1968- Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson Dedicates the James Polk Birthplace, Pineville, NC

OFFICE OF THE PRESS SECRETARY TO MRS. LYNDON B. JOHNSON THE WHITE HOUSE  

EXCERPTS FROM REMARKS BY  MRS. LYNDON B. JOHNSON AT THE DEDICATION OF THE JAMES POLK BIRTHPLACE PINEVILLE, MECKLENBURG COUNTY,  NORTH CAROLINA  

I can’t tell you how glad I am to be here—and how much the President would like to have come with me. You can be sure that he will get a long and detailed account of what I have seen today in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.  

It is not hard to understand how this county produced a man who would one day be President; how a little college north of here influenced both a great President, Woodrow Wilson, and a great Secretary of State, Deak [Dean] Rusk.  

We are gathered here to pay tribute both to the past and the present; to pay honor to two centuries of history; to dedicate the birthplace of a notable president; to celebrate present progress.  

Perhaps this is a perfect moment for us to reflect, in President Lincoln’s words, about “where we have been, and whither we are tending.”  

Today we dedicate more than a historic landmark; we preserve a bit of the national memory--and that, I believe is a vital and important achievement.  

Imagine yourself awakening tomorrow with no memory at all; suddenly robbed of any sign or signal of your personal past. An affliction like that would plague not only your thoughts, but your actions. The simplest act might be beyond you; every person you met would be a stranger. Few of us can think of a tragedy more haunting than the loss of personal memory, the loss of the past as a guide for the future. There is a danger and tragedy too, I believe, in a loss of national memory; danger in becoming indifferent to the facts and the values of our past; tragedy if we destroy the landmarks which are symbols and reminders of the past.  

This Southern country—yours and mine—is still rich with landmarks. But they are threatened. What an irony it would be if our own bulldozers destroy more in the 1960’s than an invading army destroyed in the 1860’s.  

What of this house, so perfectly restored?  

It is more than a physical landmark; more than an attraction for tourists and students.  

For those who have eyes to see, it may yield some insights about a country which can raise up notable men from modest two-room houses. I wonder how many children are living now—perhaps in poverty or hunger—in one-room houses in America; children who have potential for greatness. I wonder if we can find them. I hope we can encourage them and give them opportunity.  

For those who have eyes to see, a visit to this place may start an investigation into the life and times of President Polk—a president too little studied, too little noted.  

He was a controversial President—and his was a tumultuous age. But it was an age of rich expansion and development for America. He came to office just as Texas entered the Union. Under his Administration, the Oregon question was resolved; adventurous settlers began to pour into California.  

I leave it to the historians to determine President Polk’s place in history. But I have become something of a student of Presidents. I have seen a little controversy, too. And I am deeply convinced that this age in America for all its tumult and debate, will be remembered as a time of growth and expansion for America. Not outward Growth—but growth upward; growth toward better health and education, toward a more beautiful landscape and cityscape; toward more real liberty and opportunity for every citizen.  

I see it happening here, and I salute you for it.  

And when I return to Washington tonight, I will take back with me a message for the President:  

Today I saw a place and a people who work and strive in the present, but respect the best of their past.  

Today I was fortune enough to see a bit of the national memory preserved for the future.  

Today, I journeyed South and met a great many warm, concerned and generous citizens.  

This is why I am an optimist about America. Thank you.