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October 29, 1948 V.
CONFIDENTIAL: The following address of the President, to be delivered
THE
in Harlem, New York, today, Friday, October 29, 1948, MUST BE HELD FOR
ARCHIVES AN
RECORDS
RELEASE until 2:45 P.M., Eastern Standard Time.
SERVICE
LIBRARY
CHARLES G. ROSS
Secretary to the President
-
-
-
-
I deeply appreciate the award you have just given me. Franklin
Roosevelt was a great champion of human rights. When he led us out of the
depression and to victory over the Axis, he enabled us to build a country
in which prosperity and freedom exist side by side. That is the only
atmosphere in which human rights can thrive.
Eventually, we are going to have an America in which freedom and
opportunity are the same for everyone. There is only one way to accomplish
that great purpose; that is to keep working for it and never to take a back-
ward step.
I am especially glad to receive the Franklin D. Roosevelt award
on this day -- October 29. This date means a great deal to me personally,
and it is a significant date in the history of human freedom in this country.
One year ago today, on October 29, 1947, the President's Committee
on Civil Rights submitted to me, and to the American people, its momentous
report.
That report was drawn up by men and women who had the honesty
to face the whole problem of civil rights squarely, and the courage to state
their conclusions frankly.
I created the Civil Rights Committee because racial and religious
intolerance began to appear after the war. They threatened the very freedoms
we had just fought for.
We Americans have a democratic way of acting when our freedoms
are threatened.
We get the most thoughtful and representative men and women we
can find, and we ask them to put down on paper the principles that represent
freedom and a method of action that will preserve and extend freedom. In
that manner, we get a declaration of purpose and a guide for action that the
whole country can consider.
That is the way in which the Declaration of Independence was
drawn up.
That is the way in which the Constitution was written.
The report that the Civil Rights Committee prepared is in the
tradition of those two great documents.
It was the authors of the Declaration of Independence who stated
the principle that all men are created equal in their rights, and that it is to
secure these rights that governments are instituted among men.
It was the authors of the Constitution who made it clear that,
under our form of government, all citizens are equal before the law, and that
the Federal Government has a duty to guarantee to every citizen the equal
protection of the laws.
The Civil Rights Committee did much more than repeat these great
principles, It described a method to put these principles into action, and
to make them a living reality for every American, regardless of his race,
his religion, or his national origin.
When every American knows that his rights and his opportunities
are fully protected and respected by the Federal, state, and local govern-
ments, then we will have the kind of unity that really means something.
It is easy to talk about unity. But it is the work that is done
for unity that really counts.
OVER
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"ocrText": "HOLD FOR RELEASE\nHOLD FOR RELEASE\nHOLD FOR RELEASE\nOctober 29, 1948 V.\nCONFIDENTIAL: The following address of the President, to be delivered\nTHE\nin Harlem, New York, today, Friday, October 29, 1948, MUST BE HELD FOR\nARCHIVES AN\nRECORDS\nRELEASE until 2:45 P.M., Eastern Standard Time.\nSERVICE\nLIBRARY\nCHARLES G. ROSS\nSecretary to the President\n-\n-\n-\n-\nI deeply appreciate the award you have just given me. Franklin\nRoosevelt was a great champion of human rights. When he led us out of the\ndepression and to victory over the Axis, he enabled us to build a country\nin which prosperity and freedom exist side by side. That is the only\natmosphere in which human rights can thrive.\nEventually, we are going to have an America in which freedom and\nopportunity are the same for everyone. There is only one way to accomplish\nthat great purpose; that is to keep working for it and never to take a back-\nward step.\nI am especially glad to receive the Franklin D. Roosevelt award\non this day -- October 29. This date means a great deal to me personally,\nand it is a significant date in the history of human freedom in this country.\nOne year ago today, on October 29, 1947, the President's Committee\non Civil Rights submitted to me, and to the American people, its momentous\nreport.\nThat report was drawn up by men and women who had the honesty\nto face the whole problem of civil rights squarely, and the courage to state\ntheir conclusions frankly.\nI created the Civil Rights Committee because racial and religious\nintolerance began to appear after the war. They threatened the very freedoms\nwe had just fought for.\nWe Americans have a democratic way of acting when our freedoms\nare threatened.\nWe get the most thoughtful and representative men and women we\ncan find, and we ask them to put down on paper the principles that represent\nfreedom and a method of action that will preserve and extend freedom. In\nthat manner, we get a declaration of purpose and a guide for action that the\nwhole country can consider.\nThat is the way in which the Declaration of Independence was\ndrawn up.\nThat is the way in which the Constitution was written.\nThe report that the Civil Rights Committee prepared is in the\ntradition of those two great documents.\nIt was the authors of the Declaration of Independence who stated\nthe principle that all men are created equal in their rights, and that it is to\nsecure these rights that governments are instituted among men.\nIt was the authors of the Constitution who made it clear that,\nunder our form of government, all citizens are equal before the law, and that\nthe Federal Government has a duty to guarantee to every citizen the equal\nprotection of the laws.\nThe Civil Rights Committee did much more than repeat these great\nprinciples, It described a method to put these principles into action, and\nto make them a living reality for every American, regardless of his race,\nhis religion, or his national origin.\nWhen every American knows that his rights and his opportunities\nare fully protected and respected by the Federal, state, and local govern-\nments, then we will have the kind of unity that really means something.\nIt is easy to talk about unity. But it is the work that is done\nfor unity that really counts.\nOVER"
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