The 100 most significant American political speeches of the 20th century
1. Martin Luther King, Jr. - "I Have A Dream"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm
2. John Fitzgerald Kennedy - Inaugural Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkinaugural.htm
3. Franklin Delano Roosevelt - First Inaugural Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/fdrfirstinaugural.html
4. Franklin Delano Roosevelt - Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/fdrpearlharbor.htm
5. Barbara Charline Jordan - 1976 DNC Keynote Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/barbarajordan1976dnc.html
6. Richard Milhous Nixon - "Checkers"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/richardnixoncheckers.html
7. Malcolm X - "The Ballot or the Bullet"
www.edchange.org/multicultural/speeches/malcolm_x_ballot.html
8. Ronald Wilson Reagan - Shuttle "Challenger" Disaster Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ronaldreaganchallenger.htm
9. John Fitzgerald Kennedy - Houston Ministerial Association Speech
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkhoustonministers.html
10. Lyndon Baines Johnson - "We Shall Overcome"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/lbjweshallovercome.htm
11. Mario Matthew Cuomo - 1984 DNC Keynote Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mariocuomo1984dnc.htm
12. Jesse Louis Jackson - 1984 DNC Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jessejackson1984dnc.htm
13. Barbara Charline Jordan - Statement on the Articles of Impeachment
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/barbarajordanjudiciarystatement.htm
14. (General) Douglas MacArthur - Farewell Address to Congress
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/douglasmacarthurfarewelladdress.htm
15. Martin Luther King, Jr. - "I've Been to the Mountaintop"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkivebeentothemountaintop.htm
16. Theodore Roosevelt - "The Man with the Muck-rake"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/teddyrooseveltmuckrake.htm
17. Robert Francis Kennedy - Remarks on the Assassination of MLK
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/rfkonmlkdeath.html
18. Dwight David Eisenhower - Farewell Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/dwightdeisenhowerfarewell.html
19. Thomas Woodrow Wilson - War Message
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/wilsonwarmessage.htm
20. (General) Douglas MacArthur - "Duty, Honor, Country"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/douglasmacarthurthayeraward.html
21. Richard Milhous Nixon - "The Great Silent Majority"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/richardnixongreatsilentmajority.html
22. John Fitzgerald Kennedy - "Ich bin ein Berliner"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkberliner.html
23. Clarence Seward Darrow - "Mercy for Leopold and Loeb"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/cdarrowpleaformercy.htm
24. Russell H. Conwell - "Acres of Diamonds"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/rconwellacresofdiamonds.htm
25. Ronald Wilson Reagan - "A Time for Choosing"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ronaldreaganatimeforchoosing.htm
26. Huey Pierce Long - "Every Man a King"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/hueyplongking.htm
27. Anna Howard Shaw - "The Fundamental Principle of a Republic"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/annahowardshawprinciplerepublic.htm
28. Franklin Delano Roosevelt - "The Arsenal of Democracy"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/fdrarsenalofdemocracy.html
29. Ronald Wilson Reagan - "The Evil Empire"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ronaldreaganevilempire.htm
30. Ronald Wilson Reagan - First Inaugural Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ronaldreagandfirstinaugural.html
31. Franklin Delano Roosevelt - First Fireside Chat
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/fdrfirstfiresidechat.html
32. Harry S. Truman - "The Truman Doctrine"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/harrystrumantrumandoctrine.html
33. William Cuthbert Faulkner - Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/williamfaulknernobelprizeaddress.htm
34. Eugene Victor Debs - 1918 Statement to the Court
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/eugenedebspleatocourt1918.htm
35. Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton - "Women's Rights are Human Rights"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/hillaryclintonbeijingspeech.htm
36. Dwight David Eisenhower - "Atoms for Peace"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/dwightdeisenhoweratomsforpeace.html
37. John Fitzgerald Kennedy - American University Commencement Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkamericanuniversityaddress.html
38. Dorothy Ann Willis Richards - 1988 DNC Keynote Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/annrichards1988dnc.htm
39. Richard Milhous Nixon - Resignation Speech
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/richardnixonresignationspeech.html
40. Thomas Woodrow Wilson - "The Fourteen Points"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/wilsonfourteenpoints.htm
41. Margaret Chase Smith - "Declaration of Conscience"
www.mcslibrary.org/program/library/declaration.htm
42. Franklin Delano Roosevelt - "The Four Freedoms"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/fdrthefourfreedoms.htm
