THE
PRESIDENT: Mr. Mayor, thank you very much. I appreciate so much your
hospitality. Laura and I are honored to be here in Philadelphia. It's
the perfect place to celebrate our nation's birthday. (Applause.)
I told the Mayor in front of the country when I addressed the
Congress that I was coming to Philadelphia to celebrate the wonderful
missions that take place in this grand city. Mr. Mayor, thank you for
allowing me to come, and thank you for your gracious hospitality. Same
to the Governor of this great state, our close friend, Tom Ridge, and
his wife, Michelle. Thank you all very much for your hospitality.
It's an honor to be on the stage with the senior Senator, who
married quite well, himself. (Laughter.) I appreciate you being here,
Senator, and the honorable. It's an honor to be on the stage with
leaders of the faith community in Philadelphia.
Distinguished guests, my fellow citizens, thank you for your
warm welcome. (Applause.)
And thank you, Mr. Mayor, for your lovely gift. Laura and I
will make a special place for it at the White House.
Today we celebrate American independence, in the place of
America's birth, close to a symbol of American liberty. As millions
know, to see the Liberty Bell is a moving experience. In America we set
aside certain places and treasures like this to protect them from the
passing of the years. We grant them special care to mark a moment in
time. Here in Philadelphia, these markers are all around us, reminders
of our history.
This is a dynamic and modern city. Yet, if the founders,
themselves were here, they would know the place. Benjamin Franklin and
his wife could still find their way from here to the corner where they
first saw each other, at Market and 4th. John Adams could make his way
to City Tavern and show us the spot where he first shook the hand of
George Washington. Thomas Jefferson would still find waiting for him the
room where he drafted the Declaration of Independence.
And each of the founders, coming here, would know the ring of
the Liberty Bell. It rang to announce the first public reading of the
Declaration of Independence, 225 years ago. Those new citizens of a
nation just four days old heard inspiring words, but not original
thoughts. Our founders considered themselves heirs to principles that
were timeless and truths that were self-evident.
When Jefferson sat down to write, he was trying, he said, to
place before mankind "the common sense of the subject." The common
sense of the subject was that we should be free. And though great evils
would linger, the world would never be the same after July 4, 1776.
A wonderful country was born, and a revolutionary idea sent forth
to all mankind: Freedom, not by the good graces of government, but as
the birthright of every individual. Equality, not as a theory of
philosophers, but by the design of our Creator. Natural rights, not for
the few, not even for a fortunate many, but for all people in all place,
in all times.
The world still echoes with the ideals of America's
Declaration. Our ideals have been accepted in many countries, and
bitterly opposed by tyrants. They are the mighty rock on which we have
built our nation. They are the hope of all who are oppressed. They are
the standard to which we hold others, and the standard by which we
measure ourselves.
Our greatest achievements have come when we have lived up to
these ideals. Our greatest tragedies have come when we have failed to
uphold them.
When Abraham Lincoln wondered whether civil war was preferable
to permanent slavery, he knew where to seek guidance. Speaking in
Independence Hall he said, "I have never had a feeling, politically,
that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of
Independence." The Declaration, Lincoln said, gave promise that in due
time the weight would be lifted from the shoulders of all men and all
should have an equal chance.
From the ideals in the Declaration came the laws and the
Constitution, including the free exercise of religion. The Liberty Bell
was originally cast to mark the 50th anniversary of William Penn's
Charter of Privileges, the first guarantee of religious freedom in this
commonwealth. Now, exactly three centuries after William Penn's
charter, the founders would be pleased to see that we have respected
this right of the people and the limitation on the government. They
knew what dangers can follow when government either dictates or
frustrates the exercise of religion.
Our founders would also be pleased to walk these streets again
and to find, amid the problems of modern life, a familiar American
spirit of faith and good works. They would see the signs of poverty and
want, but also acts of great kindness and charity. They would see
addiction and the wreckage it brings. But they would also see in the
works of the religious groups and charities throughout this city the
power that can rescue abandoned hopes and repair a broken life.
In a world very different from theirs they would see different
kinds of hardships, fears, and suffering. Yet, they would also
recognize the brotherly love that gave this city its name. Your
Mayor and I have just come from an Independence Day celebration in North
Philadelphia, organized by a great American named Herbert Lusk.
