Lyndon Baines Johnson: Speech to Congress on Assuming the Presidency

Explanation and Analysis of the Document

Lyndon Johnson had not been a popular choice when John F. Kennedy named the Texan as his vice presidential running mate. The northern liberals who advised Kennedy were deeply suspicious of Johnson's strong ties to powerful southern conservatives such as Georgia's Senator Richard Russell, Jr. Robert Kennedy, John F. Kennedy's brother and campaign manager, was especially hostile. But John Kennedy knew that Johnson's name on the ticket would provide the geographic balance needed to win the election in November, and Texas's electoral votes did, in fact, help tip the election in Kennedy's favor.

As vice president, Johnson languished in obscurity. He was mostly relegated to performing ceremonial duties and was excluded from Kennedy's inner circle of advisers. Johnson had difficulty adjusting to this minor role; he missed the power he had wielded as Senate majority leader. All of that changed in an instant on November 22, 1963, when John Kennedy was struck down in Dallas by an assassin's bullet. Standing next to Jacqueline Kennedy, Johnson took the oath of office aboard Air Force One as the plane prepared to return John Kennedy's body to Washington, D.C., for a state funeral.

The most urgent challenge facing Johnson as he took office was convincing Kennedy's supporters and the American public that he was capable of carrying out the awesome duties of the presidency. In fact, few men were better prepared to assume the office. Johnson's service in the House and Senate had given him intimate knowledge of the legislative process. His friendship with congressional leaders was a resource he would use to considerable advantage in gaining support for his policies. Although his sometimes crude and overbearing personal style differed markedly from that of the witty and sophisticated Kennedy, Johnson displayed great sensitivity to the needs of the Kennedy family as he assured a worried nation that his administration would continue the policies of the martyred president.

Five days after the assassination, Johnson stood before a joint session of Congress. A national television audience joined the legislators waiting to hear the new president's first major address. It was the most important speech of Johnson's political career. He needed to outline his agenda in terms that would rally support for his administration and convince the nation's grieving citizens that he could restore their shattered dreams. On both counts he did not disappoint. Johnson begins by expressing his deep regret over the circumstances that make his remarks necessary. He links his sorrow at Kennedy's death to the heartache experienced by the nation. Then he quickly sounds his main theme—his determination to advance the policies of the Kennedy administration. He lists some of Kennedy's major initiatives—the space program, the Peace Corps, aid to education, health care for the elderly, civil rights—and pledges to make these his own priorities. He tells Americans that he will push Congress to make sure they are enacted.

Turning his attention to foreign affairs, Johnson praises Kennedy's courage and leadership. In a thinly veiled reference to the Cuban missile crisis (when the United States confronted the Soviets about their buildup of missile bases in Cuba), Johnson applauds his predecessor's willingness to risk war while standing up to America's enemies. Just as Kennedy had done, he promises to stand strong against those enemies who oppose peace and seek to impose the “yoke of tyranny” on innocent people. More specifically, he renews America's commitment to defend South Vietnam and Berlin. He pledges to balance U.S. military strength with restraint and not to seek special privileges in other lands.

Shifting the focus to his new administration, Johnson vows to rise above sectional loyalties and govern on behalf of the entire nation. He will use his thirty-two years of Washington experience to develop wise, just, and enlightened programs. Despite the national trauma of the assassination, he will lead the country forward. Echoing John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address, in which he had said, “Let us begin,” Johnson forcefully implores, “Let us continue.” Johnson announces that his most urgent priority will be passage of the civil rights bill that Kennedy had sent to Congress six months earlier. The time for talk has passed, Johnson observes; now is the time for action. He urges Congress to enact the bill as a fitting memorial to the slain leader. Reminding his audience that he had led the fight to pass two civil rights bills as Senate majority leader, he expresses his determination to continue the fight against discrimination and racial oppression.

Returning to his original theme, he beseeches his listeners to move from grief to action and to honor Kennedy's memory by becoming a nation dedicated to tolerance and mutual respect, free of hatred and bigotry. With a renewed sense of unity, he urges Americans to resolve that “John Fitzgerald Kennedy did not live—or die—in vain.” In a closing benediction, he quotes the great patriotic hymn “America the Beautiful,” asking God to “shed His grace” on the shattered nation.