peaker, Mr. President, Members of the Cong I speak tonight for the dignity of man and the destiny of democracy. I urge every member of both parties, Americans of all religions and of all colors, from every section of this country, to join me in that cause. t times history and fate meet at a single time in a sing le place to sha pe a turning point in mans unending search for freedom so it was at Lexington and concord so it was a century ago at Appomattox. So it was last week in Se Ima, Alabama. There, long-suf fering men and women peacef ully protested the denial of their rights as Americans. Many were bruta lly assaulted. One good man, a man of God was killed There is no cause for pride in what has happened in Selma. There is no cause for self-satisfaction in the long denial of equal rights of millions of Americans. But there is cause for hope and for faith in our democracy in what is happening here tonight For the cries of pain and the hymns and protests of oppressed people have summoned into convocation all the majesty of this great government-- the government of the greatest nation on earth Our mission is at once the oldest and the most basic of this country: to right wrong to do justice, to serve man In our time we have come to live with the moments of great crisis. Our lives have been marked with debate about great issues --issues of war and peace, issues of prosperity and depression. But rarely in any time does an issue lay bare the secret heart of America itself. Rarely are we met with a challenge, not to our growth or abundance or our welf are or our security but rather to the values, and the purposes, and the meaning of our beloved nation The issue of equal rights for American Negroes is such an issue And should we defeat every enemy and should we double our wealth and conquer the stars, and still be unequal to this issue then we will have failed as a peo ple and as a nation. For with a country as with a person What is a man prof ited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem. And we are met here tonight as Americans--not as Democrats or Republicans. We are met here as americans to solve that problem This was the first nation in the history of the world to be founded with a purpose. The great phrases of that purpose still sound in every American heart North and South All men are created equal, "government by consent of the governed ""give meLyndon Baines Johnson: "We Shall Overcome" Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Members of the Congress: I speak tonight for the dignity of man and the destiny of democracy. I urge every member of both parties, Americans of all religions and of all colors, f rom every section of this country, to join me in that cause. At times history and fate meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in man's unending search for freedom. So it was at Lexington and Concord. So it was a century ago at Appomattox. So it was last week in Selma, Alabama. There, long-suf fering men and women peacefully protested the denial of their rights as Americans. Many were brutally assaulted. One good man, a man of God, was killed. There is no cause for pride in what has happened in Selma. There is no cause for self -satisfaction in the long denial of equal rights of millions of Americans. But there is cause for hope and for faith in our democracy in what is happening here tonight. For the cries of pain and the hymns and protests of oppressed people have summoned into convocation all the majesty of this great government -- the government of the greatest nation on earth. Our mission is at once the oldest and the most basic of this country: to right wrong, to do justice, to serve man. In our time we have come to live with the moments of great crisis. Our lives have been marked with debate about great issues -- issues of war and peace, issues of prosperity and depression. But rarely in any time does an issue lay bare the secret heart of America itself . Rarely are we met with a challenge, not to our growth or abundance, or our welfare or our security, but rather to the values, and the purposes, and the meaning of our beloved nation. The issue of equal rights for American Negroes is such an issue. And should we defeat every enemy, and should we double our wealth and conquer the stars, and still be unequal to this issue, then we will have failed as a people and as a nation. For with a country as with a person, "What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem. And we are met here tonight as Americans -- not as Democrats or Republicans. We are met here as Americans to solve that problem. This was the first nation in the history of the world to be founded with a purpose. The great phrases of that purpose still sound in every American heart, North and South: "All men are created equal," "government by consent of the governed," "give me