Huckleberry finn by mark twain, eyes watching god and free to choose by milton and rose freeman. Watch our 10 part series, books that shaped america, september 18th at 9 p. M. Eastern on cspan, cspan now, our free mobile video apps or online, cspan. Org. Good evening. In a few days, i will lay down my official responsibilities in this office. The only title in our democracy superior to that of president s, the title of citizen. Vice president mondale and my cabinet and others who served with me in the last four years, i wish to say what i have said in private. I thank them for the dedication and confidence they brought to the surface of the country. On my deepest thanks to you, the American People. Because you gave me the opportunity to serve. We face great challenges together. We know that future problems will also be difficult. I am more convinced than ever that the United States more than any other country can reach successfully with the future might bring. Last few years of may be more certain than ever of the inner strength of our country, the unchanging value of principles and ideals, the stability of our political system, the ingenuity and decency of our people. I would like to say a few works about this most special office, the presidency of the United States, at once the most powerful office in the world and among the most severely constrained by law and custom. The president was given the opportunity to lead but cannot do so without the support and consent of the people expressed formally to congress and informally in many ways through a range of private and public institutions. This is as it should be. In the system of government, every american has a right and a duty to help shape the future course of the United States. Criticism and close scrutiny of all government officials by the press and the public and part of the Democratic Society now as in the past, the understanding and involvement of the people through open debate can help to avoid serious mistakes and assure the continued dignity and safety of the nation. Today we are asking our political system to do things the Founding Fathers never dreamed, the government a design for a few hundred thousand people, now serves a nation of almost 230 million people, a small coastal republic now spans beyond the present and we have the responsibility to help lead much of the world through difficult times to a secure and prosperous future. Today those people have become more doubtful of the ability of the government to deal with our problems, increasingly drawn single issue groups and special interest organizations to ensure whatever else happens, our own personal views are protected. This is a disturbing factor in american political life that tends to distort our purposes. The National Interest is not always the some of all our special interests. We are all americans together. We must not forget the common good is our common interest. And individual responsibility. Because of the fragmented special of these special interests, its very important the office of the president be a strong one. Thats Constitutional Authority to be preserved. The president is the only elected official charged with the primary responsibility of representing all the people in the moments of decision, after the different and conflicting views. Who then must speak to the nation and for the nation. I understand after four years in this office as few others can how formidable is the task the president elect is about to undertake and to the very limits of their conviction, to support him in that task, i wish him success and godspeed. I know president s have 2 may face major issues that are controversial, broad in scope and do not arouse the natural support of a political majority. For a few minutes now, i will lay aside my role as the leader of one nation and speak to you as a fellow citizen of the world about three issues, three difficult issues, the threat of nuclear destruction, stewardship of the resources of our planet, and the preeminence of the basic rights of human beings. It has now been 35 years since the first atomic bomb fell on hiroshima. The majority of the worlds people cannot remember a time when the Nuclear Shadow did not hang over the earth. Our minds have adjusted to it as, after a time, our eyes adjust to the dark. Yet the risk of a Nuclear Conflagration has not lessened. It has not happened yet, thank god, that can give us little comfort because it only has to happen once. The danger is becoming greater. The arsenals of the superpowers grow in size and sophistication and other governments, perhaps in the future dozens of governments acquire these weapons, it may only be a matter of time before madness, desperation, greed, or miscalculation lets loose this terrible force. In an allout nuclear war, more distractive power than all of world war ii would be unleashed every second. In the long afternoon it would take all the missiles and bombs to fall, a world war ii every second. More People Killed in the first few hours than in all the wars of history put together. The survivors, if any, would live in despair amid the poisoned ruins of a civilization that had committed suicide. National weakness, real or perceived, can tempt aggression and thus cause war. That is why the United States can never make light its military strength. We must, and we will, remain strong. With equal determination, the United States and all countries must find ways to control and reduce the horrifying danger that is posed by the enormous world stockpiles of nuclear arms. This has been a concern of every american president. It is a moment we face what these weapons can do. They crown our understanding and support as they grapple with the difficult but crucial challenge. There is no disagreement in the goals of basic approach to controlling this enormous destructive force, the answer lies not just in attitudes or actions but in the concern and