Global InformationLet Us Continue information
 Lyndon B. Johnson delivering the speech | |
| Date | November 27, 1963 |
|---|---|
| Duration | ≈ 25 minutes |
| Venue | United States Capitol |
| Location | Washington, D.C. |
| Coordinates | 38°53′23″N 77°00′32″W / 38.88972°N 77.00889°W |
| Type | Speech |
| Participants | President Lyndon B. Johnson |
An excerpt from the speech where Johnson says "Let Us Continue". | |
Let Us Continue is a speech that 36th President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson delivered to a joint session of Congress on November 27, 1963, five days after the assassination of his predecessor John F. Kennedy. The almost 25-minute speech is considered one of the most important in his political career.
After Kennedy's assassination, Johnson, until then Vice President, ascended to the position. To publicly emphasize stability by the continuity of government, Johnson made efforts to persuade key people from the Kennedy administration to stay in office. Subsequently, various Kennedy officials, including his brother and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, stayed in the Cabinet. Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower had a conversation with Johnson in the Executive Office Building, and in a confidential memorandum, he suggested that Johnson call a joint session of the Congress and deliver a speech. Soon after, Johnson asked Ted Sorensen, Kennedy's chief speechwriter, to prepare a draft version for his speech. Input about the subject matter and content of the speech came from various advisers, including John Kenneth Galbraith.
It was decided to broadcast the speech on television on November 27. After at least nine draft versions, Johnson studied the final version that same morning, making a few minor changes. In his address, he called Kennedy the "greatest leader of our time", and said that "American dreams have been vitalized by his drive and by his dedication."[1] He called for the earliest possible passage of the civil rights law, and demanded that Congress pass tax reform that would bring tax relief. In contrast with Kennedy's 1961 inauguration address, Johnson said "Today, in this moment of new resolve, I would say to all my fellow Americans, let us continue."[1] He closed the speech with a stanza from "America the Beautiful".
The speech was interrupted 34 times by applause from the audience. It was widely appreciated, and the New York Herald Tribune described his address as "fine words, fitting words, at times inspiring words".[2] Soon after his address, Johnson succeeded in getting the tax reform bill and the Civil Rights Act passed by Congress.
- ^ a b Transcript – LBJ Library 1963.
- ^ Witherspoon 1987, p. 538.