Read the excerpt from John F. Kennedy's inaugural
address.
Now the trumpet summons us again--not as a call to
bear arms, though arms we need-not as a call to
battle, though embattled we are-but a call to bear the
burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out,
"rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation"-a struggle
against the common enemies of man: tyranny,
poverty, disease and war itself.
Can we forge against these enemies a grand and
global alliance, North and South, East and West, that
can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you
join in that historic effort?
In the long history of the world, only a few generations
have been granted the role of defending freedom in its
hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this
responsibility-I welcome it. I do not believe that any
Which statement best explains Kennedy's message in
this excerpt?
O American citizens must be prepared for war.
O The United States is prepared to protect freedom.
O The United States is the greatest country in the
world.
O American citizens have a history of protecting
democracy.