Great American Speeches
Words that helped shape the soul of America
🟥 Founding Words
Speeches that laid the foundation of the American republic.
🔴 Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death
Speaker: Patrick Henry
Date & Location: March 23, 1775, Virginia Convention
Key Line: “Give me liberty, or give me death!”
Summary: Delivered just before the American Revolution, this fiery call to arms became a timeless cry for freedom.
👉 Read Full Speech
🔴 The Declaration of Independence (Read Aloud)
Speaker: Thomas Jefferson (authored) / multiple readers in Congress
Date & Location: July 4, 1776, Philadelphia
Key Line: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…”
Summary: The most famous statement of American purpose — the formal announcement of independence from Britain.
👉 Read Full Text
🔴 Farewell Address
Speaker: George Washington
Date & Location: September 19, 1796
Key Line: “The name of American… must always exalt the just pride of patriotism.”
Summary: Washington’s wise farewell urged unity and warned against political division and foreign entanglements.
👉 Read Full Speech
🟦 Civil War & Reconstruction
🔵 Gettysburg Address
Speaker: Abraham Lincoln
Date & Location: November 19, 1863, Gettysburg
Key Line: “Government of the people, by the people, for the people…”
Summary: A short but profound statement of American values and democratic ideals.
👉 Read Full Speech
🔵 Second Inaugural Address
Speaker: Abraham Lincoln
Date & Location: March 4, 1865, Washington D.C.
Key Line: “With malice toward none, with charity for all…”
Summary: Lincoln called for healing and unity as the Civil War drew to a close.
👉 Read Full Speech
🔵 The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro
Speaker: Frederick Douglass
Date & Location: July 5, 1852, Rochester, New York
Key Line: “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine.”
Summary: A searing critique of American hypocrisy and a powerful call for justice and inclusion.
👉 Read Full Speech
🟦 Presidential Addresses
🔵 The Only Thing We Have to Fear
Speaker: Franklin D. Roosevelt
Date & Location: March 4, 1933, Washington D.C.
Key Line: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
Summary: FDR’s bold inaugural speech reassured a nation in the grip of the Great Depression.
👉 Read Full Speech
🔵 Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You
Speaker: John F. Kennedy
Date & Location: January 20, 1961, Washington D.C.
Key Line: “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”
Summary: Kennedy’s stirring call for civic action and a new generation of leadership.
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🔵 The Challenger Disaster Address
Speaker: Ronald Reagan
Date & Location: January 28, 1986, White House
Key Line: “They slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God.”
Summary: Reagan’s eloquent address offered a nation comfort in grief after the loss of seven astronauts.
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🟡 Civil Rights & Social Justice
🟡 I Have a Dream
Speaker: Martin Luther King Jr.
Date & Location: August 28, 1963, Lincoln Memorial
Key Line: “I have a dream…”
Summary: A defining speech of the Civil Rights Movement, filled with hope, urgency, and moral clarity.
👉 Watch Full Speech
🟡 Ain’t I a Woman?
Speaker: Sojourner Truth
Date & Location: 1851, Akron, Ohio
Key Line: “Ain’t I a woman?”
Summary: Truth’s challenge to sexism and racism made an indelible mark on American history.
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🟡 The Ballot or the Bullet
Speaker: Malcolm X
Date & Location: April 3, 1964, Cleveland
Key Line: “It’s either the ballot or the bullet.”
Summary: Malcolm X framed the Civil Rights struggle in stark, uncompromising terms.
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🟨 Turning Points in History
🟨 A Date Which Will Live in Infamy
Speaker: Franklin D. Roosevelt
Date & Location: December 8, 1941, Congress
Key Line: “A date which will live in infamy…”
Summary: FDR’s urgent call to arms after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
👉 Read Full Speech
🟨 The Civil Rights Act Signing Speech
Speaker: Lyndon B. Johnson
Date & Location: July 2, 1964, White House
Key Line: “We have come now to a time of testing.”
Summary: Johnson signed one of the most important pieces of legislation in U.S. history, outlawing discrimination.
👉 Read Full Speech
🟨 Yes We Can
Speaker: Barack Obama
Date & Location: January 8, 2008, New Hampshire
Key Line: “Yes we can.”
Summary: A rallying cry that helped launch a historic presidency and energized a new political generation.
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🟠 Speeches by Unexpected Voices
🟠 Ain’t I a Woman?
Speaker: Sojourner Truth
Date: 1851
(repeated for importance — can also link to a fuller bio or excerpted version)
🟠 Emma Gonzalez: “We Call BS”
Speaker: Emma González
Date & Location: February 17, 2018, Parkland, Florida
Key Line: “We call BS.”
Summary: A teenage survivor of a school shooting gave voice to a new movement against gun violence.
👉 Watch Full Speech
🟠 Amanda Gorman: The Hill We Climb
Speaker: Amanda Gorman
Date & Location: January 20, 2021, U.S. Capitol
Key Line: “For there is always light…”
Summary: The youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history captivated the nation with hope and eloquence.
👉 Watch Full Speech
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