my fellow citizens
at this last presidential inauguration of the 20th century let us lift our eyes toward the challenges that await us in the next century it is our great good fortune that time and chance have put us not only at the edge of a new century in a new millennium but on the edge of a bright new prospect in human affairs a moment that will define our course and our character for decades to come we must keep our old democracy forever young guided by the ancient vision of a promised land let us set our sights upon a land of new promise
the promise of america was born in the 18th century out of the bold conviction that we are all created equal it was extended and preserved in the 19th century when our nation spread across the continent saved the union and abolished the awful scourge of slavery
then in turmoil and triumph that promise exploded onto the world stage to make this the american century and what a century it has been america became the world s mightiest industrial power saved the world from tyranny in two world wars and a long cold war and time and again reached out across the globe to millions who like us longed for the blessings of liberty
along the way americans produced a great middle class and security in old age built unrivaled centers of learning and opened public schools to all split the atom and explored the heavens invented the computer and the microchip and deepened the wellspring of justice by making a revolution in civil rights for african americans and all minorities and extending the circle of citizenship opportunity and dignity to women
now for the third time a new century is upon us and another time to choose we began the 19th century with a choice to spread our nation from coast to coast we began the 20th century with a choice to harness the industrial revolution to our values of free enterprise conservation and human decency those choices made all the difference at the dawn of the 21st century a free people must now choose to shape the forces of the information age and the global society to unleash the limitless potential of all our people and yes to form a more perfect union
when last we gathered our march to this new future seemed less certain than it does today we vowed then to set a clear course to renew our nation
in these four years we have been touched by tragedy exhilarated by challenge strengthened by achievement america
stands alone as the world s in
克林顿总统第二次职演说
dispensable nation once again our economy is the strongest on earth once again we are building stronger families thriving communities better educational opportunities a cleaner environment problems that once seemed destined to deepen now bend to our efforts our streets are safer and record numbers of our fellow citizens have moved from welfare to work
and once again we have resolved for our time a great debate over the role of government today we can declare government is not the problem and government is not the solution we the american people we are the solution (applause) our founders understood that well and gave us a democracy strong enough to endure for centuries flexible enough to face our common challenges and advance our common dreams in each new day
as times change so government must change we need a new government for a new century humble enough not to try to solve all our problems for us but strong enough to give us the tools to solve our problems for ourselves a government that is smaller lives within its means and does more with less yet where it can stand up for our values and interests in the world and where it can give americans the power to make a real difference in their everyday lives government should do more not less the preeminent mission of our new government is to give all americans an opportunity not a guarantee but a real opportunity to build better lives (applause)
beyond that my fellow citizens the future is up to us our founders taught us that the preservation of our liberty and our union depends upon responsible citizenship and we need a new sense of responsibility for a new century there is work to do work that government alone cannot do teaching children to read hiring people off welfare rolls coming out from behind locked doors and shuttered windows to help reclaim our streets from drugs and gangs and crime taking time out of our own lives to serve others
each and every one of us in our own way must assume personal responsibility not only for ourselves and our families but for our neighbors and our nation (applause) our greatest responsibility is to embrace a new spirit of community for a new century for any one of us to succeed we must succeed as one
america
the challenge of our past remains the challenge of our future will we be one nation one people with one common destiny or not will we all come together or come apart
the divide of race has been america s constant curse and each new wave of immigrants gives new targets to old prejudices prejudice and contempt cloaked in the pretense of religious or political conviction are no different (applause) these forces have nearly destro
克林顿总统第二次职演说
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