MLK
for the same reasons as yesterday
Well, Lincoln had an army once he pried it out of the hot little hands (and cold, cold feet) of McClellan. 
Roosevelt
TR.
MLK
Martin Luther King
Come on people, remember Roosevelt was a greater man than any of them but maybe Franklin, smarter than all but Franklin, tougher than all but Washington, brought this country on to the world stage and was so kick ass that he was off the scale.
Looks like my post got eaten. Off with Roosevelt.
I’m impressed by his oratory; “I have a dream” reads like poetry.
Can anyone point me to speech[es] by other American(s) with the spell-binding quality of MLK?
Begging the question. As I’ve demonstrated earlier, most of the galvanizing was done by others. By the time King his his stride, *Brown vs. Board of Education *was law and most major institutions were integrated.
MLK. Again.
Gladly!
My first thought too StusBlues. FDR had some good ones too as I recall. Also oddly enough one sports figure by the name of Lou Gehrig, but MLK is right up there in the top 10 if not the top 5.
Correct, and thank you.
We’re down to the best of the best now. Each of these votes is gonna hurt. Still, of those remaining, I’m afraid it’s Roosevelt. Franklin played a key role in bringing France in on our side in the American Revolution, in addition to all of his other many accomplishments. MLK should still be in the mix, for the reasons earlier stated - he more than any other leader helped transform American society after a century of segregation and bigotry. Lincoln’s leadership in the Civil War, and the inspirational power of his oratory and writing, are rightly legendary. (Washington should still be in the mix, but what’s done is done).
I love T.R. and consider him one of the greatest Americans ever, but my vote now is for Roosevelt, with regret.
Other great American rhetoric:
Washington’s Farewell Address: http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/farewell/text.html
Webster’s Second Reply to Hayne (esp. the conclusion): http://www.dartmouth.edu/~dwebster/speeches/hayne-speech.html
Sojourner Truth, “Ain’t I a Woman?”: "AIN'T I A WOMAN?" BY SOJOURNER TRUTH
Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address: Abraham Lincoln Second Inaugural Address - Collection at Bartleby.com
FDR’s First Inaugural Address: Franklin D. Roosevelt First Inaugural Address - Collection at Bartleby.com
Kennedy’s Inaugural Address: John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address - Collection at Bartleby.com
Kennedy’s 1963 Civil Rights speech: American Rhetoric: John F. Kennedy -- Civil Rights Addess
Barbara Jordan’s statement on the Nixon articles of impeachment: American Rhetoric: Barbara Jordan - Statement on House Judiciary Proceedings to Impeach President Richard Nixon
Clinton’s speech at the Oklahoma City bombing memorial service: American Rhetoric: William Jefferson Clinton - Oklahoma Bombing Memorial Prayer Service Speech
Obama on “a more perfect Union”: http://constitutioncenter.org/amoreperfectunion/
Obama’s Election Night acceptance speech: Transcript: 'This is your victory,' says Obama - CNN.com
Teddy Roosevelt.
I looked at that “American Rhetoric” site’s “Top 100 Speeches” list and am somewhat baffled by Lincoln’s entire absence from the list. I wonder what that deal is.
I’d throw Lincoln’s First Inaugural into your list, particularly for the last few paragraphs.
MLK again.
Teddy.
This is hard. I hate to throw anyone out, and I definitely hate to pitch MLK – flawed as he was, I think he made possible for civil rights to come about peacefully, which is something of a historical anomaly. Anyone who serves as a major impetus for peace and freedom has earned enormous credit in my book, outweighing the womanizing, plagiarism charges, and even his willingness to permit people to give him so much of the credit for the work of so many others (a fault not uncommon on our list).
But Teddy is also a titan. And one for the 21st century: his principal areas of endeavor – breaking up corporate monopolies, establishing national parks, promoting conservation, national defense, and even his promotion of physical fitness are all vitally, even increasingly, important issues for the presidency today, in a way that so many other issues from those days are not (gold standard, anyone?). He even added to our political lexicon: “bully pulpit.”
I’m a huge Franklin fan, but I’m not sure he trumps either of the two candidates mentioned above. Still, the old rascal of the Founders remains a sentimental choice. Scientist, statesman, diplomat, legislator, humorist, writer, womanizer, drinker, and guardian of great national secrets (the Gulf Stream secret). Of the remaining candidates, he’d be everyone’s favorite dinner guest.
If I tally correctly, MLK and TR are tied.
I guess that with considerable regret, I’m going to vote against Martin Luther King. It’s taken me days to come to this point. I’m going to claim I’m basing it on the future – I see environmental concerns as the looming crisis of our century, and TR, as an example, carries weight with exactly the political stripe of people most inclined to oppose and obstruct environmental legislation. We need MLK’s example to live together; we may need TR’s example to keep living on Earth.
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Great post Sailboat and not just as you voted to preserve TR. It is really a well thought out and well explained reasoning.
I count 7 for King and 6 for Roosevelt as of Sailboat’s vote.