Question

In a paragraph of seven to ten sentences, answer the following questions in relation to this passage from John F. Kennedy's 1963 Civil Rights

Address: What notion does Kennedy seek to reinvent in this passage? Why is it necessary for this notion to change? What long-term result does
Kennedy expect to see through the reinventing of this notion?
"One hundred years of delay have passed since President Lincoln freed the slaves, yet their heirs, their grandsons, are not fully free. They are not yet
freed from the bonds of injustice. They are not yet freed from social and economic oppression. And this Nation, for all its hopes and all its boasts, will
not be fully free until all its citizens ore free.
We preach freedom around the world, and we mean it, and we cherish our freedom here at home, but are we to say to the world, and much more
importantly, to each other that this is the land of the free except for the Negroes; that we have no second-class citizens except Negroes; that we have no
closs or caste system, no ghettoes, no master race except with respect to Negroes?"

Answer 1

The notion here is discrimination based on the skin colour, specifically of black people in the US. This notion was previously expressed through slavery, and people think that it's ended, but this is not the case: black people are still opressed, socially and economically. This is unfair and cruel, therefore, it has to change. The long term result would be a full integration of black people into the society. The idea of racism and ethnic discrimination needs to change. In this speech, Kennedy is saying that in a country that calls itself free, even in the constitution, is not actually fully free. He makes remarks about how we can say to the world, "We are a free country!" ...Except for the Negroes. He also expressed how we can "Preach freedom around the world!" and then turn around and endorse acts of slavery and discrimination, without even acknowledging it, acting like doesn't exist. The idea of this discrimination needs to change in order to become a truly free country. Although we can as a country we can say we are free, egalitarian country, the citizens of such country may not express that.