Sure, Lincoln’s Gettysburg address was not immediately considered a masterpiece. Lots of famous speeches are well known. Some good ones probably are not.
But which is your favourite?
On May 10, 1940, Winston Churchill became Prime Minister. When he met his Cabinet on May 13 he told them that “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.” He repeated that phrase later in the day when he asked the House of Commons for a vote of confidence in his new all-party government. The response of Labour was heart-warming; the Conservative reaction was luke-warm. They still really wanted Neville Chamberlain. For the first time, the people had hope but Churchill commented to General Ismay: “Poor people, poor people. They trust me, and I can give them nothing but disaster for quite a long time.”
Do fictional characters count? If so, then John Galt’s speech in Atlas Shrugged.
Gus Grissom once addressed a group that worked at a rocket assembly plant. His entire speech was “Do good work.”
Succinct and to the point. I like that.
The two most memorable in my mind are Churchill’s “We shall fight on the beaches” speech of June, 1940, and JFK’s inauguration speech on January, 1961.
Barbara Jordan’s statement during the Watergate impeachment hearings. The text is impressive enough, but hearing her still sends chills up my spine (Time magazine said she “loomed and boomed like some elemental force”).
Doesn’t hurt that so much of what she said is applicable to a certain recent infestation of the Oval Office.
I prefer Robert J. Ringer’s translation of that speech: “Ask not what those in power can do for you – ask what you can do for those in power”. Somehow, it doesn’t seem quite as patriotic.
If we count fictional speeches (well, it did actually occur, but certainly not anything near what was in the place), there’s the St. Crispin’s Day speech from Henry V.
Barrack Obama at the RNC the year he stole the nomination from Hilary. Brilliant speech.
Yes, well, you can substitute words and phrases and end up with completely different meanings. Language is like that. Ringer’s “translation” is a contrived distortion by someone who, as far as I can tell, is an anti-tax, anti-government libertarian who would naturally be opposed to any suggestion of a cohesive societal commonwealth. Kennedy’s speech is considered perhaps the finest inaugural address in American history.
Patrick Henry’s famous “Give me liberty or give me death” speech to the Second Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775, at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia. This was the first speech I ever read that impressed me as a piece of writing:
What? and What?
“Citizenship in a Republic” Theodore Roosevelt, Paris April 23, 1910
Sorry, my bad.
Simple Typo, oops. Not RNC, DNC!
Humblest apologies.
Hope that helps!
Marc Antony’s “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” speech from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
“America is NOT the greatest country in the world” from Newsroom.
It may be fictional but its great speech considering the time setting.
This one and Lou Gehrig’s Farewell Speech.
Good call, and this version is Branagh at the top of his game:
John Blutarski’s speech stands out in my mind.
“What? Over? Did you say ‘over’? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no! It ain’t over now, ‘cause when the goin’ gets tough, the tough get goin’. Who’s with me? Let’s go! Come on!”