I listened to President Lyndon Johnson's address to Congress following the assassination of President John F Kennedy; the speech is the consummate symbol of the goals and aspirations of the Kennedy Administration and provides an account of the country's suffering following the atrocity. During the speech, he accepts what he calls the burden of the presidency. However, he asks for the support of the American people who he details must be united through the civil rights act- the act which Kennedy worked so hard to achieve. This is what Johnson details as the most appropriate memorial to Kennedy- creating a united America that will lead this hemisphere with power in war and compassion in peace.
This was an extremely moving address, however I feel that looking back on it today; we are unable to feel the full effect that this must have had in the respective time frame. The country had become engrossed in the Vietnam war, racial tensions were peaking, and moreover, the United States had suffered the assassination of the President. I can't imagine the effect this had on the people of this nation. Using this, President Johnson drew upon the well of emotion projected by the American people to make this a moving speech and a powerful promotion for the goals of the nation.
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