Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, members of the Congress, my fellow Americans:On this Hill which was my home, I am stirred by old friendships.Though total agreement between the executive and the Congress is impossible, total respect is important.I am proud to be among my colleagues of the Congress whose legacy to their trust is their loyalty to their nation.I am not unaware of the inner emotions of the new members of this body tonight.Twenty-eight years ago, I felt as you do now. You will soon learn that you are among men whose first love is their country, men who try each day to do as best they can what they believe is right.We are entering the third century of the pursuit of American union.Two hundred years ago, in 1765, nine assembled colonies first joined together to demand freedom from arbitrary power.For the first century we struggled to hold together the first continental union of democracy in the history of man. One hundred years ago, in 1865, following a terrible test of blood and fire, the compact of union was finally sealed.For a second century we labored to establish a unity of purpose and interest among the many groups which make up the American community.That struggle has often brought pain and violence. It is not yet over. But we have achieved a unity of interest among our people that is unmatched in the history of freedom.And so tonight, now, in 1965, we begin a new quest for union. We seek the unity of man with the world that he has built—with the knowledge that can save or destroy him—with the cities which can stimulate or stifle him—with the wealth and the machines which can enrich or menace his spirit.We seek to establish a harmony between man and society which will allow each of us to enlarge the meaning of his life and all of us to elevate the quality of our civilization. This is the search that we begin tonight.But the unity we seek cannot realize its full promise in isolation. For today the state of the Union depends, in large measure, upon the state of the world.Our concern and interest, compassion and vigilance, extend to every corner of a dwindling planet.Yet, it is not merely our concern but the concern of all free men. We will not, and we should not, assume that it is the task of Americans alone to settle all the conflicts of a torn and troubled world.Let the foes of freedom take no comfort from this. For in concert with other nations, we shall help men defend their freedom.Our first aim remains the safety and the well-being of our own country.We are prepared to live as good neighbors with all, but we cannot be indifferent to acts designed to injure our interests, or our citizens, or our establishments abroad. The community of nations requires mutual respect. We shall extend it—and we shall expect it.In our relations with the world we shall follow the example of Andrew Jackson who said: "I intend to ask for nothing that is not clearly right and to submit to nothing that is wrong." And he promised, that "the honor of my country shall never be stained by an apology from me for the statement of truth or for the performance of duty." That was this nation's policy in the 1830s and that is this nation's policy in the 1960s.Our own freedom and growth have never been the final goal of the American dream.We were never meant to be an oasis of liberty and abundance in a worldwide desert of disappointed dreams. Our nation was created to help strike away the chains of ignorance and misery and tyranny wherever they keep man less than God means him to be.We are moving toward that destiny, never more rapidly than we have moved in the last four years.In this period we have built a military power strong enough to meet any threat and destroy any adversary. And that superiority will continue to grow so long as this office is mine—and you sit on Capitol Hill.In this period no new nation has become Communist, and the unity of the Communist empire has begun to crumble.In this period we have resolved in friendship our disputes with our neighbors of the hemisphere, and joined in an Alliance for Progress toward economic growth and political democracy.In this period we have taken more steps toward peace—including the test ban treaty—than at any time since the Cold War began.In this period we have relentlessly pursued our advances toward the conquest of space.Most important of all, in this period, the United States has reemerged into the fullness of its self-confidence and purpose. No longer are we called upon to get America moving. We are moving. No longer do we doubt our strength or resolution. We are strong and we have proven our resolve.No longer can anyone wonder whether we are in the grip of historical decay. We know that history is ours to make. And if there is great danger, there is now also the excitement of great expectations.Yet we still live in a troubled and perilous world. There is no longer a single threat. There are many. They differ in intensity and in danger. They require ...
