Speech before the 1936 Democratic National Convention
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
June 27, 1936
A Rendezvous With Destiny
President Roosevelt:
"Senator Robinson, Members of the Democratic
Convention, My Friends: Here, and in every community throughout the
land, we are met at a time of great moment to the future of the nation.
It is an occasion to be dedicated to the simple and sincere expression
of an attitude toward problems, the determination of which will
profoundly affect America.
I come not only as a leader of a party, not only as a
candidate for high office, but as one upon whom many critical hours
have imposed and still impose a grave responsibility.
For the sympathy, help and confidence with which
Americans have sustained me in my task I am grateful. For their loyalty I
salute the members of our great party, in and out of political life in
every part of the Union. I salute those of other parties, especially
those in the Congress of the United States who on so many occasions have
put partisanship aside. I thank the governors of the several states,
their legislatures, their state and local officials who participated
unselfishly and regardless of party in our efforts to achieve recovery
and destroy abuses. Above all I thank the millions of Americans who have
borne disaster bravely and have dared to smile through the storm.
America will not forget these recent years, will not
forget that the rescue was not a mere party task. It was the concern of
all of us. In our strength we rose together, rallied our energies
together, applied the old rules of common sense, and together survived.
In those days we feared fear. That was why we fought
fear. And today, my friends, we have won against the most dangerous of
our foes. We have conquered fear.
But I cannot, with candor, tell you that all is well
with the world. Clouds of suspicion, tides of ill-will and intolerance
gather darkly in many places. In our own land we enjoy indeed a fullness
of life greater than that of most nations. But the rush of modern
civilization itself has raised for us new difficulties, new problems
which must be solved if we are to preserve to the United States the
political and economic freedom for which Washington and Jefferson
planned and fought.
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