43. Martin Luther King, Jr. - "A Time to Break Silence"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm
44. Mary Church Terrell - "What it Means to be Colored in the...U.S."
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/marychurchterellcolored.htm
45. William Jennings Bryan - "Against Imperialism"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/wjbryanimperialism.htm
46. Margaret Higgins Sanger - "The Morality of Birth Control"
http://gos.sbc.edu/s/sanger1.html
47. Barbara Pierce Bush - 1990 Wellesley College Commencement Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/barbarabushwellesleycommencement.htm
48. John Fitzgerald Kennedy - Civil Rights Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkcivilrights.htm
49. John Fitzgerald Kennedy - Cuban Missile Crisis Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkcubanmissilecrisis.html
50. Spiro Theodore Agnew - "Television News Coverage"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/spiroagnewtvnewscoverage.htm
51. Jesse Louis Jackson - 1988 DNC Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jessejackson1988dnc.htm
52. Mary Fisher - "A Whisper of AIDS"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/maryfisher1992rnc.html
53. Lyndon Baines Johnson - "The Great Society"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/lbjthegreatsociety.htm
54. George Catlett Marshall - "The Marshall Plan"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/georgecmarshall.html
55. Edward Moore Kennedy - "Truth and Tolerance in America"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/tedkennedytruth&tolerance.htm
56. Adlai Ewing Stevenson - Presidential Nomination Acceptance Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/adlaistevenson1952dnc.html
57. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt - "The Struggle for Human Rights"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/eleanorroosevelt.htm
58. Geraldine Anne Ferraro - Vice-Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/gferraroacceptanceaddress.html
59. Robert Marion La Follette - "Free Speech in Wartime"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/robertlafollettefreespeecninwartime.htm
60. Ronald Wilson Reagan - 40th Anniversary of D-Day Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ronaldreaganddayaddress.html
61. Mario Matthew Cuomo - "Religious Belief and Public Morality"
http://archives.nd.edu/research/texts/cuomo.htm?DocID=14
62. Edward Moore Kennedy - "Chappaquiddick"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/tedkennedychappaquiddick.htm
63. John Llewellyn Lewis - "The Rights of Labor"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/johnlewisrightsoflabor.htm
64. Barry Morris Goldwater - Presidential Nomination Acceptance Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/barrygoldwater1964rnc.htm
65. Stokely Carmichael - "Black Power"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/stokelycarmichaelblackpower.html
66. Hubert Horatio Humphrey - 1948 DNC Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/huberthumphey1948dnc.html
67. Emma Goldman - Address to the Jury
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/emmagoldmanjuryaddress.htm
68. Carrie Chapman Catt - "The Crisis"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/carriechapmancattthecrisis.htm
69. Newton Norman Minow - "Television and the Public Interest"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/carriechapmancattthecrisis.htm
70. Edward Moore Kennedy - Eulogy for Robert Francis Kennedy
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ekennedytributetorfk.html
71. Anita Faye Hill - Statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/anitahillsenatejudiciarystatement.htm
72. Thomas Woodrow Wilson - League of Nations Final Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/wilsonleagueofnations.htm
73. Henry Louis ("Lou") Gehrig - Farewell to Baseball Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/lougehrigfarewelltobaseball.htm
74. Richard Milhous Nixon - Cambodian Incursion Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/richardnixoncambodia.html
75. Carrie Chapman Catt - Address to the U.S. Congress
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/carriechapmancattsuffragespeech.htm
76. Edward Moore Kennedy - 1980 DNC Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/tedkennedy1980dnc.htm
77. Lyndon Baines Johnson - On Vietnam and Not Seeking Re-Election
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/lbjvietman.htm
78. Franklin Delano Roosevelt - Commonwealth Club Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/fdrcommonwealth.htm
79. Thomas Woodrow Wilson - First Inaugural Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/wilsonfirstinaugural.htm
80. Mario Savio - "Sproul Hall Sit-in Speech/An End to History"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mariosaviosproulhallsitin.htm
81. Elizabeth Glaser - 1992 DNC Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/elizabethglaser1992dnc.htm
82. Eugene Victor Debs - "The Issue"
www.marxists.org/archive/debs/works/1908/issue.htm
83. Margaret Higgins Sanger - "Children's Era"
www.womenspeecharchive.org/women/profile/speech/index.cfm?ProfileID=113&SpeechID=478
84. Ursula Kroeber Le Guin - "A Left-Handed Commencement Address"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ursulakleguinlefthandedcommencementspeech.htm
85. Crystal Eastman - "Now We Can Begin"
http://womenshistory.about.com/library/etext/bl_eastman_crystal_1920.htm
86. Huey Pierce Long - "Share Our Wealth"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/hueyplongshare.htm
87. Gerald Rudolph Ford - Address on Taking the Oath of Office
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/geraldfordpresidentialoath.html
88. Cesar Estrada Chavez - Speech on Ending His 25 Day Fast
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/cesarchavezspeechmexicanamerican&church.htm
89. Elizabeth Gurley Flynn - Statement at the Smith Act Trial
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/elizabethgurleyflynn.htm
90. Jimmy Earl Carter - "A Crisis of Confidence"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jimmycartercrisisofconfidence.htm
91. Malcolm X - "Message to the Grassroots"
http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=1145
92. William Jefferson Clinton - Oklahoma Bombing Memorial Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/wjcoklahomabombingspeech.htm
93. Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm - "For the Equal Rights Amendment"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/shirleychisholmequalrights.htm
94. Ronald Wilson Reagan - Brandenburg Gate Address
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ronaldreaganbrandenburggate.htm
95. Eliezer ("Elie") Wiesel - "The Perils of Indifference"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ewieselperilsofindifference.html
96. Gerald Rudolph Ford - National Address Pardoning Richard M. Nixon
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/geraldfordpardonofnixon.htm
97. Thomas Woodrow Wilson - "For the League of Nations"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/wilsontheleagueofnations.htm
98. Lyndon Baines Johnson - "Let Us Continue"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/lbjletuscontinue.html
99. Joseph N. Welch - "Have You No Sense of Decency"
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/welch-mccarthy.html
100. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt - Adopting the Declaration of Human Rights
www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/eleanorrooseveltdeclarationhumanrights.htm