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Remarks Before the National Convention Upon Accepting the Nomination, August 27, 1964

LBJ Library & Museum

Sound | 1964 | B/W | English

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Lyndon Baines Johnson

1960s

Politics

LBJ Library and Museum

On August 27th, 1964 – incidentally his 57th birthday - President Lyndon Baines Johnson accepted the Democratic Party's nomination for the office of President. In his speech, addressed to the Democratic National Convention held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, President Johnson calls for national unity and declares that he wishes to represent all of the people of the union. He invokes the memory of President Kennedy, affirming his commitment to carry out and continue Kennedy's policies. President Johnson's speech is encapsulated in the famous lines 'Our problems are many and are great. But our opportunities are even greater.' President Johnson ascended to the office of President following the assassination of President Kennedy, and this convention speech marked his official nomination to the position that he had held following President Kennedy's death.

Purchased from a family member in 1951 while Lyndon B. Johnson served in the U.S. Senate, "the ranch," located in Gillespie County in the Texas Hill Country was the Johnsons' family home. The LBJ Ranch made its debut to the American public during Johnson's vice presidency (1961 - 1963) when it was used to host state visits of foreign dignitaries, high-ranking Washington politicians, and campaign functions. As President (1963 – 1969), Johnson conducted official business at the ranch, including state visits and lawn chair staff meetings, earning it the name, the Texas White House. On December 2, 1969, the ranch, along with Johnson City and Johnson's birthplace, was authorized as Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Site, and became a United States National Historic Park on December 28, 1980. Both President and Lady Bird Johnson are buried in the family cemetery within the National Historic Park.

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