Let Us Continue!

Welcome to Celebrate Poe - this is episode 281- Let Us Continue!   And just in case you are wondering, I am taking a break from episodes about Edgar Poe until election day, and devoting that time to great words from other notable Americans - especially in the political area.

Now in the previous episodes, I looked at John Kennedy’s 1960 Inaugural Address - followed by an episode devoted to his Civil Rights Address.  And this episode is largely devoted to an address by his successor, Lyndon Baines Johnson regarding President’s Kennedy’s assassination. 

Transcript

Welcome to Celebrate Poe - this is episode 281- Let Us Continue!   And just in case you are wondering, I am taking a break from episodes about Edgar Poe until election day, and devoting that time to great words from other notable Americans - especially in the political area.

Now in the previous episodes, I looked at John Kennedy’s 1960 Inaugural Address - followed by an episode devoted to his Civil Rights Address.  And this episode is largely devoted to an address by his successor, Lyndon Baines Johnson regarding President’s Kennedy’s assassination. 

And for listeners who might not be familiar with President Kennedy - I refer you to episode 279 - dealing with Kennedy’s 1960 Inaugural Address.
And if you are not all that familiar with the events surrounding JFK's assassination, what follows is a concise overview of what happened and its impact on the nation.  Some of you might have not been born yet - making it difficult to understand the tragic nature of a young President killed in office.  And for some of us, the events surrounding President Kennedy’s assassination are all too familiar.

You see, on November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. As he rode in an open-top limousine through Dealey Plaza, shots rang out at approximately 12:30 p.m. local time. Kennedy was struck twice and rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later

The assassin was identified as Lee Harvey Oswald, a former U.S. Marine who had worked at the Texas School Book Depository, from where the shots were fired.

Oswald was arrested shortly after the assassination but was himself killed two days later by Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as president aboard Air Force One just hours after Kennedy's death.

It would be an understatement to say that the assassination of JFK had a profound and lasting effect on the United States. The event shocked and traumatized the nation. For many Americans, it remains one of the most wrenching public events of their lives.

President Kennedy's death marked the end of what many saw as a period of optimism and hope, often referred to as "Camelot."
The assassination led to significant changes in American politics, including a renewed focus on civil rights under President Johnson. Television news gained new importance, as millions of Americans followed the events in real-time.  The assassination even left an indelible mark on American culture, influencing art, literature, and popular media for decades. The assassination of JFK was a pivotal moment in American history, marking a loss of innocence for many and ushering in a period of significant social and political change.

On the darker side, the dramatic course of events led to numerous conspiracy theories that persist to this day, despite official investigations.

The new President, Lyndon Baines Johnson gave  his "Let Us Continue" speech. Delivered on November 27, 1963, his address has been described as a pivotal moment in his presidency and American history.

Before playing an audio recording of President Johnson giving that speech, I like to make some comments that I hope will clarify some of his concepts.

Now remember, this is just five days after the assassination and Lyndon Johnson has just been sworn in as president.  The address was given to a a joint session of Congress and the American public during a time of national grief and uncertainty.

Johnson emphasized the need for the nation to come together and continue the work started by Kennedy. He famously stated, "Let us continue," which became the speech's unofficial title.

Johnson called for the swift passage of civil rights legislationa way to honor Kennedy's legacy. This set the stage for the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. The president also urged Congress to pass Kennedy's proposed tax reform bill, positioning it as crucial for economic growth and job creation3.

The speech itself lasted approximately 25 minutes and was interrupted 34 times by applause. Johnson's rhetoric was both somber and resolute, acknowledging the nation's loss while also projecting strength and determination.

The "Let Us Continue" speech was widely appreciated and helped establish Johnson's leadership during a critical transition. It set the tone for his presidency, particularly his commitment to civil rights and domestic policy initiatives that would become known as the Great Society.
Johnson's address effectively balanced respect for Kennedy's memory with a clear vision for moving the country forward. By invoking Kennedy's legacy while asserting his own agenda, Johnson skillfully positioned himself to pursue ambitious legislative goals in the coming years.

What follows is President Johnson’s masterful delivery of the Let Us Continue speech before Congress.

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 Vietnam 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 19 and 61, 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 a 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 19 and 57 and again in 19 and 60, 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:

America, America,
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good
With brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.

Both John Kennedy’s Inaugural Address and Johnson’s Let Us Continue speech are excellent examples of the power of words, but I would like to end this episode this podcast by comparing Johnson’s Let Us Continue speech and Kennedy’s inaugural address.  It has been argued that while Johnson certainly was not in a position to write an inaugural address for this first term, his Let Us Continue speech contains many of the same aspects and definitely some differences that you might find in an inaugural address.

Johnson's speech was delivered in the aftermath of Kennedy's assassination, focusing on continuity and national unity during a time of crisis while Kennedy’s address was given at the start of his presidency, outlining his vision and challenges for the nation.

Johnson's Let Us Continue Speech was longer and more detailed, lasting about 25 minutes with 34 interruptions for applause.
Kennedy's address was shorter and more concise, at 1,355 words, with brief phrases and words similar to Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.
In his speech, Johnson not surprisingly emphasized continuity of Kennedy's policies. Johnson focused on domestic issues, particularly civil rights and tax reform.  He also focused heavily on foreign policy and Cold War rhetoric. Johnson also called for unity and support from Congress and the American people.

Kennedy's Address emphasized America's role in global affairs and Called for public service and civic engagement Johnson's speech was more somber and reflective, acknowledging the national tragedy while projecting strength and determination. Kennedy's address was arguably more inspirational and forward-looking, with powerful rhetorical devices and memorable phrases. Johnson's speech was more detailed in specific legislative goals, particularly civil rights legislation and tax reform.
Kennedy's address was broader in scope, focusing on overarching themes of freedom, peace, and global cooperation.

And in Johnson's speech, he acknowledged his sudden ascension to the presidency and directly asked for help and support. In Kennedy's address, it can be argued that he projected confidence and vigor while emphasizing his generation's role in leading the nation.

Even though both speeches were definitely significant in their own right, Johnson's address was more focused on immediate national healing and policy continuity, while Kennedy's was a broader vision for his presidency and America's role in the world.

In summary, Johnson's speech differed from Kennedy's in its more frequent use of repetition, its somber tone, and its focus on domestic issues. However, Johnson deliberately referenced Kennedy's legacy and framed his agenda as a continuation of Kennedy's vision, particularly in such areas as civil rights and economic policy

Join Celebrate Poe for episode 282 - Obama: Hope in Action -
as this podcast delves in Barrack Obama’s First Inaugural Address.

Sources include: the “Let Us Continue” speech delivered on November 27, 1963 before Congress by President Lyndon Baines Johnson.

Thank you for listening to Celebrate Poe.