JFK’s 1962 Fourth of July Speech

Is getting gas at Exxon burning a hole in your wallet? What if I told you you can easily earn cash back while you fill up? Introducing Drop, the app that turns every fill-up into a reward. With Drop, you'll earn points to get free gift cards every time you fill up your tank. Download Drop and use code DROP66 to instantly receive $5 in points to jump-start your savings journey. Don't miss out on turning your gas expenses into something rewarding. Hello, it is Ryan and we could all use an extra bright spot in our day, couldn't we?

Just to make up for things like sitting in traffic, doing the dishes, counting your steps, you know, all the mundane stuff. That is why I'm such a big fan of Chumba Casino. Chumba Casino has all your favorite social casino style games that you can play for free anytime, anywhere with daily bonuses. That should brighten your day a little, actually a lot. So sign up now at ChumbaCasino.com.

That's ChumbaCasino.com. There are moments in life that are so special that you have to capture them and save them forever. They are one of those once in a lifetime events like your baby's first steps, the first time you bring your family pet home or your daughter's first dance performance. With iPhone 15 Pro, more storage means you don't have to delete anything that can become a lasting memory one day.

And it's important to be able to share these moments with family members who weren't there to see them in person. Store more, share more. Connect with iPhone 15 Pro on AT&T. Get iPhone 15 Pro on AT&T and get an iPad and Apple watch for 99 cents per month each. AT&T.

Connecting changes everything. Limited time offer requires 0% APR 36 month agreement on each. Well-qualified customers. Other terms and restrictions apply.

See AT&T.com slash iPhone for details. Fourth of July savings are happening now at the Home Depot. So get ready to go big with backyard barbecues for all your friends and family. Level up with the next grill for burner propane gas grill now $199 from the Home Depot. It's extra large cooking surface is perfect for supersized entertaining. Take your grilling to the next level with Fourth of July savings at the Home Depot. How doers get more done.

This is Malcolm Gladwell from Revisionist History. eBay Motors is here for the ride. With some elbow grease, fresh installs, and a whole lot of love, you transformed 100,000 miles and a body full of rust into a drive that's all your own. Brake kits, LED headlights, whatever you need, eBay Motors has it. And with eBay Guaranteed Fit, it's guaranteed to fit your ride the first time, every time, or your money back. Plus at these prices, you're burning rubber not cash. Keep your ride or die alive at eBay Motors.com. Eligible items only.

Exclusion Supply. And we continue here with Our American Stories, our special Fourth of July show, All Show Long. On July 4, 1962, President John F. Kennedy gave one of his very best and least known speeches. JFK was a patriot, and though born to a family of wealth and privilege, served in the Pacific in World War II. In the Solomon Islands, specifically, he and his Navy mates ran into trouble on a torpedo patrol boat, PT-109. When asked how he came to be a World War II hero, which Kennedy was, he answered with his usual humor.

It was involuntary. They sank my boat. He won the Purple Heart and the Navy and Marine Corps medals for his heroism. His brother Joseph, the oldest of nine Kennedy children, was killed in action during World War II while serving as a land-based patrol bomber pilot.

He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. The Kennedy family's love of country and devotion to country was on display in the war that saved Western civilization. And JFK's love and affection for the nation's founding document, our birth certificate, was on full display on that warm summer day in front of Independence Hall, the very building in which the 56 founders signed the Declaration of Independence.

After the usual greetings and thanks, all 50 governors were present, and a huge crowd, Kennedy got started. You and I are the executives of the testament handed down by those who gathered in this historic hall 186 years ago today, for they gathered to affix their names to a document which was above all else, a document not of rhetoric but of bold decision. It was, it is true, a document of protest, but protests had been made before.

It set forth their grievances with eloquence, but such eloquence had been heard before. But what distinguished this paper from all the others was 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. Kennedy then connected the struggle for independence in America in the 18th century to the struggle for independence across the globe in the 20th century. Today, 186 years later, that declaration whose yellowing parchment and fading almost illegible lines I saw in the past week in the National Archives in Washington is still a revolutionary document. To read it today is to hear a trumpet call for that declaration unleashed, not merely a revolutionary declaration unleashed, not merely a revolution against the British, but a revolution in human affairs. Its authors were highly conscious of its worldwide implications, and George Washington declared that liberty and self-government were, in his words, finally staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.

