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?
American citizens must be prepared for war.
The United States is prepared to protect freedom.
The United States is the greatest country in the
world.
American citizens have a history of protecting
democracy.