John Fitzgerald Kennedy

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

May 29, 1917 - November 22, 1963

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.

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 to assure the survival

And the success of liberty

Now the trumpet summons us again

Not as a call to bear arms - though embattled we are

But a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle

A struggle against the common enemies of man

Tyranny - Poverty - Disease - and War itself

In the long history of the world

Only a few generations have been granted

The role of defending freedom

In the hour of maximum danger

I do not shrink from this responsibility

I welcome it

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 can do for you - but what together

We can do for the freedom of man

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.

Inaugural Address - January 20, 1961