This prophecy has been borne out for 186 years. This doctrine of national independence has shaken the globe, and it remains the most powerful force anywhere in the world today. There are those struggling to eke out a bare existence in a barren land who have never heard of free enterprise, but who cherish the idea of independence. There are those who are grappling with overpowering problems of illiteracy and ill-health, and who are ill-equipped to hold free elections, but they are determined to hold fast to their national independence. Even those unwilling or unable to take part in any struggle between east and west are strongly on the side of their own national independence.

Kennedy then propelled the founder's vision to the present, his present, and the great global struggle happening under his watch. The struggle between communism and nations around the world longing to be free. If there is a single issue in the world which divides the world, it is independence. The independence of Berlin or Laos or Vietnam. The longing for independence behind the Iron Curtain. The peaceful transition to independence in those newly emerging areas whose troubles some hope to exploit. The theory of independence is as old as man himself, and it was not invented in this hall.

But it was in this hall that the theory became a practice. That the word went out to all in Thomas Jefferson's phrase that the God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time. And today this nation, conceived in a revolution, nurtured in liberty, maturing in independence, has no intention of advocating its leadership in that worldwide movement for independence to any nation or society committed to systematic human oppression. And here is how President John F. Kennedy closed things out on July 4, 1962 in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On Washington's birthday in 1861 standing right there, President-elect Abraham Lincoln spoke at this hall on his way to the nation's capital. And he paid a brief but eloquent tribute to the man who wrote, who fought for, and who died for the Declaration of Independence. Its essence, he said, was its promise not only of liberty to the people of this country, but hope to the world, hope that in due time the weight should be lifted from the shoulders of all men and that all should have an equal chance. 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. And for the peace and freedom of all, and for the support, 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. And you've been listening to President John F. Kennedy on July 4th, 1962, giving what is one of his great speeches of his presidency, one we bring to you every July 4th, and we bring to you a couple of other times each year as well, because it's so worth hearing now and then.

John F. Kennedy's July 4th speech at Independence Hall in 1962, here on Our American Stories. Hello, it is Ryan, and we could all use an extra bright spot in our day, couldn't we? Just to make up for things like sitting in traffic, doing the dishes, counting your steps, you know, all the mundane stuff. That is why I'm such a big fan of Chumba Casino. Chumba Casino has all your favorite social casino-style games that you can play for free anytime, anywhere, with daily bonuses.

That should brighten your day a little, actually a lot. So sign up now at ChumbaCasino.com. That's ChumbaCasino.com. No purchase necessary. Ever wolf down a Big Mac and thought, I could use some extra cash? Meet Drop, the ultimate rewards app. Earn free gift cards for getting your daily coffee or late night drive-through effortlessly. Just link a card, shop, and watch rewards stack. With Drop, it's like getting paid to indulge. Download Drop now and start earning. Use the code DROP22 for $5 in points instantly.

This is Malcolm Gladwell from Revisionist History. eBay Motors is here for the ride. With some elbow grease, fresh installs, and a whole lot of love, you transformed 100,000 miles and a body full of rust into a drive that's all your own. Brake kits, LED headlights, whatever you need. eBay Motors has it. And with eBay Guaranteed Fit, it's guaranteed to fit your ride the first time, every time, or your money back. Plus, at these prices, you're burning rubber, not cash.

Keep your ride or die alive at eBayMotors.com. Eligible items only, exclusions apply. The following is a high-five moment from HighFiveCasino.com. Welcome to Burger Yippie. Would you like a hot apple pie today? Yes. Yes.

Yeah. I won. Woohoo. So that's a yes on the apple pie?

I just went big time playing HighFiveCasino on my phone. Real cash prizes, free daily reward, over 1200 games. So yes or no on the apple pie? Woohoo. I won again. I'll take that as a yes. Drive around.

Have you had your high-five moment today? Only at HighFiveCasino.com. HighFiveCasino is a social casino. No purchase necessary. We're prohibited. Play responsibly. Conditions apply. See website for details.

HighFiveCasino. Hi, I'm MRN Lead Peer Reporter, Steve Post. And I'm Championship Winning Crew Chief, Todd Gordon. Go behind the scenes each week with us for MRN Crew Call, where we'll talk to some of the biggest names standing atop the pit box. As well as break down all the exciting action from the weekend in NASCAR and go into detail on the winning strategies. Crew Call is also where you'll hear from the first-time winners.

And the champions from the NASCAR Cup Series to the Craftsman Truck Series. Listen today in the iHeartRadio app or on your favorite podcast platform.