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1Lesson 15: Famous Speeches
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4>>> War-time and Political Speeches
5Every country has a history of war, peace, and political conflict or events. Each of these has generated powerful words given to the people of a country. Some of those words are forgotten shortly after they are spoken. Others stand the test of time and are passed from generation to generation.
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7Patrick Henry was a political leader during the 18th century. His career saw him serve as a member of the Continental Congress and also as Governor of Virginia. Patrick Henry was also known as a fiery speaker. As a member of the Continental Congress, Henry delivered a famous speech to the Virginia House of Burgesses on March 23, 1775. The speech was meant to encourage the members of the House of Burgesses to obligate the Virginia militia to fight in the Revolutionary War. He believed very strongly in American independence from Britain.
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9Early in his speech, Henry mentioned individuals who did not favor fighting against Britain. He made a point of addressing them with respect. He then clearly stated his reasons for disagreeing with them. Henry recounted point by point many peaceful ways in which the colonies had tried to deal with what he saw as British repression.
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11He made strong points about how each had failed and would continue to fail. The passionate tone of Henry’s speech reached a high point at the end as he made his call for action. Henry’s moving speech and famous closing led to a unanimous vote to place Virginia in the conflict. Henry’s closing words to his speech have often been quoted: “Give me liberty or give me death” and has also become the title of Henry’s famous speech.
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13Abraham Lincoln served as President during the American Civil War. Not only did he serve during one of the most costly U.S. wars, he delivered one of the most significant speeches in American history. Lincoln’s speech was part of the dedication ceremony on November 19, 1863, for the National Cemetery of Gettysburg. Gettyburg was the site of one of the war’s bloodiest battles, and the Union victory at Gettysburg was a major turning point in the Civil War.
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15However, Abraham Lincoln was not the featured speaker. Little is remembered from the two hour featured speech given before Lincoln’s two minute “Gettysburg Address.” Yet to this day, school children are familiarized with the speech, beginning with: “Four score and seven years ago…”
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17The “Gettysburg Address” is significant for the way Lincoln tied together key social and historical elements. The power of his words connected the ideals of the past with the struggles of the then present. The speech emphasized two issues of the American Civil War—the idea of human equality found in the Declaration of Independence and the importance of preserving the Union created in 1776. The former issue was closely aligned to the abolition of slavery. Lincoln spoke of the sacrifices being made during the Civil War as part of the movement toward “a new birth of freedom.”
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19There are five known versions of the famous speech; each has minor differences. Each version is known by the name of the person who received it from Lincoln. The version recognized as the standard is the Bliss version, which was written some time after the dedication. This version is the only one signed and dated by Lincoln.
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21Chief Joseph was the leader of a group of Nez Perce Native Americans. There was tension between many Native American peoples and the U.S. government in the 19th century. Native Americans had not been granted citizenship and were subjected to racial discrimination. They were also being removed from their ancestral lands and forced to live on small reservations. In 1877, the Nez Perce tribe was ordered to move to a reservation. Chief Joseph and his Wallowa Valley group refused to go. This led to a four-month war against the U.S. Approximately 1,000 Nez Perce men, women, and children tried to fight their way past the U.S. Army to find safe haven in Canada. After traveling across Idaho and Montana, they were trapped 40 miles from the Canadian border. Only 431 of Chief Joseph’s people remained alive. It was here, on October 5th, that Chief Joseph delivered a speech that has come to be known as “I Will Fight No More Forever.” It was his surrender speech to the U.S. government.
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23Much of the power in Chief Joseph’s words came from their combination of simplicity and sincerity. Though brief, “I Will Fight No More Forever” captured the reality of the hardships suffered by Native Americans in the 19th century. It was an emotional speech, delivered by a defeated leader who had believed he was doing the right thing. Even in defeat, Chief Joseph’s words captured the high regard in which he held his people. “I Will Fight No More Forever” was more than just a surrender speech. It was also a speech in which a leader expressed his unfailing commitment to those entrusted to his care.
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25President Franklin D. Roosevelt is best known for guiding the U.S. during the Great Depression and World War II. He was not only considered a strong national leader but also a central figure in global politics. On December 7, 1941, Japanese naval and air forces attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, the event that eventually launched the U.S. into World War II. The next day, Roosevelt delivered his Pearl Harbor Address (Infamy Speech). The speech was given to a joint session of Congress and also heard across the country by radio. The speech served as a request to Congress for an official declaration of war on the Japanese Empire.
