Lyndon B. Johnson's 1963 Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress: List 1

On November 27, 1963, five days after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, TX, newly sworn-in President Lyndon B. Johnson made his first address to Congress, urging the lawmakers to honor Kennedy by fulfilling his presidential goals.

This list covers vocabulary from "Mr. Speaker…"–"...Alliance for Progress in this hemisphere."

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. immortal
    not subject to death
    Today John Fitzgerald Kennedy lives on in the immortal words and works that he left behind. He lives on in the mind and memories of mankind. He lives on in the hearts of his countrymen.
  2. vitalize
    make more lively or vigorous
    The dream of conquering the vastness of space...the dream of care for our elderly—the dream of an all-out attack on mental illness—and above all, the dream of equal rights for all Americans, whatever their race or color—these and other American dreams have been vitalized by his drive and by his dedication.
  3. fortitude
    strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity
    Under John Kennedy's leadership, this Nation has demonstrated that it has the courage to seek peace, and it has the fortitude to risk war.
  4. reliable
    able to be depended on; consistent or steady
    We have proved that we are a good and reliable friend to those who seek peace and freedom.
  5. formidable
    extremely impressive in strength or excellence
    We have shown that we can also be a formidable foe to those who reject the path of peace and those who seek to impose upon us or our allies the yoke of tyranny.
  6. tyranny
    government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator
    We have shown that we can also be a formidable foe to those who reject the path of peace and those who seek to impose upon us or our allies the yoke of tyranny.
  7. commitment
    the act of binding yourself to a course of action
    This Nation will keep its commitments from South Viet-Nam to West Berlin.
  8. unceasing
    continuous and uninterrupted in time
    We will be unceasing in the search for peace; resourceful in our pursuit of areas of agreement even with those with whom we differ; and generous and loyal to those who join with us in common cause.
  9. resourceful
    adroit or imaginative
    We will be unceasing in the search for peace; resourceful in our pursuit of areas of agreement even with those with whom we differ; and generous and loyal to those who join with us in common cause.
  10. confrontation
    the act of hostile groups opposing each other
    We must be prepared at one and the same time for both the confrontation of power and the limitation of power.
  11. persecution
    causing someone to suffer
    And let all know we will extend no special privilege and impose no persecution. We will carry on the fight against poverty and misery, and disease and ignorance, in other lands and in our own.
  12. unanimity
    everyone being of one mind
    Our American unity does not depend upon unanimity. We have differences; but now, as in the past, we can derive from those differences strength, not weakness, wisdom, not despair.
  13. enlightened
    having knowledge and spiritual insight
    Both as a people and a government, we can unite upon a program, a program which is wise and just, enlightened and constructive.
  14. constructive
    tending to improve or promote development
    Both as a people and a government, we can unite upon a program, a program which is wise and just, enlightened and constructive.
  15. unswerving
    firm and dependable, especially in loyalty
    From this chamber of representative government, let all the world know and none misunderstand that I rededicate this Government to the unswerving support of the United Nations, to the honorable and determined execution of our commitments to our allies...and to our Alliance for Progress in this hemisphere.
Created on Fri Oct 09 20:34:04 EDT 2026 (updated Fri Oct 16 12:30:11 EDT 2026)

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