We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America. What we have already achieved gives us hope – the audacity to hope – for what we can and must achieve tomorrow. With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States. Washington’s been talking about our oil addiction for the last thirty years, and John McCain has been there for twenty-six of them. Likewise, it is important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practicing religion as they see fit – for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear.

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 by the Pentagon. Now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American. The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of co-existence and cooperation, but also conflict and religious wars.

These people are a part of me. America, now is not the time for small plans. Kennedy called our “intellectual and moral strength.” Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient. Don’t tell me that Democrats won’t keep us safe. That’s why we’re partnering with a coalition of forty-six countries.

They know they have to work hard to get ahead – and they want to. And in exchange, I’ll ask for higher standards and more accountability. As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith. There need not be contradiction between development and tradition.

His father – my grandfather – was a cook, a domestic servant to the British. And yet, it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn. Now let there be no doubt. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts.

Thank you, and God bless America.