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27President Roosevelt’s address was designed to inform, unite, and reassure the American people. His introduction contained one of the most famous sentences in the history of speech making:
28“Yesterday, December 7, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”
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30These words set the stage for a step-by-step explanation to both Congress and the American people of the offenses committed by Japan.
31The offenses against the U.S. were both military and diplomatic in nature. Roosevelt also described how the attack on Pearl Harbor was just one part of a major Japanese offensive taking place throughout the Pacific region. In addition to providing key information, his speech served as a rallying cry to both Congress and the American people.
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33General Dwight D. Eisenhower served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force at the time of the D-Day invasion of Europe. At the time of the invasion, most of Europe was controlled by the forces of Nazi Germany. The purpose of the invasion was to liberate Europe and defeat Germany. Eisenhower was in charge of coordinating the land, sea and air force taking part in the invasion. Eisenhower delivered his D-Day speech by radio. It was heard by the approximately 175,000 Allied military personnel assembled in England.
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35Dwight D. Eisenhower’s speech to the Allied Expeditionary Force was effective for three main reasons:
36It carried an inspirational tone for the servicemen about to put their lives on the line
37It captured the significance of what would be a major turning point in modern history
38It provided concrete reasons for why the Allied invasion would succeed
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40John F. Kennedy‘s presidency was marked by ambitious economic programs, expansion of civil rights, and a new emphasis on arts and culture. Kennedy is also remembered for taking a stand against threats posed by the Soviet Union. His most famous speech was his inaugural address, delivered on January 20, 1961. This speech has come to be known as "Ask What You Can Do for Your Country" because of an often-quoted line contained in the speech.
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42In his address, President Kennedy made a point of challenging Americans to make civic action and public service a part of their lives. He also spoke on a global scale, pledging that the U.S. would continue to increase its presence as a global leader and defender. Kennedy referred to the threat posed by the Soviet Union several times in his speech. At the same time, he made a point of expressing his readiness to pursue peace. His famous lines are powerful in their call to both personal action and the formation of a global alliance for the betterment of mankind.
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45>>> Speeches Pertaining to Society and Culture
46One of the greatest freedoms is the freedom of speech–the right for any individual to express their opinions to others and/or to voice words in support of a cause. Sometimes those words offend, and sometimes those words inspire. When the words spoken freely bring about long-lasting change, those words are truly powerful.
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48Carrie Chapman Catt was a key figure in the movement to win voting rights for women in the U.S. Highly educated and well-spoken, Catt was known as “the brains of the woman’s suffrage movement.” In 1915, she took over leadership of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. In this role, she developed a plan to campaign for women’s voting rights. A key moment in the campaign came on November 4, 1917 when Catt delivered an “Address to the Congress on Women’s Suffrage.” This speech was considered very influential in promoting the passage of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Ratified in 1920, the 19th Amendment prohibits any U.S. citizen from being denied the right to vote based on their sex.
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50In her speech to Congress, Carrie Chapman Catt placed the weight of U.S. history behind her cause. Within several passages she tied the liberties America has always stood for to the cause of women’s suffrage.
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52Another powerful element in Catt’s speech arose from her making votes for women seem inevitable. This passage presents her views of those who continued to resist this inevitability:
53"There is one thing mightier than kings and armies -- aye, than Congresses and political parties -- the power of an idea when its time has come to move. The time for woman suffrage has come. The woman's hour has struck. If parties prefer to postpone action longer and thus do battle with this idea, they challenge the inevitable.”
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55As wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt was the first First Lady to take an active role in American politics. She was outspoken in her support of human rights, children’s causes, and women’s issues. She held over 300 White House press conferences and was also active as an author and newspaper columnist. When President Roosevelt died, her role as a global public figure did not end.
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57In 1945, President Harry Truman appointed her as one of the five American delegates to the United Nations (U.N.). As a U.N. delegate, she drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Eleanor Roosevelt’s skill as a writer enabled her to create a document that was relevant to the many different cultures represented at the U.N. On December 10, 1948, Eleanor Roosevelt delivered a speech to the U.N. General Assembly, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted.
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59Eleanor Roosevelt’s speech to the U.N. General Assembly made use of historical references to support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She opened her speech by comparing the document to the Magna Carta. Roosevelt described the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as an “international Magna Carta” that could help protect the rights of people everywhere. She also compared the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to other famous documents, including the United States Bill of Rights.
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61Roosevelt spoke about universal human rights on the individual level. She talked about familiar environments—neighborhoods, schools, factories, farms, and offices. She expressed the idea that basic human rights must have meaning in everyday places if they are to have meaning anywhere. Combining broad universal ideas with the experiences of individual people gave power to her speech and made those ideas feel personal.
