The Burden and the Glory by John F. Kennedy

In his State of the Union message to Congress in January 1962, President John F. Kennedy said:

"It is the fate of this generation - of you in Congress and of me as President - to live with a struggle we did not start, in a world we did not make. But the pressures of life are not always distributed by choice. And while no nation has ever faced such a challenge, no nation has ever been so ready to seize the burden and the glory of freedom."

This book contains a selection from President Kennedy's speeches and statements during the last two years of his administration. It closes with the speech about national defense he would have made in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963.

The period was, as the President anticipated, a time of burdens and a time of glory. The Soviet missile crisis in Cuba, the bitter battle for civil rights at home, the steel crisis, and the successful conclusion of a nuclear test ban treaty are here described and discussed in the President's own words. Revealing excerpts from his press conferences and television broadcasts are included, along with more formal statements. The list of topics covered is broad - Points of International Danger, The Continuing Struggle for Peace, Interdependence, The Alliance for Progress, The Nation's Economy, Science and Education, and others. The President's major speeches on tour - in Germany, Latin America, and many parts of the Union - are represented.

Whether speaking bluntly at a time of historical crisis or appealing with eloquence, John F. Kennedy had the special gift of clarity. The statements included in this book sharply outline the great complexities of the President's role as a national spokesman. They are mileposts in the history of our times.

In his introduction to The Burden and the Glory, Allan Nevins says "The memory of his distinction of heart and action will live in the mind of our time, and in the histories written by generations to come."