WILL THE FUTURE REDEEM THE PAST? - An Address by Charles Malik - June 11, 1960

Sep 21, 2026

A public service reprint of an address delivered by Charles H. Malik in Williamsburg, Virginia on June 11, 1960. The foreword frames the speech as beyond domestic constitutional debates, presenting it as a warning focused on the survival of Western civilization. It emphasizes threats posed by Communist expansion and argues that effective national and civic action requires deep conviction in the survival of freedom. The text also recounts the restored colonial hall setting and the address’s powerful delivery.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages32

Reading Time1 h 21 min

AccessFree to download

FOREWORD

WILL THE FUTURE REDEEM THE PAST?

# WILL THE FUTUREREDEEM THE PAST? CHARLES MALIK ☆☆☆ AN ADDRESS Delivered at Williamsburg,VirginiaJune 11,1960 Reprinted and Distributed as a Public Service by theVirginia Commission on Constitutional Government mS 0 # FOREWORD The Virginia Commission on Constitutional Government,an official agency ofthe Commonwealth,was created by the General Assembly in 1958 to promote thosedoctrines of constitutional government with which the Old Dominion traditionallyhas been identified:Strict construction,limited centralism,individual freedoms,respect for the powers reserved to the States.All of our publications have beenintended to document and support this Jeffersonian concept of the relationshipbetween the States and their Central Government. This publication is an exception.The magnificent address delivered byDr.Charles H.Malik in Williamsburg,late on the afternoon of Saturday,June 1l,1960,does not deal with domestic questions of American government.His concernwas global;his concern was the survival of Western civilization. Our thought in reprinting Dr.Malik's address is that American governmentis a precious part of this Western civilization.If our Republic fails“to redeemthe past,"if we fail to respond effectively to Dr.Malik's searching and soberingindictment,there may be no questions of State and Central relationship left fordiscussion and debate.The awful menace of Communist expansion must be met,contained,and thrown back;and this dangerous,dificult task demands men witha profound conviction of freedom's survival. Dr.Malik,former president of the United Nations General Assembly,spokein the restored Hall of the House of Burgesses in the Colonial Capitol.This is asmall room,as legislative chambers go,walnut-paneled,high-ceilinged,lit by shaftsof sunlight that pour through tall windows.The benches on one side were filledwith invited guests,chiefly from Richmond;on the opposite side,the bencheswere occupied by some eighty foreign students,among them students from Africaand Asia,who were guests of Colonial Williamsburg for the Prelude to Inde-pendence week end. The address required a full hour.Those of us who were there for the occasionlost all sense of time.Dr.Malik's timing was superb;his hammering repetitionof word and phrase in Part III had an overwhelming effect;his sense of urgency,his intense personal commitment,were immensely moving.But this was muchmore than a magnificent example of the orator's art.It was an alarm bellDr.Malik was tolling,and he tolled it for Americans everywhere. JAMES J.KILPATRICK,Chairman,Publications Committee, Virginia Commission on Constitu-tional Government. Richmond, August,1960. # WILL THE FUTURE REDEEMTHE PAST? WILL THE FUTUREREDEEM THE PAST? # An Address by THE HONORABLE CHARLES MALIK Former President of the United Nations General AssemblyDelivered at the Eighteenth-Century CapitolWilliamsburg,Virginia June 11,1960 50,438 Reprinted and Distributed as a Public Service by theVirginia Commission on Constitutional Government

FAQs

Who delivered the address and when and where was it given?

Charles H. Malik delivered the address at Williamsburg, Virginia on June 11, 1960, in a restored colonial hall.

What is the foreword’s main purpose for reprinting the address?

The foreword reprints the address to warn that if the United States fails “to redeem the past,” discussion about state and central relations may end, and freedom’s survival must be affirmed.

What threat does the foreword highlight as requiring a response?

It highlights the “awful menace of Communist expansion,” calling for it to be met, contained, and thrown back.

Sep 21, 2026

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