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63Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He also served as President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Dr. King was a central figure in the Civil Rights Movement that would end the legal segregation of African-Americans in the U.S. He was known for organizing non-violent protests on behalf of civil rights. Dr. King was an eloquent speaker. His most famous speech was titled “I Have a Dream.” This speech was delivered on August 28, 1963, in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The speech was given during a civil rights march in Washington that drew over 260,000 people.
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65Dr. King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech with the passion and energy of a minister delivering a message from the pulpit. At various points, the speech referred to the Bible, the Gettysburg Address, and the Declaration of Independence. Dr. King’s tone was compelling and inspirational. He made frequent use of repetition, alliteration, and rhythms to drive home key points. The words of the speech highlighted the injustices and inequalities endured by African-Americans. Dr. King made it clear that America could not truly be a great nation until it lived up to the promise of its founding fathers that all its citizens would be free and equal. He then went on to express his “dream” for America. The final part of his speech was the most memorable, containing language that is both vivid and stirring.
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67Harvey Milk was a community leader widely viewed as one of the most important figures in the gay rights movement of the 1970s. In 1977, he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, making him one of the first openly gay officials serving anywhere in the U.S. In 1978, Milk delivered a speech in San Diego that became known as the “Hope Speech.” It is considered the best of the many speeches Milk delivered on the theme of hope for gays in America. Later that year, Milk was murdered by a former Board official.
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69Harvey Milk was known as a stimulating speaker with a flair for theatrics. As with many of his speeches, his "Hope Speech" opened with humorous remarks. However, as the speech progressed, Milk’s sincerity and convictions were evident. He made his remarks personal and inclusive, making frequent use of pronouns like “I” and “we.” He compared the gay community to other minorities who had fought and continued to fight similar battles against discrimination. He cited gay leadership—gay people achieving positions of authority—as a key to providing hope for members of the gay communities. The sentences near the end of the speech are considered to be among Milk’s best moments as a public speaker.
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71Today, Mary Fisher is a well-known political activist, speaker, and author who campaigns for AIDS prevention and education. In 1992, she was a largely unknown artist who revealed that she, a heterosexual, Caucasian woman of financial means, had contracted the HIV virus, breaking existing stereotypes for HIV positive individuals. Because of this story and the political influence of her father, Fisher was chosen to address the 1992 Republican National Convention on the subject of the AIDS epidemic. Her speech titled “A Whisper of AIDS” was heard by an estimated 27 million people.
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73In 2002, Fisher founded the Mary Fisher Clinical AIDS Research and Education Fund. She has been a representative for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS since 2006.
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75Mary Fisher’s speech “A Whisper of AIDS” is ranked among the 20th century’s best American speeches. One of the main purposes of her speech was to define a “big picture” of the AIDS epidemic. Her delivery was crystal clear and flawless. The power of her message and her conviction completely captivated the convention floor and listeners across the country. The speech did much to dispel myths and stereotypes surrounding AIDS and identified the scope of those impacted by AIDS. It provided chilling information about the projected number of people to be affected by AIDS. Fisher spoke as one conveying a profound truth. She emphasized the fact that no one was immune from the AIDS epidemic and that it was up to everyone to unite in combating it and helping the afflicted.
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78>>> Farewell and Memorial Speeches
79Words spoken at times of loss are often the most poignant. It is during farewells and memorials that individuals reflect not only on the past or the event, but also look toward the future. The purpose of the words spoken may be meant to encourage, to inspire, to explain, to grieve, to honor, or perhaps even to apologize. One thing that is always true of farewells and memorials is that it is a chance to say goodbye.
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81Lou Gehrig is ranked among the greatest players in the history of professional baseball. During his sixteen years in the Major League, he only played for the New York Yankees. He was known as a great hitter and set a record for consecutive games played—2,130. This record earned him the nickname “Iron Horse” and remained unbroken for over 50 years.
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83In 1939, Gehrig was diagnosed with a rare disease (ALS) that attacks the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movement; the disease came to be referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease in the U.S. This diagnosis ended his baseball career and eventually led to his death. On July 4, 1939, Gehrig was honored with a special recognition day at Yankee Stadium. It was here that he delivered his "Farewell to Baseball" speech.
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85Gehrig’s speech is regarded as one of the most emotional moments in sports history. Stooped and barely able to move, the sports legend referred to himself as “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” In his speech to the packed stadium, Gehrig spoke of the things in his life for which he was grateful, both in his professional career and his personal life. He made a point of emphasizing that one setback did not overshadow all the positive things of his life. The speech was brief and used the simple, everyday language characteristic of Gehrig. It was said that there was not a dry eye in Yankee Stadium. The closing words of his speech capture the spirit of Gehrig’s courage.
