The protection of civil rights is the duty of every government which derives its powers from the consent of the people.

Federal protection of the right to vote is essential to ensuring the full enjoyment of civil rights for all.

We believe that all men have the right to freedom of thought and of expression and the right to worship as they please.

We must protect our civil rights so that by providing all our people with the maximum enjoyment of personal freedom and personal opportunity we shall be a stronger nation--stronger in our leadership, stronger in our moral position, stronger in the deeper satisfactions of a united citizenry.

This will take the strong efforts of each of us individually, and all of us acting together through voluntary organizations and our governments.

These bodies together should keep all of us continuously aware of the condition of civil rights in the United States and keep us alert to opportunities to improve their protection.

This gap must be closed.

The channels of interstate commerce should be open to all Americans on a basis of complete equality.

We believe that all men are entitled to equal opportunities for jobs, for homes, for good health and for education.

Requirements for the payment of poll taxes also interfere with the right to vote.

We cannot be satisfied until all our people have equal opportunities for jobs, for homes, for education, for health, and for political expression, and until all our people have equal protection under the law.

The Federal Government has a clear duty to see that Constitutional guarantees of individual liberties and of equal protection under the laws are not denied or abridged anywhere in our Union.

It is a principle of our democracy, written into our Constitution, that every person accused of an offense against the law shall have a fair, orderly trial in an impartial court.

If we wish to inspire the peoples of the world whose freedom is in jeopardy, if we wish to restore hope to those who have already lost their civil liberties, if we wish to fulfill the promise that is ours, we must correct the remaining imperfections in our practice of democracy.

We know the way. We need only the will.

The protection of civil rights begins with the mutual respect for the rights of others which all of us should practice in our daily lives.

We believe that all men should have a voice in their government and that government should protect, not usurp, the rights of the people.

We believe that all men are created equal and that they have the right to equal justice under law.