Great American Speeches

There are probably thousands of speeches given by Americans which could be considered "great" in one regard or another. Our list below is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather a sampling of some of the inspirational oratory that has helped make America the great country we have inherited.

John Winthrop on the Founding of the Plymouth Colony – 1645

Patrick Henry, "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" – 1775

Benjamin Franklin Addresses the Constitutional Convention – 1787

President George Washington's Farewell Address – 1796

Founding Father Gouverneur Morris Defines National Greatness – 1800

President James Monroe Establishes the Monroe Doctrine – 1823

Daniel Webster Speaks at the Dedication of the Bunker Hill Monument – 1825

President Andrew Jackson Speaks for the Union – 1833

Senator Henry Clay's "Great Compromise" Speech – 1850

Congressman Abraham Lincoln's "Half Slave and Half Free" – 1858

President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address – 1863

President Abraham Lincoln's 2nd Inaugural Address – 1865

Susan B. Anthony, "On Women's Rights" – 1872

Booker T. Washington Accepts an Honorary Degree at Harvard – 1896

William Jennings Bryan, "Cross of Gold" – 1896

Theodore Roosevelt, "The Strenuous Life" – 1899

Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Speaks Against the League of Nations Treaty – 1919

Will Rogers Eulogizes President Woodrow Wilson – 1925

President Franklin Roosevelt, 1st Inaugural Address – 1933

Lou Gehrig's Farewell Address at Yankee Stadium – 1939

President Franklin Roosevelt, "The Four Freedoms" – 1941

President Franklin Roosevelt Asks Congress to Declare War – 1941

Prime Minister Winston Churchill addresses the U.S. Congress – 1941

President Harry Truman, "The Truman Doctrine" – 1947

General Douglas MacArthur, "Old Soldiers Never Die" – 1951

Senator Richard Nixon, "Checkers" – 1952

President John Kennedy's Inaugural Address – 1961

General Douglas MacArthur, "Duty, Honor, Country" – 1962

President John Kennedy, "We Choose to Go to the Moon" – 1963

Reverend Martin Luther King, "I Have a Dream" – 1963

Senator Barry Goldwater Accepts the Republican Nomination – 1964

Ronald Reagan "A Time for Choosing" – 1964

President Gerald Ford, on Yaking Office – 1974

President Ronald Reagan, "The Evil Empire" – 1983

President Ronald Reagan, "The Boys of Pont Du Hoc" – 1984