liberty or give me death Well, those are not just clever words or those are not just empty theories. In their name Americans have fought and died for two centuries, and tonight around the world they stand there as guardians of our liberty risking their lives Those words are a promise to every citizen that he shall share in the d ignity of man This d ign ity cannot be found in a man 's possessions it cannot be found in his power or in his position. It really rests on his right to be treated as a man equal in opportunity to all others. It says that he shall share in freedom he shall choose his leaders, educate his children, provide for his family according to his ability and his merits as a human being. to apply any other test - to deny a man his hopes because of his color, or race, or his relig ion, or the place of his birth is not only to do injustice, it is to deny America and to dishonor the dead who gave their lives for American freedom Our fathers believed that if this noble view of the rights of man was to flourish, it ust be rooted in democracy. The most basic right of all was the right to choose your own leaders. The history of this country, in large measure, is the history of the expansion of that right to all of our people. Many of the issues of civil rights are very complex and most dif ficult. But about this there can and should be no argument. Every American citizen must have an equal right to vote. There is no reason which can excuse the denial of that right. there is no duty which eighs more heavily on us than the duty we have to ensure that right. Yet the harsh fact is that in many places in this country men and women are kept from voting simply because they are Negroes. every device of which human inge nu ity is capa ble has been used to deny this rig ht the negro citizen may go to register only to be told that the day is wrong or the hour is late or the official in charge is absent. And if he persists, and if he manages to present himself to the registrar, he may be disqua lif ied because he did not spell out his middle name or because he abbreviated a word on the application. And if he manages to fill out an application, he is given a test. the registrar is the sole judge of whether he passes this test. He may be asked to recite the entire Constitution, or explain the most complex provis ions of State law. And even a college de gree cannot be used to prove that he can read and write For the fact is that the only way to pass these barriers is to show a white skin Experience has clearly shown that the existing process of law cannot overcome systematic and ingenious discrim ination No law that we now have on the books and i have helped to put three of them there --can ensure the right to vote whe local off icials are determined to deny it. In such a case our duty must be clear to all of us. The Constitution says that no person sha ll be kept from voting because of hisliberty or give me death." Well, those are not just clever words, or those are not just empty theories. In their name Americans have fought and died for two centuries, and tonight around the world they stand there as guardians of our liberty, risking their lives. Those words are a promise to every citizen that he shall share in the dignity of man. This dignity cannot be found in a man's possessions; it cannot be found in his power, or in his position. It really rests on his right to be treated as a man equal in opportunity to all others. It says that he shall share in freedom, he shall choose his leaders, educate his children, provide for his family according to his ability and his merits as a human being. To apply any other test -- to deny a man his hopes because of his color, or race, or his religion, or the place of his birth is not only to do injustice, it is to deny America and to dishonor the dead who gave their lives for American f reedom. Our fathers believed that if this noble view of the rights of man was to flourish, it must be rooted in democracy. The most basic right of all was the right to choose your own leaders. The history of this country, in large measure, is the history of the expansion of that right to all of our people. Many of the issues of civil rights are very complex and most dif ficult. But about this there can and should be no argument. Every American citizen must have an equal right to vote. There is no reason which can excuse the denial of that right. There is no duty which weighs more heavily on us than the duty we have to ensure that right. Yet the harsh fact is that in many places in this country men and women are kept f rom voting simply because they are Negroes. Every device of which human ingenuity is capable has been used to deny this right. The Negro citizen may go to register only to be told that the day is wrong, or the hour is late, or the of ficial in charge is absent. And if he persists, and if he manages to present himself to the registrar, he may be disqualified because he did not spell out his middle name or because he abbreviated a word on the application. And if he manages to fill out an application, he is given a test. The registrar is the sole judge of whether he passes this test. He may be asked to recite the entire Constitution, or explain the most complex provisions of State law. And even a college degree cannot be used to prove that he can read and write. For the fact is that the only way to pass these barriers is to show a white skin. Experience has clearly shown that the existing process of law cannot overcome systematic and ingenious discrimination. No law that we now have on the books -- and I have helped to put three of them there -- can ensure the right to vote when local officials are determined to deny it. In such a case our duty must be clear to all of us. The Constitution says that no person shall be kept f rom voting because of his