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Imagine Lincoln's Second Inaugural without its reference to "the judgments of the Lord." Or King's "I Have a Dream" speech without its reference to "all of God's children." Or President Kennedy's Inaugural without the words, "here on Earth, God's work must truly be our own." At each of these junctures, by summoning a higher truth and embracing a universal faith, our leaders inspired ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things. Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education.
Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America's improbable experiment in democracy. This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign - to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America. I've gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world's poorest nations. The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of co-existence and cooperation, but also conflict and religious wars. But let us be clear: al Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 people on that day. And while America in the past has focused on oil and gas in this part of the world, we now seek a broader engagement.
And he knows that it's not enough for just some of us to prosper. We can do that. And that's what we have to restore.
I've seen it in Washington, when we worked across party lines to open up government and hold lobbyists more accountable, to give better care for our veterans and keep nuclear weapons out of terrorist hands. In signing the Treaty of Tripoli in 1796, our second President John Adams wrote, "The United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Muslims." And since our founding, American Muslims have enriched the United States. We seek no military bases there.
God is still speaking. But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. And that's to be expected.
Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you.