be
just in the use of strength; and the just can be
strong in the defense of justice.
And let all know we will extend no special
privilege and impose no persecution. We will
carry on the fight against poverty and misery,
and disease and ignorance, in other lands and in
our own.
We will serve all the Nation, not one section or
one sector, or one group, but all Americans.
These are the United States -- a united people
with a united purpose. Our American unity does
not depend upon unanimity. We have differences;
but now, as in the past, we can derive from
those differences strength, not weakness,
wisdom, not despair. Both as a people and a
government, we can unite upon a program, a
program which is wise and just, enlightened and
constructive.
For 32 years Capitol Hill has been my home. I
have shared many moments of pride with you,
pride in the ability of the Congress of the
United States to act, to meet any crisis, to
distill from our differences strong programs of
national action.
An assassin's bullet has thrust upon me the
awesome burden of the Presidency. I am here
today to say I need your help; I cannot bear
this burden alone. I need the help of all
Americans, and all America. This Nation has
experienced a profound shock, and in this
critical moment, it is our duty, yours and mine,
as the Government of the United States, to do
away with uncertainty and doubt and delay, and
to show that we are capable of decisive action;
that from the brutal loss of our leader we will
derive not weakness, but strength; that we can
and will act and act now.
From this chamber of representative government,
let all the world know and none misunderstand
that I rededicate this Government to the
unswerving support of the United Nations, to the
honorable and determined execution of our
commitments to our allies, to the maintenance of
military strength second to none, to the defense
of the strength and the stability of the dollar,
to the expansion of our foreign trade, to the
reinforcement of our programs of mutual
assistance and cooperation in Asia and Africa,
and to our Alliance for Progress in this
hemisphere.
On the 20th day of January, in 1961, John F.
Kennedy told his countrymen that our national
work would not be finished in the first thousand
days, nor in the life of this administration,
nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet.
But, he said, let us begin.
Today, in this moment of new resolve, I would
say to all my fellow Americans, let us continue.
This is our challenge -- not to hesitate, not to
pause, not to turn about and linger over this
evil moment, but to continue on our course so
that we may fulfill the destiny that history has
set for us. Our most immediate tasks are here on
this Hill.
First, no memorial oration or eulogy could more
eloquently honor President Kennedy's memory than
the earliest possible passage of the civil
rights bill for which he fought so long. We have
talked long enough in this country about equal
rights. We have talked for one hundred years or
more. It is time now to write the next chapter,
and to write it in the books of law.
I urge you again, as I did in 1957 and again in
1960, to enact a civil rights law so that we can
move forward to eliminate from this Nation every
trace of discrimination and oppression that is
based upon race or color. There could be no
greater source of strength to this Nation both
at home and abroad.
And second, no act of ours could more fittingly
continue the work of President Kennedy than the
early passage of the tax bill for which he
fought all this long year. This is a bill
designed to increase our national income and
Federal revenues, and to provide insurance
against recession. That bill, if passed without
delay, means more security for those now
working, more jobs for those now without them,
and more incentive for our economy.
In short, this is no time for delay. It is a
time for action -- strong, forward-looking
action on the pending education bills to help
bring the light of learning to every home and
hamlet in America -- strong, forward-looking
action on youth employment opportunities;
strong, forward-looking action on the pending
foreign aid bill, making clear that we are not
forfeiting our responsibilities to this
hemisphere or to the world, nor erasing
Executive flexibility in the conduct of our
foreign affairs -- and strong, prompt, and
forward-looking action on the remaining
appropriation bills.
In this new spirit of action, the Congress can
expect the full cooperation and support of the
executive branch. And in particular, I pledge
that the expenditures of your Government will be
administered with the utmost thrift and
frugality. I will insist that the Government get
a dollar's value for a dollar spent. The
Government will set an example of prudence and
economy. This does not mean that we will not
meet our unfilled needs or that we will not
honor our commitments. We will do both.
As one who has long served in both Houses of the
Congress, I firmly believe in the independence
and the integrity of the legislative branch. And
I promise you that I shall always respect this.
It is deep in the marrow of my bones. With equal
firmness, I believe in the capacity and I
believe in the ability of the Congress, despite
the divisions of opinions which characterize our
Nation, to act -- to act wisely, to act
vigorously, to act speedily when the need
arises.
The need is here. The need is now. I ask your
help.
We meet in grief, but let us also meet in
renewed dedication and renewed vigor. Let us
meet in action, in tolerance, and in mutual
understanding. John Kennedy's death commands
what his life conveyed -- that America must move
forward. The time has come for Americans of all
races and creeds and political beliefs to
understand and to respect one another. So let us
put an end to the teaching and the preaching of
hate and evil and violence. Let us turn away
from the fanatics of the far left and the far
right, from the apostles of bitterness and
bigotry, from those defiant of law, and those
who pour venom into our Nation's bloodstream.
I profoundly hope that the tragedy and the
torment of these terrible days will bind us
together in new fellowship, making us one people
in our hour of sorrow. So let us here highly
resolve that John Fitzgerald Kennedy did not
live -- or die -- in vain. And on this
Thanksgiving eve, as we gather together to ask
the Lord's blessing, and give Him our thanks,
let us unite in those familiar and cherished
words:
Also called the
Persian Wars, the Greco-Persian Wars were
fought for almost half a century from 492 BC -
449 BC. Greece won against enormous odds. Here
is more:
