"For all my years in public life, I have believed that America must sail toward the shores of liberty and justice for all. There is no end to that journey, only the next great voyage. We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make."
April 8, 1964 | Floor of the United States Senate Standing Up for Equality and Staring Down Discrimination
On April, 9, 1964, barely four months after the assassination of his brother, President John F. Kennedy, Senator Kennedy took to the Senate floor and gave his maiden speech on the floor of the United States Senate. He chose as his topic the paramount domestic issue of the day, and urged support of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination in employment, education and public accommodations. Senator Kennedy tirelessly fought throughout his career to end discrimination and ensure justice, fairness and equal opportunity for all.
October 3, 1969 | Liberty College, Lynchburg, Virginia A Call for Tolerance in Religious and Political Beliefs
At a time in which the religious right gained prominence in American politics, Senator Kennedy spoke to the student body of Liberty Baptist College as a guest of the Rev. Jerry Falwell and called for an end to religious intolerance in American political debate.
March 9, 1970 | Senate Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments Voting Age to 18 Testimony Before the Senate Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments
August 12, 1980 | Democratic National Convention, New York City And the Dream Shall Never Die
Senator Kennedy addressed the Democratic National Convention in New York City in 1980 after a heated primary campaign. During his dramatic speech he called for a renewed commitment to social and economic justice for all.
September 7, 1989 Floor Statement Praising the Passage of the ADA
Senator Kennedy was a chief sponsor, together with Senator Tom Harkin, of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which ensures that millions of disabled Americans are able to live productive lives free from discrimination in public accommodations and employment. The ADA requires that public facilities accommodate the needs of disabled Americans, and that employers make reasonable accommodations for disabled workers.
September 27, 2002 | Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies Iraq: A War of Choice
In September 2002, as the Bush Administration was preparing to go to war in Iraq without the support of the international community, Senator Kennedy, in a historic speech at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, was the first to argue that Iraq did not pose the type of threat that justified immediate, pre-emptive war. When no one else would, Senator Kennedy argued that America should not rush to war and that we should get UN inspectors back into Iraq without conditions.
September 25, 2007 | Standing Against Hate Senator Kennedy on the Matthew Shepard Act
Facing a veto threat from the President of the United States and an uncertain vote in the U.S. Senate, Senator Kennedy fought to pass the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Eventually signed into law in a later Congress, this legislation broadens existing law to prohibit hate crimes against women, gays, lesbians, and transgender persons; and gives prosecutors enhanced ability to charge and penalize those who commit hate crimes.
