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Veterans Day
Great leaders. Great words.
An expert picks the top five speeches with the most impact on our times.
ON VETERANS DAY, stir
ring speeches are a tradi
tional part of celebrations,
recalling times when words
inspired Americans to face remarkable
challenges. Great speeches are not only
motivational they also can change the
course of history.
As the holiday approaches on Monday,
USA WEEKEND turned to Rep. Steve
Israel, D-N.Y., to find out which five
political speeches have had the greatest
impact on our times. Israel is an expert
on this topic, with his new book, Charge!
History's Greatest Military Speeches
(Naval Institute Press; $32.95), now in stores.
Here’s his definitive list:
Henry's words
inspired revolution.
5 Patrick Henry's "Liberty or Death"
speech (March 23,1775)
Israel: “Just before the opening battles of
the American Revolution, Patrick Henry
rose to address the Virginia House of Bur
gesses. Before the house was a resolu
tion authorizing preparations for war
with Britain, and its fate was uncertain.
Henry’s fiery rhetoric ‘l know not
what course others may take; but as for
me, give me liberty, or give me death!’
helped win the debate. The resolu
tion passed, albeit narrowly, setting the
course for Virginia’s entry into the Ameri
can Revolution.”
18
USA WEEKEND • Nov. 9-11,2007
4 Franklin D. Roosevelt's fireside
speech after Pearl Harbor
(Dec. 9,1941)
Israel: “The day after
his famous Pearl Har
bor speech to Con
gress, FDR chose a
fireside address to
brace America for the
unfathomable chal
lenges ahead. In the
middle of the speech,
he stopped himself
and said, ‘I was about to add that ahead
there lies sacrifice for all of us. But it is
not correct to use that word. The United
States does not consider it a sacrifice to
do all one can, to give one’s best to our
nation, when the nation is fighting for its
existence.’ His honest assessment of the
difficulties and forthright appeals to pa
triotism helped inspire ‘The Greatest
Generation’ to leap to volunteer to serve
their country.”
3 Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
(Nov. 19,1863)
Israel: “The most important question in
any war is, ‘Why are we fighting?’ And
no figure in history has answered that
query as potently as Abraham Lincoln
did. Lincoln had hoped that the Battle
of Gettysburg would effectively end the
Civil War in July 1863. Four months
later, as the war dragged on, he dedi
cated the Gettysburg cemetery, appeal
ing to his countrymen to continue their
sacrifices to ensure ‘that these dead shall
not have died in vain; that this nation
under God shall have a new birth of
freedom; and that government of the
people, by the people, for the people,
shall not perish from the earth.’ His
speech helped bolster support for the
war until it ended, nearly a year- and a
half later.”
y Ronald Reagan's call
Wfc to "Tear Down This
Wall!" (June 12,1987)
Israel: “President Reagan
went to the Berlin Wall to
fortify oppressed populations
across Eastern Europe who
struggled for freedom. In his
speech, Reagan acknowledged
democratic reforms in the So
viet Union, but he demanded
even more: ‘General Secretary
Gorbachev, if you seek peace
... come here to this gate. Mr.
Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr.
Gorbachev, tear down this
wall!’ Two and a half years
later, men and women took
sledgehammers to the Berlin
Wall on both sides. Com
munism came to a crushing de
feat, and the Cold War came
to an end.”
FDR's honesty
stood out.
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1 John F. Kennedy's call
HP for America to go to
the moon (Sept. 12,1962)
Israel: “In 1962, President Ken-;
nedy mobilized the American j
people to pursue the ultimate
conquest the great expanse of
space itself. Five years before, i
the Soviets leapt ahead of us in
the space race by launching Sput-;
nik. Kennedy inspired America \
to a national commitment to land i
on the moon by the end of the I
decade, helping to transform our i
entire economy. But he did not |
sugarcoat the difficulties ahead,:
noting: ‘We choose to go to the j
moon in this decade and do the j
other things, not because they!
are easy, but because they are j
hard...’ ” ca
Kennedy presented
realistic challenges
of a moon mission.
HENRY: MARIE HANSEN, TIME Us E PICTURES/GETTY; FOR: TOPICAL PRESS AGENCY/GETTY. REAGAN GARY KIEFER AfP/GETIY. KENNEDY 808 GOMEL. TIME LIFE PCTUAES/GCITY
Reagan s vision was
validated within just
two and a half years.