What’s in a speech?
10 speeches that marked America
Image: The New York Public Library
In more than two centuries of American history, countless speeches and addresses have proven worthy of remembrance. These words and ideas were expressed by all kinds of Americans, from presidents to fugitive slaves , and each left a lasting mark on the hearts and memories of their audiences. Here are 10 speeches that earned their place in the nation’s memory.
1
Patrick Henry: Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!
On March 23, 1775, those gathered at the Second Virginia Convention debated whether Virginia should raise troops in preparation for armed resistance against Great Britain. Patrick Henry, a delegate from Hanover County, addressed the convention and argued that war had already started and the confrontation was inevitable , so an independent militia was necessary. Henry concluded with the famous declaration: "I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!", a passionate appeal that helped secure the required votes.
2
Jimmy Carter: A Crisis of Confidence
Also known as the "malaise speech" (though Carter never used that word), this address by President Carter recognized a dire problem in 1979’s America: the people felt abandoned by the government in their time of need. The crisis was much more than an economic issue, and Carter wanted to know what everyday Americans thought and needed . In a speech shaped by conversations he had with ordinary Americans, Jimmy Carter declared that America’s crisis was " a crisis of confidence" that had struck at the very heart and soul of the nation.
3
Martin Luther King, Jr.: I Have a Dream
In one of the most iconic speeches in civil rights history, Martin Luther King Jr. addressed more than 200,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Nearly a century after the Emancipation Proclamation, those freed from slavery were still not really free . After denouncing the laws that legalized racism and segregation, MLK expressed his wish for a free and unified America with a phrase that would go down in history: "I have a dream!"
4
Abraham Lincoln: The Gettysburg Address
Fought between July 1 and July 3, 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg was one of the bloodiest engagements of the American Civil War and was a decisive victory for the Union. Four and a half months later, President Lincoln delivered this speech on the battlefield, now a cemetery for more than 50,000 fallen soldiers. Lasting only about two minutes, Lincoln’s address reminded those present that it was the responsibility of the living to ensure that the sacrifice of the fallen would not have been in vain .
5
Sojourner Truth: Ain’t I a Woman?
Born into slavery as Isabella Baumfree, Sojourner Truth escaped after her enslaver failed to honor a promise to free her early under New York’s gradual emancipation law and uphold the New York Anti-Slavery Law of 1827. She later became an itinerant preacher and was involved in both the women’s rights and abolitionist movements. At the 1851 Women’s Rights Convention, she delivered a speech highlighting the double discrimination suffered by Black women . Even without full rights, white women received deferential treatment from men. Her phrase "Ain’t I a woman?" denounced that, while she had done all the things white women did and more, she was not considered worthy of respect because of her race.
6
Franklin D. Roosevelt: Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation
The bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Imperial Japanese Navy on December 7, 1941, marked the United States’ entry into World War II. The next day, President Roosevelt addressed Congress during a joint session, asking for a declaration of war. This address, famously remembered by its opening line—"Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy"— reinforced the idea of the attack as an unprovoked aggression that had resulted in over 2,400 casualties, both civilian and military, and appealed to patriotic sentiments. The speech attracted the largest live audience in American history (over 80% of the adult population) and resulted in Congress unanimously declaring war on Japan that same day.
7
John F. Kennedy: Inaugural Address
John F. Kennedy gave several memorable speeches during his presidency, but his inaugural address remains one of the most remarkable, and for good reason. According to accounts from his inner circle, the speech was meticulously crafted and reworked multiple times by Kennedy , who consulted the opinion of friends and advisors, and poured hours into making sure his first address as president would reflect the route he intended to take. As the youngest person elected to the presidency, Kennedy represented a generational change in the government. The central theme of his address was a call for civic responsibility and national service, an idea summarized in the address’s most memorable line: "Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country."
8
Frederick Douglass: What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?
A writer, orator, and statesman, Frederick Douglass was a major figure of the abolitionist movement. Born into slavery, he became renowned for his autobiographical writings and powerful oratory, offering a living refutation against the slavist argument of the inferior capacity of African Americans. His most famous speech, What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? , given to the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society in 1852, is an acute analysis of how the American values of freedom and liberty were contradicted by the state and treatment of those in slavery.
9
Theodore Roosevelt: The Man in the Arena
"Citizenship in a Republic" is one of Theodore Roosevelt’s most memorable speeches. He delivered it on April 23, 1910, at the Sorbonne in Paris, after leaving the presidency. In his long address, Roosevelt explains his convictions about democracy, civic virtue, and leadership. But there is a passage that stands out: "The Man in the Arena" highlights the value of those who strive and go on despite failure and ongoing challenges, and even those who fail in the end, but not for lack of effort . This passage has been quoted numerous times in American politics, including by Richard Nixon in both his 1968 victory speech and his 1974 resignation address.
10
Ronald Reagan: Tear Down this Wall
More than two decades after Kennedy’s " Ich bin ein Berliner " speech, President Reagan delivered another historic address at the Berlin Wall. Speaking at the Brandenburg Gate in a Berlin much more hostile to the American president’s presence, aides and advisors had recommended a change in the tone of the speech to avoid straining the relationship between the American and Soviet administrations . Reagan retained the passage that had caused concerns, which contained the most iconic phrase. In a direct appeal to the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, he declared: "Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" The speech was not widely covered by the media, and the reactions were lukewarm. Only after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 did the address gain widespread recognition as a symbol of American resolve during the final years of the Cold War.
