Quote of the day by John F. Kennedy: 'The rights of every man are diminished when...'

President John F. Kennedy addressing the nation in 1963. Source: Heritage Images / Heritage Images via Getty Images On June 11, 1963, Alabama Governor George Wallace stood directly in the doorway of Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. His goal was to block two Black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, from enrolling. Federalized National Guard troops eventually forced Wallace to step aside.Later that evening, United States President John F. Kennedy sat behind the Oval Office desk to give a talk on national television. Speaking directly to the American public, Kennedy explained that civil rights was not just a political debate, but a moral test for the country."The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened," Kennedy said.This quote points out a simple truth about society: human rights are not a pie divided among competing groups. When a society allows one person's basic protections to be taken away, it weakens the shield that keeps everyone else safe.The political crisis behind the speechThe summer of 1963 was a key moment in the American Civil Rights Movement. Months earlier, police in Birmingham, Alabama, used powerf...