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87Richard M. Nixon had been Vice President and defeated in a run for the presidency before finally elected to his first term as President in 1968. Notable achievements during his Presidency included establishing diplomatic relations with China and the Soviet Union. He also withdrew U.S. troops from Vietnam.
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89During his second term, Nixon’s administration was caught up in the Watergate scandal. This scandal involved a break-in at the offices of the Democratic National Committee. It was discovered that officials of Nixon’s re-election campaign had been involved. It was later discovered that members of Nixon’s administration had taken steps to cover up the break-in. It was almost certain that Nixon would face impeachment over the Watergate scandal. To avoid this, Nixon became the first United States President to resign from office. He delivered his resignation speech by television on August 8, 1974.
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91President Nixon’s resignation speech was notable, because until Nixon, no United States President had ever resigned. The words early in his speech stated clearly the matter at hand:
92“Throughout the long and difficult period of Watergate, I have felt it was my duty to persevere–to make every possible effort to complete the term of office to which you elected me. In the past few days, however, it has become evident to me that I no longer have a strong enough political base in the Congress to justify continuing that effort.”
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94To redeem himself in the eyes of the American people, Nixon spent a large portion of his speech recounting the things he had accomplished while in office. He expressed his belief that important work begun during his administration must be continued. He also expressed his belief that the nation and the world were safer and more peaceful than they had been before his Presidency and how he hoped to be remembered.
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96Ronald Reagan’s two terms as President were marked by major economic reforms, strengthening the U.S. military, foreign policy aimed at improving relations with the Soviet Union, and curbing international terrorism. On January 28, 1986, tragedy struck the U.S. space program. On that date, the American space shuttle “Challenger” malfunctioned shortly after liftoff and broke apart. This tragedy claimed the lives of all those aboard the shuttle. On the evening of the tragedy, President Reagan delivered the "Space Shuttle ‘Challenger’ Tragedy Address." His speech was televised live to the entire country.
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98In his brief speech, Ronald Reagan began with an expression of sorrow—a pain he said was shared “with all of the people of this country.” From there, his emphasis was on the bravery and dedication of not only those who perished, but of all who undertake the exploration of space. In this way, he both sympathized with those who had suffered losses and brought the nation together in looking to the future. An especially moving moment came when Reagan addressed school children who were watching the “Challenger” launch. The final sentence of Reagan’s speech included quotes from a famous poem called “High Flight.” Quoting this poem added emotional weight to his words:
99“We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth’ to ‘touch the face of God.’”
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101During President Bill (William) J. Clinton’s two terms in office, the U.S. had a lengthy period of economic prosperity and peace. However, on April 19, 1995, domestic terrorists carried out a bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. 168 people were killed and 680 were injured. On April 23, the Oklahoma Bombing Memorial Prayer Service was held in Oklahoma City. President Clinton delivered a speech at this service.
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103Eulogies are among the most difficult speeches to write and deliver. They must be written quickly and must create a specific tone that is both respectful and grounded in actual events. Often eulogies have religious references. President Clinton began his speech in Oklahoma City by identifying with both those who had perished and those to whom he was speaking. This created a sense of shared community. His speech praised the deceased for their contributions and virtues. He expressed hope for healing and a better future for those grieving. Clinton also made frequent use of the Bible in his eulogy. 
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105This is evidenced in just one portion that was taken from three different locations of the Bible:
106“Let us teach our children that the God of comfort is also the God of righteousness: Those who trouble their own house will inherit the wind. Justice will prevail.”
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108It was during Rudolph Giuliani’s term as Mayor of New York City that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, took place. On that date, two airliners were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. These attacks resulted in the deaths of 2,752 people. Giuliani’s leadership during this crisis has been praised by many. On October 1, 2001, Giuliani delivered a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The official title of his speech was “Opening Remarks to the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Terrorism.” The speech is also known as the “9/11 Memorial Speech.”
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110Mayor Giuliani began his “9/11 Memorial Speech” by offering his condolences to nations who had lost citizens in the terrorist attack. This emphasized not only international nature of New York City’s population but also cast the nature of the attack in an international light. As a result, he created a sense of unity among the people of New York, the U.S., and the world to respond to the rising threat of terrorism.
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112Giuliani’s tone was firm and resolute throughout this speech. He allowed for no middle ground, no neutrality in the war on terrorism. Addressing representatives from many nations, he did not just request strong action against terrorism, he demanded it.