On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, land of Lincoln, let me express my
deep gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention. Tonight is a particular honor for me
because, let's face it, my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. My father was a foreign
student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a
tin-roof shack. His father, my grandfather, was a cook, a domestic servant.

But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. Through hard work and perseverance my father got a
scholarship to study in a magical place: America, which stood as a beacon of freedom and opportunity
to so many who had come before. While studying here, my father met my mother. She was born in a town
on the other side of the world, in Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of
the Depression. The day after Pearl Harbor he signed up for duty, joined Patton's army and marched
across Europe. Back home, my grandmother raised their baby and went to work on a bomber assembly
line. After the war, they studied on the GI Bill, bought a house through FHA, and moved west in
search of opportunity.

And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter, a common dream, born of two continents. My parents
shared not only an improbable love; they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this
nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or "blessed," believing that in a tolerant
America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined me going to the best schools in the land,
even though they weren't rich, because in a generous America you don't have to be rich to achieve
your potential. They are both passed away now. Yet, I know that, on this night, they look down on me
with pride.

I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents' dreams live on
in my precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story,
that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my
story even possible. Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation, not because of the
height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is
based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago, "We hold
these truths to he self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their
Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness."

That is the true genius of America, a faith in the simple dreams of its people, the insistence on
small miracles. That we can tuck in our children at night and know they are fed and clothed and safe
from harm. That we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the
door. That we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe or hiring
somebody's son. That we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and
that our votes will he counted - or at least, most of the time.

This year, in this election, we are called to reaffirm our values and commitments, to hold them
against a hard reality and see how we are measuring up, to the legacy of our forbearers, and the
promise of future generations. And fellow Americans - Democrats, Republicans, Independents - I say
to you tonight: we have more work to do. More to do for the workers I met in Galesburg, Illinois,
who are losing their union jobs at the Maytag plant that's moving to Mexico, and now are having to
compete with their own children for jobs that pay seven bucks an hour. More to do for the father I
met who was losing his job and choking back tears, wondering how he would pay $4,500 a month for the
drugs his son needs without the health benefits he counted on. More to do for the young woman in
East St. Louis, and thousands more like her, who has the grades, has the drive, has the will, but
doesn't have the money to go to college.

Don't get me wrong. The people I meet in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks,
they don't expect government to solve all their problems. They know they have to work hard to get
ahead and they want to. Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell you they
don't want their tax money wasted by a welfare agency or the Pentagon. Go into any inner city
neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can't teach kids to learn. They know
that parents have to parent, that children can't achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn
off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting
white. No, people don't expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their
bones, that with just a change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a
decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do
better. And they want that choice.

In this election, we offer that choice. Our party has chosen a man to lead us who embodies the best
this country has to offer. That man is John Kerry. John Kerry understands the ideals of community,
faith, and sacrifice, because they've defined his life. From his heroic service in Vietnam to his
years as prosecutor and lieutenant governor, through two decades in the United States Senate, he has
devoted himself to this country. Again and again, we've seen him make tough choices when easier ones
were available. His values and his record affirm what is best in us.

John Kerry believes in an America where hard work is rewarded. So instead of offering tax breaks to
companies shipping jobs overseas, he'll offer them to companies creating jobs here at home. John
Kerry believes in an America where all Americans can afford the same health coverage our politicians
in Washington have for themselves. John Kerry believes in energy independence, so we aren't held
hostage to the profits of oil companies or the sabotage of foreign oil fields. John Kerry believes
in the constitutional freedoms that have made our country the envy of the world, and he will never
sacrifice our basic liberties nor use faith as a wedge to divide us. And John Kerry believes that in
a dangerous world, war must be an option, but it should never he the first option.

A while back, I met a young man named Shamus at the VFW Hall in East Moline, Illinois. He was a
good-looking kid, six-two or six-three, clear-eyed, with an easy smile. He told me he'd joined the
Marines and was heading to Iraq the following week. As I listened to him explain why he'd enlisted,
his absolute faith in our country and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service, I thought this
young man was all any of us might hope for in a child. But then I asked myself: Are we serving
Shamus as well as he was serving us? I thought of more than 900 service men and women, sons and
daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, who will not be returning to their hometowns.
I thought of families I had met who were struggling to get by without a loved one's full income, or
whose loved ones had returned with a limb missing or with nerves shattered, but who still lacked
long-term health benefits because they were reservists. When we send our young men and women into
harm's way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why
they're going, to care for their families while they're gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their
return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn
the respect of the world.

Now let me be clear. We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be
pursued and they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this. And just as Lieutenant Kerry did not
hesitate to risk his life to protect the men who served with him in Vietnam, President Kerry will
not hesitate one moment to use our military might to keep America safe and secure. John Kerry
believes in America. And he knows it's not enough for just some of us to prosper. For alongside our
famous individualism, there's another ingredient in the American saga.

A belief that we are connected as one people. If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who
can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there's a senior citizen somewhere who
can't pay for her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life
poorer, even if it's not my grandmother. If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without
benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It's that fundamental
belief - I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper - that makes this country work. It's what
allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. "E
pluribus unum." Out of many, one.

Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative
ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a
liberal America and a conservative America - there's the United States of America. There's not a
black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of
America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States
for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome
God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red
States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are
patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us
pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

In the end, that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a
politics of hope? John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope. I'm not talking
about blind optimism here - the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we
just don't talk about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. No, I'm
talking about something more substantial. It's the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing
freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval
lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker's son who dares to defy the
odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too.
The audacity of hope!

In the end, that is God's greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation; the belief in things not
seen; the belief that there are better days ahead. I believe we can give our middle class relief and
provide working families with a road to opportunity. I believe we can provide jobs to the jobless,
homes to the homeless, and reclaim young people in cities across America from violence and despair.
I believe that as we stand on the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and meet the
challenges that face us. America!

Tonight, if you feel the same energy I do, the same urgency I do, the same passion I do, the same
hopefulness I do - if we do what we must do, then I have no doubt that all across the country, from
Florida to Oregon, from Washington to Maine, the people will rise up in November, and John Kerry
will be sworn in as president, and John Edwards will be sworn in as vice president, and this country
will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come. Thank
you and God bless you.