State of the Union | Page 6

today to pioneer in meeting the concerns
which have followed in their wake--in turning the wonders of science
to the service of man.
In the majesty of this great Chamber we hear the echoes of America's
history, of debates that rocked the Union and those that repaired it, of

the summons to war and the search for peace, of the uniting of the
people, the building of a nation.
Those echoes of history remind us of our roots and our strengths.
They remind us also of that special genius of American democracy,
which at one critical turning point after another has led us to spot the
new road to the future and given us the wisdom and the courage to take
it.
As I look down that new road which I have tried to map out today, I see
a new America as we celebrate our 200th anniversary 6 years from
now.
I see an America in which we have abolished hunger, provided the
means for every family in the Nation to obtain a minimum income,
made enormous progress in providing better housing, faster
transportation, improved health, and superior education.
I see an America in which we have checked inflation, and waged a
winning war against crime.
I see an America in which we have made great strides in stopping the
pollution of our air, cleaning up our water, opening up our parks,
continuing to explore in space.
Most important, I see an America at peace with all the nations of the
world.
This is not an impossible dream. These goals are all within our reach.
In times past, our forefathers had the vision but not the means to
achieve such goals.
Let it not be recorded that we were the first American generation that
had the means but not the vision to make this dream come true.
But let us, above all, recognize a fundamental truth. We can be the best
clothed, best fed, best housed people in the world, enjoying clean air,
clean water, beautiful parks, but we could still be the unhappiest people
in the world without an indefinable spirit--the lift of a driving dream
which has made America, from its beginning, the hope of the world.
Two hundred years ago this was a new nation of 3 million people, weak
militarily, poor economically. But America meant something to the
world then which could not be measured in dollars, something far more
important than military might.
Listen to President Thomas Jefferson in 1802: We act not "for
ourselves alone, but for the whole human race."

We had a spiritual quality then which caught the imagination of
millions of people in the world.
Today, when we are the richest and strongest nation in the world, let it
not be recorded that we lack the moral and spiritual idealism which
made us the hope of the world at the time of our birth.
The demands of us in 1976 are even greater than in 1776.
It is no longer enough to live and let live. Now we must live and help
live.
We need a fresh climate in America, one in which a person can breathe
freely and breathe in freedom.
Our recognition of the truth that wealth and happiness are not the same
thing requires us to measure success or failure by new criteria.
Even more than the programs I have described today, what this Nation
needs is an example from its elected leaders in providing the spiritual
and moral leadership which no programs for material progress can
satisfy.
Above all, let us inspire young Americans with a sense of excitement, a
sense of destiny, a sense of involvement, in meeting the challenges we
face in this great period of our history. Only then are they going to have
any sense of satisfaction in their lives.
The greatest privilege an individual can have is to serve in a cause
bigger than himself. We have such a cause.
How we seize the opportunities I have described today will determine
not only our future, but the future of peace and freedom in this world in
the last third of the century.
May God give us the wisdom, the strength and, above all, the idealism
to be worthy of that challenge, so that America can fulfill its destiny of
being the world's best hope for liberty, for opportunity, for progress and
peace for all peoples.
On the same day an advance text of the Presidents address was released
by the White House Press Office.
***
State of the Union Address Richard Nixon January 22, 1971
Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, my colleagues in the Congress, our
distinguished guests, my fellow Americans:
As this 92d Congress begins its session, America has lost a great
Senator, and all of us who had the privilege to know