demands of all of us as we continue our struggle to preserve the peace. Nuclear weapons are an expression of one side of human character, but theres another side. The same technology that delivers Nuclear Warheads has also taken us peacefully into space. From that perspective, we see our earth as it really is. Small and fragile and beautiful blue grove, the only home we have. We see no barriers of race or religion or country. We see the essential unity of our species and our planet. And faith in common sense that vision will ultimately prevail. Another major challenge is to protect the quality of this world in which we live. Not only by the kinds of weapons we built but the kind of world we nourish or neglect. There are real and growing dangers to our most precious possessions, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land which sustains us. Rapid depletion of irreplaceable minerals, the erosion of topsoil, the destruction of beauty, blight, pollution, the demands of increasing billions of people, all combined to create problems which easy to preserve and predict, but difficult to resolve. If we do not act, the world of the year 2,000 will be much less able to sustain life than it is now. But there is no reason for despair. Acknowledging the physical realities of our planet does not mean a dismal future of endless sacrifice. In fact, acknowledging these realities is the first step in dealing with them. We can meet the resource problems of the world, water, food, minerals, farmlands, forests, overpopulation, pollution, if we tackle them with courage and foresight. I have been talking about forces of potential destruction that mankind has developed, how we might control them. It is equally important that we remember the beneficial forces that we have evolved over the ages and how to hold fast to him. One of those Constructive Forces is the enhancement of individual human freedoms, the strengthening of democracy, and the fight against deprivation, torture, terrorism, and the persecution of people throughout the world, the struggle for human rights overrides all differences of color or nation or language. Those who hunger for freedom thirst for Human Dignity and who suffer for the sake of justice, they are the patriots of this because. I believe with all my heart that america must always stand for these basic human rights at home or abroad throughout our history and destiny. America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense, which ever way around, human rights invented america. Hours was the first nation in the history of the world to be found that especially on such an idea. Our social and public will progress has been based on one fundamental principle, for the individual, the fundamental force that unites us is not kinship, place of origin a religious preference, the love of liberty, common blood that closed in our american veins. At home and abroad, we should never be surprised or discouraged because the impact of our efforts has had and will always have results. Rather we should take pride that the ideals that gave birth to our nation still inspire the hopes of oprahs to people around the world. We have no cause for selfrighteousness or complacency, but we have every reason to persevere both within our own country and beyond our borders. We serve as a beacon for human rights, we must continue to perfect here at home, the rights and the values which we espouse around the world. A decent education for our children, adequate medical care for all americans and dissemination against minorities and women, a job for all those able to work, freedom from injustice and religious intolerance. We live in a time of transition, and uneasy era which is likely to endure for the rest of this century. It will be a period of tension both within nations and between nations. Of competition, scarce resources, social, political, and economic stresses and strains. During this period, we may be tempted to abandon the time honored principles and commitments which have been proven during difficult times of past generations. We must never yield to this temptation. Our American Values are necessities, not luxuries. Not the salt in our bread, but the bread itself. Our common vision of a free and just society is our greatest source of cohesion at home and strength abroad. Greater even than the bounty of our material blessings. Remember these words. We hold these truths to be selfevident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This vision still groups the imagination of the world. We know that democracy is always an unfinished creation. Each generation must renew its foundations. Each generation must rediscover the meaning of this hallowed vision in light of its own modern challenges. For this generation, hours, life is survival, liberty is human rights was the pursuit of happiness is a planet whose resources are devoted to the physical and spiritual nourishment of its inhabitants. During the next few days i will work hard to make sure the transition from myself to the next president is a good one, that the American People are served well and i will continue as i have the last 14 months, to work hard and to pray for the lives and the wellbeing of the american hostages in iran. I cant predict yet what will happen but i hope you will join me in constant prayer for their freedom. Where i was born and raised i look forward to the opportunity to reflect and assess. The circumstances of our times and to give our new president my support. As i have worked in this office as president for the values this nation was founded to secure. Again, from the bottom of my heart, the gratitude i feel. Thank you fellow citizens and farewell. Weekends on cspan2 are an intellectual feast. Every saturday, American History tv documents americas story. On sunday, booktv brings you the latest in Nonfiction Books and authors. 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