When John F. Kennedy delivered his “Civil Rights Address” 50 years ago today, he probably didn’t realize how relevant his words would remain half a century later. Calling America’s racial tensions a “moral crisis,” JFK spoke forcefully about the forced desegregation of the University of Alabama and proposed new legislation that would outlaw discrimination of racial minorities and women—resulting in the Civil Rights Act of 1964—with language that still resonates amid current news stories about the LGBT community’s fight for equal rights, women’s struggle for equal pay, and racial discrimination.
On the landmark speech’s 50th anniversary, we’ve selected five quotes that are still remarkably relevant.
1. “I hope that every American, regardless of where he lives, will stop and examine his conscience about this and other related incidents. This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.”
2. “Today, we are committed to a worldwide struggle to promote and protect the rights of all who wish to be free. … It ought to to be possible, in short, for every American to enjoy the privileges of being American without regard to his race or his color.”
3. “Difficulties over segregation and discrimination exist in every city, in every state of the union, producing in many cities a rising tide of discontent that threatens the public safety. Nor is this a partisan issue. In a time of domestic crisis, men of good will and generosity should be able to unite regardless of party or politics. This is not even a legal or legislative issue alone. It is better to settle these matters in the courts than on the streets, and new laws are needed at every level, but law alone cannot make men see right. We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. It is as old as the Scriptures and is as clear as the American Constitution.”
4. “The heart of the question is whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities; whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated.”
5. “This is one country. It has become one country because all of us and all the people who came here had an equal chance to develop their talents. We cannot say to ten percent of the population that you can’t have that right; that your children cannot have the chance to develop whatever talents they have; that the only way that they are going to get their rights is to go in the street and demonstrate. I think we owe them and we owe ourselves a better country than that.”
Watch JFK deliver a portion of his “Civil Rights Address”: