Question

In a paragraph of seven to ten sentences, answer the following questions in relation to this passage from John F. Kennedy's 1963 Civil Rights Address: What idea must be changed, according to Kennedy, in this passage? Why is it necessary for this change to occur? What long-term impact does Kennedy expect to make by changing this idea? "One hundred years of delay have passed since President Lincoln freed the slaves, yet their heirs, their grandsons, are not fully free. They are not yet freed from the bonds of injustice. They are not yet freed from social and economic oppression. And this Nation, for all its hopes and all its boasts, will not be fully free until all its citizens are free. We preach freedom around the world, and we mean it, and we cherish our freedom here at home, but are we to say to the world, and much more importantly, to each other that this is the land of the free except for the Negroes; that we have no second-class citizens except Negroes; that we have no class or caste system, no ghettoes, no master race except with respect to Negroes?"

Answer 1

According to Kennedy's address, the idea that must be changed is that black people are less worthy than white. Basically, it's an idea that freedom has limits. If freedom exists in the United States, it must exist and be applicable to everyone, including the African American citizens. If it excludes anyone, based on any feature, it is not freedom at all. Freedom is the basis of American Constitution. It is one of the pillars of American national identity. So, it must be available and guaranteed for everyone. The change is necessary because it is time to start employing this idea that had been abstract for an entire century. By changing this idea, the American society would become a society of equals, with each and every citizen's fundamental human rights being protected and guaranteed.