John Kennedy Spoke for World-Wide Freedom and Independence in his 1962 Fourth of July Speech

Independence Hall

A good ceremonial speech teaches a lesson—sometimes a policy lesson, sometimes a moral lesson. In his 1962 Fourth of July speech, President John Kennedy told the nation that American independence depended on peace and independence throughout the world.  He spoke of values that implied major foreign policy decisions. 

As a decorated combat veteran of the Pacific war, Kennedy understood how injustice in one part of the world could affect us all. He taught a vital moral and political lesson. Furthermore, as the 21st Century United States becomes increasingly isolationist, it is a lesson for us to remember today.

Speaking at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, Kennedy insisted that Independence Day is not just about a historical event, but a value. That value, however, gave rise to powerful action that formed our new nation. Praising the Declaration of Independence, Kennedy said that it was a unique document because it gave:

“…the final irrevocable decision that it took to assert the independence of free states in place of colonies, and to commit to that goal their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.”

Yet, independence comes with obligations, with a place in the world. That is why Kennedy urged the United States to protect everyone’s freedom across the globe. It was, he explained, the United States’ moral obligation to do its part for world freedom. Indeed, Kennedy explained that injustice anywhere threatened all of us:

“On this fourth day of July, 1962, we who are gathered at this same hall, entrusted with the fate and future of our states and nation, declare now our vow to do our part to lift the weights from the shoulders of all, to join other men and nations in preserving both peace and freedom, and to regard any threat to the peace or freedom of one as a threat to the peace and freedom of all.”

Kennedy pledged the United States’ moral and physical strength to protect world freedom and justice:

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred [honor].”

So, yes, Kennedy praised the Declaration of Independence. That was his proper thesis. From that praise, however, he drew a moral lesson. He showed that the United States had world responsibilities. But moral values imply moral actions. Kennedy also gave a policy lesson. That lesson was for the United States of America to stand up for world freedom.

World War II taught us that conflict and tyranny can reach across the world to affect us. The rise of authoritarianism in the United States itself should warn us of continuing dangers from within. We do not have ceremonies like Independence Day just to make us feel good. No, we celebrate to remember what is important in our lives. The lessons of the past give us wisdom for the future.

Earlier Post: Should ceremonial speeches cause controversy?

Earlier Post: America a Dream? Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Independence Day Speech

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Research Note: Chaïm Perlman and Lucie-Olbrechts-Tyteca expounded the view that ceremonial speeches convey basic values. Their monumental book is available in academic libraries and large bookstores.

Image of Independence Hall: © William D. Harpine

Image of John Kennedy: Kennedy Library

America Is a Dream? Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Independence Day Speech

Declaration of Independence

On July 4, 1965, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his audience an Independence Day dream. Americans have heard two kinds of 4th of July speeches. The first kind is unapologetically patriotic. These speakers assume that the nation is already perfect. However, the second kind challenges us, if I might echo the preamble to the United States’ Constitution, to become more perfect. Echoing his “I Have a Dream” speech of two years earlier, King compared America to a dream. He led his audience from the past’s revolutionary ideals to a future in which those ideals would come to life.

When I was a child, a patriotic speech invariably preceded the Fourth of July fireworks. The speaker discussed patriotism and war heroes, carefully quoting something or other that Thomas Jefferson said. In contrast, King gave the other kind of 4th of July speech. King asked the United States of America to live up to its revolutionary values. So, the first kind of 4th of July speech praises the United States as a perfect beacon of light. The second kind gives us ideals for which we can choose to strive.

To establish the values to which our nation strives, King quoted the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

King then emphasized the Declaration of Independence’s inclusive values. He noted that Jefferson did not say “all white men,” but instead said “all men.” King added that Jefferson did not say “all gentiles,” nor did he say “all Protestants.” (Many of us today would agree that Jefferson should have said “all persons” instead of “all men.”)

Jim Crow still dominated large swaths of the United States’ 1965 political landscape. King’s 4th of July speech argued that the Declaration of Independence stated an ideal, not an accomplished fact. It stated, King said, a dream. Indeed, the United States itself was a dream:

“I would like to discuss some of the problems that we confront in the world today, and some of the problems that we confront in our own nation by using as a subject The American Dream. I choose this subject because America is essentially a dream.”

Continuing, King reminded his audience that human rights are not the government’s gift. Instead, they are basic rights that heaven grants to all of us. The United States’ founding ideal was to recognize everyone’s fundamental worth:

“It says that each individual has certain inherent rights that are neither derived from or conferred by the state. They are gifts from the hands of the almighty God. Very seldom, if ever, in the history of the world has a socio-political document expressed in such profound, eloquent, and unequivocal language, the dignity and the worth of human personality.”

No, the United States of 1965 did not recognize everyone’s rights. In 1965, most public schools and institutions were de facto segregated. Even today, in 2022, many people justly question whether women, poor persons, and ethnic minorities enjoy equal rights. However, can the dream become true? King had devoted his rhetorical life to a dream: equal opportunity for everyone.

Maybe the “more perfect union” gives us an ideal that we can strive for it but never reach, something like a physics problem. To the end of his life, however, King expressed his deep faith that United States could fulfill the dream. In a torrent of metaphors, he spoke of an emerging freedom:

“And so, with this faith in the future, we will be able to adjourn the counsels of the staff, rise from the fatigue of darkness, to the buoyancy of hope. And we will be able to bring into being this new society and realize the American dream.”

Ending, King repeated the same hymn verse that concluded “I Have a Dream:”

“Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last!”

Yes, on the one hand, we have heard 4th of July speeches that praised American freedom as unquestionable fact. How dare you question America! On the other hand, King’s searing language promised that the dream of American liberty of which Jefferson spoke would become real. King cited the past but looked to the future. If one loses hope, what could our values possibly mean?

In more recent years, 4th of July speeches have all but disappeared. To all my fellow Americans, happy Independence Day! Enjoy your fireworks and your hot dogs, but never forget our ideals.

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Frederick Douglass’ 1852 Fourth of July Speech and the Christian Right

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Speech, "Love, Law, and Civil Disobedience:" The Civil Rights Movement’s Philosophical Foundation

Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" Made Biblical Morality a Public Imperative

Thanks once again to rev.com for creating these historically vital transcripts.