(Applause.) Herb first came into prominence as an athlete. Today he is
pastor of Greater Exodus Baptist Church. (Applause.) And its
parishioners still like him. (Laughter and applause.) Herb's church is
one of the hundreds of churches and synagogues and mosques in this city
where worship of the Almighty is expressed in service to neighbors in
need.
In every part of Philadelphia, caring people are doing the work
of compassion. They teach boys and girls to read, as in a program
called Youth Education for Tomorrow, where more than 20 faith-based
literacy centers are producing great results for your city's children.
At the Jesus School in North Philadelphia, little Aneeisha
Graham came a year ago, not knowing any letters of the alphabet. Today,
at age 7, she reads at the 4th grade level. (Applause.) Aneeisha is
with us today. It's great to see you, darling. Thank you for
coming. (Applause.)
Other faith-based groups in this city operate shelters for the
destitute and the homeless. They bring kindness and understanding to
young women facing domestic violence or crisis pregnancies. They give
time and attention to the children of prisoners. These are the kinds of
citizens every society needs -- citizens who speak for the voiceless
and feed the hungry and protect the weak and comfort the afflicted.
America's founding documents give us religious liberty in
principle; these Americans show us religious liberty in
action. Religious liberty is more than the right to believe in God's
love; it is the right to be an instrument of God's love. (Applause.)
Such work is beyond the reach of government, and beyond the role
of government. And those who hold positions of power should not be wary
or hostile toward faith-based charities, or other community groups which
perform important and good works. We should welcome their conviction
and contribution in all its diversity.
So today I call on the United States Congress to pass laws
promoting and encouraging faith-based and community groups in their
important public work, and to never discriminate against
them. (Applause.)
These soldiers in the armies of compassion deserve our
support. They often need our support, and by taking their side we act
in the best interests and tradition of our country. Without churches
and charities, many of our citizens who have lost hope would be left to
their own struggles and their own faith. And as I well know, they are
not the only ones whose lives can be changed and uplifted by the
influence of faith in God.
The founding generation discerned in that faith the source of
our own rights -- a divine gift of dignity, found equally in every human
life. Our nation has always been guided by a moral compass. In every
generation men and women have protested terrible wrongs and worked for
justice -- for the abolition of slavery, the triumph of civil rights;
for the end of child labor, the equal treatment of women, and the
protection of innocent life.
Not every reformer in our history has been religious, but many
have been motivated by a scriptural vision in which "justice rolls down
like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."
We welcome religion in our common life because it leads millions
of Americans to serve their neighbor, and because it leads countless
others to speak for justice -- from African American churches to
Catholic bishops. Religious people said Dr. Martin Luther King should
not be the servant of the state, nor the master of the state, but the
conscience of the state.
In my inaugural address, I asked Americans to seek a common good
beyond their comfort; to serve their nation, beginning with their
neighbor. Today I urge Americans to consider what contributions we all
can make -- and there's plenty work for us all. Every person can find
another to help. Nearly every community of conscience and faith has more
to share, and corporate and foundation America can give more and give
wiser.
In this way, we all become more responsible citizens. And by
extending to all the promise of America, we show an important kind of
patriotism. Seventy-five years ago, our 30th President, the only
President born on Independence Day, spoke words that apply to our
time. Calvin Coolidge said, "We live in an age of science and of
abounding accumulation of material things. These did not create our
Declaration. Our Declaration created them. The things of the spirit
come first." (Applause.)
On this 4th of July, 2001, a great anniversary of our nation's
birth, and a great anniversary of religious liberty, we remember the
ideals of America and the things of the spirit that sustain them.
The Liberty Bell has been mostly silent for two centuries. And during
the Revolution, it was unseen, hidden under the floorboards of a church
in Allentown. Yet, even in silence, it has always borne one message,
cast for the ages with the words of the Old Testament: Proclaim liberty
throughout all the land, unto all the inhabitants thereof." In this
place of history, we honor the first generation of Americans who
followed those words. And we give thanks to the God who watched over
our country then, and who watches to this very day.
Thank you, all. And may God bless America. (Applause.)