passed after eight long months of debate. And w hen that bill came to my desk from the Congress for my signature, the heart of the voting provision had been elim inated. This time, on this issue, there must be no delay, or no hesitation, or no compromise with our purpose We cannot, we must not, ref use to protect the right of every American to vote in every election that he may desire to participate in And we ought not and we cannot, and we must not wait another eight months before we get a bill. We have already waited a hundred years and more, and the time for waiting is gone So i ask you to join me in working long hours --nights and weekends, if necessary to pass this bill. And i don't make that request lightly For from the window where I sit w ith the problems of our country, I recognize that from outside this cham ber is the outraged conscience of a nation, the grave concern of many nations, and the harsh judgment of history on our acts But even if we pass this bill, the battle will not be over. What happened in Selma is part of a far larger movement which reaches into every section and state of America It is the effort of American Negroes to secure for themselves the full blessings of American life. Their cause must be our cause too. Beca use it's not just Negroes, but really it's all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice And we shall overcome As a man whose roots go deeply into Southern soil, i know how agonizing racial feelings are. I know how dif ficult it is to reshape the attitudes and the structure of our society. But a century has passed more than a hundred years since the negro as freed and he is not fully free tonight. It was more than a hundred years ago that abraham Lincoln a great President of another party, signed the emancipation proclamation; but emancipation is a proclamation, and not a fact. a century has passed, more than a hundred years since equa lity was promised. And yet the Negro is not equal. a century has passed since the day of promise. and the promise is un-kept The time of justice has now come. i tell you that i believe sincerely that no force can hold it back. It is rig ht in the eyes of man and god that it should come. And w hen it does, I think that day will brighte n the lives of every american For Negroes are not the only victims. How many white children have go ne uneducated How many white families have lived in stark poverty How many white lives have been scarred by fear, because weve wasted our energy and our substance to mainta in the barriers of hatred and terror And so i say to all of you here, and to all in the nation tonight that those who appeal to you to hold on to the past do so at the cost of denying you your futurepassed af ter eight long months of debate. And when that bill came to my desk f rom the Congress for my signature, the heart of the voting provision had been eliminated. This time, on this issue, there must be no delay, or no hesitation, or no compromise with our purpose. We cannot, we must not, refuse to protect the right of every American to vote in every election that he may desire to participate in. And we ought not, and we cannot, and we must not wait another eight months before we get a bill. We have already waited a hundred years and more, and the time for waiting is gone. So I ask you to join me in working long hours -- nights and weekends, if necessary -- to pass this bill. And I don't make that request lightly. For f rom the window where I sit with the problems of our country, I recognize that f rom outside this chamber is the outraged conscience of a nation, the grave concern of many nations, and the harsh judgment of history on our acts. But even if we pass this bill, the battle will not be over. What happened in Selma is part of a far larger movement which reaches into every section and State of America. It is the ef fort of American Negroes to secure for themselves the full blessings of American life. Their cause must be our cause too. Because it's not just Negroes, but really it's all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome. As a man whose roots go deeply into Southern soil, I know how agonizing racial feelings are. I know how dif ficult it is to reshape the attitudes and the structure of our society. But a century has passed, more than a hundred years since the Negro was f reed. And he is not fully f ree tonight. It was more than a hundred years ago that Abraham Lincoln, a great President of another party, signed the Emancipation Proclamation; but emancipation is a proclamation, and not a fact. A century has passed, more than a hundred years, since equality was promised. And yet the Negro is not equal. A century has passed since the day of promise. And the promise is un-kept. The time of justice has now come. I tell you that I believe sincerely that no force can hold it back. It is right in the eyes of man and God that it should come. And when it does, I think that day will brighten the lives of every American. For Negroes are not the only victims. How many white children have gone uneducated? How many white families have lived in stark poverty? How many white lives have been scarred by fear, because we've wasted our energy and our substance to maintain the barriers of hatred and terror? And so I say to all of you here, and to all in the nation tonight, that those who appeal to you to hold on to the past do so at the cost of denying you your future