Lyndon baines Johnson The great Society President Hatcher, Governor Rom ney Senators McNamara and Hart Congressmen Meader and Staebler, and other members of the fine michigan de legation, members of the graduating class, my fellow Americans It is a great pleasure to be here today. this university has been coeducationa l since 1870, but i do not be lieve it was on the basis of your accomplishments that a Detroit high school girl said (and i quote) ,In choosing a college, you first have to decide hether you want a coeducational school or an educational school. Well, we can find both here at Michigan, although perhaps at dif ferent hours. I came out here today very anxious to meet the michigan student w hose father told a friend of mine that his son ' s education had been a real value. It sto pped his mother from bragging about him i have come today from the turmoil of your capital to the tranqu il ity of your campus to speak about the future of your country. The purpose of protecting the life of our Nation and preserving the liberty of our citizens is to pursue the happiness of our people. Our success in that pursuit is the test of our success as a Nation For a century we labored to settle and to subdue a continent. For half a century we called upon un bounded invention and untiring industry to create an order of plenty for all of our people. The challenge of the next half century is whether we have the isdom to use that wealth to enrich and elevate our national life and to advance the quality of our American civilization Your imag ination and your in it iative and your indignation will determine whether we build a society where progress is the servant of our needs, or a society where old values and new visions are buried under unbr id led growth For in your time we have the opportunity to move not only toward the rich society and the powerful society but upward to the great Society The great society rests on abundance and liberty for all. It demands an end to poverty and racial injustice, to w hich we are tota ly comm itted in our time. But that is just the beginning The great Society is a place where every child can find knowledge to enrich his mind and to enlarge his talents. It is a place where leisure is a welcome chance to build and reflect, not a feared cause of boredom and restlessness. It is a place w here the city of man serves not only the needs of the body and the demands of commerce but the desire for beauty and the hunger for community. It is a place where man can renew contact with nature. It is a place which honors creation for its own sake and for what is adds to the understa nd ing of the race. It is a place where men are more concerned with the qua lity of their goals than the quantity of their goodsLyndon Baines Johnson: "The Great Society" President Hatcher, Governor Romney, Senators McNamara and Hart, Congressmen Meader and Staebler, and other members of the fine Michigan delegation, members of the graduating class, my fellow Americans: It is a great pleasure to be here today. This university has been coeducational since 1870, but I do not believe it was on the basis of your accomplishments that a Detroit high school girl said (and I quote), "In choosing a college, you first have to decide whether you want a coeducational school or an educational school." Well, we can find both here at Michigan, although perhaps at dif ferent hours. I came out here today very anxious to meet the Michigan student whose father told a f riend of mine that his son's education had been a real value. It stopped his mother f rom bragging about him. I have come today f rom the turmoil of your capital to the tranquility of your campus to speak about the future of your country. The purpose of protecting the life of our Nation and preserving the liberty of our citizens is to pursue the happiness of our people. Our success in that pursuit is the test of our success as a Nation. For a century we labored to settle and to subdue a continent. For half a century we called upon unbounded invention and untiring industry to create an order of plenty for all of our people. The challenge of the next half century is whether we have the wisdom to use that wealth to enrich and elevate our national life, and to advance the quality of our American civilization. Your imagination and your initiative and your indignation will determine whether we build a society where progress is the servant of our needs, or a society where old values and new visions are buried under unbridled growth. For in your time we have the opportunity to move not only toward the rich society and the powerful society, but upward to the Great Society. The Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all. It demands an end to poverty and racial injustice, to which we are totally committed in our time. But that is just the beginning. The Great Society is a place where every child can find knowledge to enrich his mind and to enlarge his talents. It is a place where leisure is a welcome chance to build and reflect, not a feared cause of boredom and restlessness. It is a place where the city of man serves not only the needs of the body and the demands of commerce but the desire for beauty and the hunger for community. It is a place where man can renew contact with nature. It is a place which honors creation for its own sake and for what is adds to the understanding of the race. It is a place where men are more concerned with the quality of their goals than the quantity of their goods