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RFK - Centennial Speech

1963

On March 18, 1963, Robert F. Kennedy delivered a speech at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky during a Centennial celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation. 

The only places on earth not to provide free public education are Communist China, North Vietnam, Sarawak, Singapore, British Honduras—and Prince Edward County, Virginia.

— Robert F. Kennedy

Centennial Speech, March 18th 1963

The Attorney General speaks at opening of Emancipation Proclamation Exhibit

In this speech, he emphasized the importance of rededicating ourselves to the principle that all Americans, regardless of race or creed, should be equal, highlighting the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation as an act of great courage and clarity. Kennedy stated that the message of emancipation extends beyond the United States, impacting the underprivileged around the world and urging the elimination of unjust privilege. He also emphasized the importance of the act as a “torch that men will pass from hand to hand into every dark place in the world where slavery, of one kind or another, exists.”

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Robert F. Kennedy's Centennial Speech