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Good evening, my fellow citizens. This afternoon, following a series of threats and defiant

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statements, the presence of Alabama National Guardsmen was required on the University of

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Alabama to carry out the final and unequivocal order of the United States District Court

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of the Northern District of Alabama. That order called for the admission of two clearly

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qualified young Alabama residents who happened to have been born Negro. That they were admitted

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peacefully on the campus is due in good measure to the conduct of the students of the University

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of Alabama who met their responsibilities in a constructive way. I hope that every American,

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regardless of where he lives, will stop and examine his conscience about this and other

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related incidents. This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It

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was founded on the principle that all men are created equal and that the rights of every

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man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened. Today we are committed

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to a worldwide struggle to promote and protect the rights of all who wish to be free. And

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when Americans are sent to Vietnam or West Berlin, we do not ask for whites only. It

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ought to be possible, therefore, for American students of any color to attend any public

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institution they select without having to be backed up by troops. It ought to be possible

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for American consumers of any color to receive equal service in places of public accommodation,

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such as hotels and restaurants and theaters and retail stores without being forced to

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resort to demonstrations in the street. And it ought to be possible for American citizens

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of any color to register and to vote in a free election without interference or fear

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of reprisal. It ought to be possible, in short, for every American to enjoy the privileges

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of being American without regard to his race or his color.