US Presidency
1965

In their name Americans have fought and died for two centuries, and tonight around the world they stand there as guardians of our liberty, risking their lives. Those words are a promise to every citizen that he shall share in the dignity of man. This dignity can not be found in a man's possessions; it can not be found in his power, or in his position. It really rests on his right to be treated as a man equal in opportunity to all others. It says that he shall share in freedom, he shall choose his leaders, educate his children, and provide for his family according to his ability and his merits as a human being. To apply any other test, to deny a man his hopes because of his color or race, his religion or the place of his birth, is not only to do injustice, it is to deny America and to dishonor the dead who gave their lives for American freedom.