American Speeches/Videos

Patrick Henry’s speech on March 23, 1775, at St. John’s Henrico Parish Church in Richmond, Virginia:

“Give me Liberty, or Give me Death!”

John Adams’ speech to the Second Continental Congress 1776 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (As depicted in the HBO mini-series John Adams):

“A Republic of Laws, Not Men.”

George Washington’s resignation as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army delivered before the Continental Congress in Annapolis, Maryland, on December 23, 1783:

“I resign with satisfaction the Appointment I accepted with diffidence”

George Washington’s First Inaugural Address as President April 30, 1789, in New York, New York:

“the foundations of our national policy…be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality.”

George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation, delivered on October 3, 1789, in New York, New York:

“That we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks–for His kind care and protection of the People of this Country…”

John Quincy Adams’ speech while secretary of state delivered to the House of Representatives on July 4, 1821:

“But she [America] goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy.”

Daniel Webster’s speech delivered before the United States Senate on January 26, 1830:

“Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!”

Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, delivered November 19, 1863, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania:

“government of the people, by the people, for the people”

Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, delivered March 4, 1865, at the United States Capitol:

“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in”

Theodore Roosevelt’s speech delivered on April 23, 1910, in Paris, France:

“the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena”

Calvin Coolidge’s speech on the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, delivered July 5, 1926, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

“About the Declaration, there is a finality that is exceedingly restful”

Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s speech before a Joint Session of Congress on December 8, 1941, one day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor:

“A date which will live in infamy”

Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s address to the nation on the morning of D-Day, June 6, 1944:

“they fight not for the lust of conquest, they fight to end conquest”

General Douglas MacArthur’s Speech at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, delivered May 12, 1962:

“Duty, Honor, Country”

John F. Kennedy’s speech at the Berlin Wall in Berlin, West Germany, delivered on June 26, 1963:

“Ich bin ein Berliner.” (I am a Berliner)

Martin Luther King’s speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., delivered on August 28, 1963:

“I Have a Dream”

Paul Harvey reflects on the hardships faced by the signers of the Declaration of Independence (Video made in 1974):

“Our Founders had everything to lose…”

Milton Friedman in 1977 (Great video to remember to always cherish freedom):

“The normal condition of mankind is tyranny and misery. We’ve escaped.”

Ronald Reagan’s speech at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, West Germany, delivered on June 12, 1987:

“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall”

George W. Bush’s address to the nation from the Oval Office on the night of September 11, 2001:

“Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America.”

Steve Jobs’ Commencement Address at Stanford University delivered on June 12, 2005:

“Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish”

Admiral William H. McRaven’s Commencement Address at the University of Texas at Austin, delivered on May 17, 2014:

“If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed”