“We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. It is as old as the scriptures and is as clear as the American Constitution. 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. 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 10 percent of the population that you can’t have the right; that your children can’t have the chance to develop whatever talents they have.”
It was on this date in 1963, that President Kennedy gave this landmark speech to America on television concerning civil rights. Only the president’s brother supported his doing this, and in spite of criticism, he went forward with the speech. Sorenson, his speech writer, had six hous to write the specech and only finished five minutes before the president was scheduled to give the speech.
For more info:
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2013/06/11/the-story-behind-jfks-1963-landmark-civil-rights-speech
http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/52134928
https://m.facebook.com/bctelco/posts/225948240874852?stream_ref=5
