Fourth Draft, Address of President Harry S. Truman Before the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People [NAACP]

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4th Draft. Mr. Chairman, Mrs. Recsevelt, Distinguished Queats, Indies & Gentlemen: I - happy to be present at the closing session of the Thirty- Kighth Annual Conference of the National Association for the Minance- ment of Colorod People. The cocasion of meeting with you here at the Lincola Nemorial affords me the opportunity to congratulate the Association upon ite effective work for the improvement of our democratic democracy. processes. I abould like to telk to you briefly about civil rights and humen freedom. It is my deep conviction that wo have reached e turning point in the long history of our countey's efforts to guarantee freedos ARCHINES the SERVICE and equality to all our eitizena. Recent eventa in the United States and abroad have made as realize that it is more important today than ever before to insure that all Americana enjoy these rights. AND WIEN I SAY ALL AM ERICANS IMEAN ALL AMERICANS The civil rights Imve weitten in the early yeare of our republic, and the treditions which have been built upon them, are precious to us. Those lave vore drawa up with the mamory still frosh in minde of the tyranny of an absentee government. They vere written to protect the eitizen agsinst any possible tyrannicel act by the new government in this country. But vs cannot be content with a civil liberties progrem which emphesizes only the need of protection against the possibility of tyrenny by the Government.