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The 15 most inspiring presidential speeches in american history.

• By Tara Kibler
• February 15, 2021
• History , Political Science

Over the centuries, millions upon millions of words have been used by U.S. presidents to motivate, caution, reassure, and guide the American people. Whether written in the news, spoken at a podium, or shared on Twitter, all of these words have carried weight, each with the potential to impact the trajectory of our nation. Only a handful of times, however, has the particular arrangement and context of these words been considered truly inspiring.

This Presidents’ Day, join HeinOnline in rediscovering some of the greatest presidential speeches in American history using our   U.S. Presidential Library  and other sources.

1. Washington’s Farewell Address

Date:  September 17th, 1796

Context:  Toward the end of his second term as the first U.S. president, George Washington announced his retirement from office in a letter addressed to the American people. Though many feared for a United States without Washington, the address reassured the young nation that it no longer required his leadership. Washington also used the opportunity to offer advice for the prosperity of the country. After witnessing the growing division between the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties, much of his advice was to warn against political parties, factions, and other animosities (domestic and foreign) that would eventually undermine the integrity and efficacy of the American government.

Notable Quote:  “This spirit [of party], unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind … [but] the disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.

“Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight), the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it. It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions … A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.”

2. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address

Date:  November 19, 1863

Context:  Four months after Union armies defeated Confederates at Gettysburg during the American Civil War, President Lincoln visited the site to dedicate the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. In what were intended to be brief, appropriate remarks for the situation, Lincoln used the moment to offer his take on the war and its meaning. The ten sentences he spoke would ultimately become one of the most famous speeches in American history, an inspiration for notable remarks centuries later, and even a foundation for the wording of other countries’ constitutions.

Notable Quote:  “… from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they heregave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that the dead shall not have died in vain; that the Nation shall under God have a new birth of freedom, and that Governments of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

3. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Inaugural Address

Date:  March 4, 1933

Context:  The inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt was held as the country was in the throes of the Great Depression, and as such, America anxiously awaited what he had to say. Roosevelt did not disappoint, offering 20 minutes of reassurance, hope, and promises for urgent action.

Notable Quote:  “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is … fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and of vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. And I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days.”

4. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Fireside Chat

Date:  March 12, 1933

Context:  Just a few days after his inauguration, Roosevelt instituted what he called “fireside chats,” using the relatively new technology of radio to enter the living rooms of Americans and discuss current issues. In these moments, he could speak at length, unfiltered and uninterrupted by the press, while also offering a reassuring, optimistic tone that might otherwise have been lost in the written word. In this first fireside chat, he crafted a message to explain the American banking process (and its current difficulties) in a way that the average listener could understand.

Notable Quote:  “Confidence and courage are the essentials of success in carrying out our plan. You people must have faith. You must not be stampeded by rumors or guesses. Let us unite in banishing fear. We have provided the machinery to restore our financial system, and it is up to you to support and make it work. It is your problem, my friends. Your problem no less than it is mine. Together, we cannot fail.”

5. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” Speech

Date:  January 6, 1941

Context:  By 1941, many affected by the Great Depression had experienced economic recovery, but another world-changing phenomenon had reared its head—Hitler and his Nazi regime. World War II was raging in Europe and the Pacific, but the United States had thus far remained largely neutral. In light of the atrocities occurring overseas, Roosevelt sought to change that. He crafted his State of the Union address that January to highlight four freedoms which are deserved by all humans everywhere. The “Four Freedoms” speech, as it was ultimately known, later became the basis for  America’s intervention in World War II  and significantly influenced American values, life, and politics moving forward.

Notable Quote:  “In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression—everywhere in the world. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way—everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want—which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peace of time life for its inhabitants—everywhere in the world. The fourth is freedom from fear—which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction, armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor—anywhere in the world.”

6. Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” Speech

Date:  December 8, 1953

Context:  During World War II, Roosevelt formally authorized the Manhattan Project, a top-secret U.S. effort to weaponize nuclear energy. By 1945,  America had successfully created the atomic bomb , and President Truman had authorized its detonation in Japan’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leveling the two cities and killing hundreds of thousands of people. Following the end of World War II, political and economic differences between the United States and Soviet Union drove the two countries to another war soon after, but this time, the Soviet Union had their own atomic bomb as well. The world was teetering on a frightening ledge built by access to nuclear power, causing President Eisenhower to launch an “emotion management” campaign with this speech to the United Nations about the very real risks but also peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Notable Quote:  “… the whole book of history reveals mankind’s never-ending quest for peace and mankind’s God-given capacity to build. It is with the book of history, and not with isolated pages, that the United States will ever wish to be identified. My country wants to be constructive, not destructive. It wants agreements, not wars, among nations. It wants itself to live in freedom and in the confidence that the peoples of every other nation enjoy equally the right of choosing their own way of life. … The United States knows that if the fearful trend of atomic military build-up can be reversed, this greatest of destructive forces can be developed into a great boon, for the benefit of all mankind.”

7. Eisenhower’s Farewell Address

Date:  January 17, 1961

Context:  As he came to the end of his term, President Eisenhower found himself in a nation much stronger, much richer, and much more advanced than when he began. Prepared as early as two years in advance, his farewell address acknowledged the pride all should have in these achievements, but also served to ground the American people in sobering reality—that how the United States uses this power and standing will ultimately determine its fate. Like Washington, his address was one of caution against dangers such as massive spending, an overpowered military industry, and Federal domination of scientific progress (or vice versa, the scientific-technological domination of public policy). In all things, he stressed the need to maintain balance as the country moves forward, for the preservation of liberty.

Notable Quote:  “Down the long lane of the history yet to be written America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect. Such a confederation must be one of equals. The weakest must come to the conference table with the same confidence as do we, protected as we are by our moral, economic, and military strength. That table, though scarred by many past frustrations, cannot be abandoned for the certain agony of the battlefield.”

8. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address

Date:  January 20, 1961

Context:  A few days after Eisenhower’s farewell speech, he turned over his office to the youngest-ever elected president, John F. Kennedy. Kennedy now found himself faced with the monumental task of strengthening the United States while also quelling American anxieties about the Cold War and avoiding nuclear warfare. His speech thus focused on unity, togetherness, and collaboration both domestically and abroad.

Notable Quote:  “In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it—and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”

9. Kennedy’s “We Choose to Go to the Moon” Speech

Date:  September 12, 1962

Context:  In the name of national security, the United States and USSR set their sights on spaceflight as a top priority during the Cold War. To the surprise (and fear) of people around the globe, the Soviet Union launched the first-ever artificial satellite in 1957, then sent the first human being into space in 1961, signaling to onlookers that its nation was a technological force to be reckoned with. Kennedy was determined to come up with a challenge in space technology that the United States actually stood a chance to win. In the early ’60s, he proposed that America focus on putting a man on the moon. In an uplifting speech at Rice University, Kennedy reminded his listeners of the country’s technological progress so far and of his administration’s determination to continue the pioneering spirit of early America into the new frontier of space.

Notable Quote:  “We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.”

Read about America’s successful moon landing in this blog post.

10. Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Great Society” Speech

Date:  May 22, 1964

Context:  Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as President in 1963, immediately following  Kennedy’s assassination . Johnson vowed to continue the former president’s work on poverty, civil rights, and other issues. Inspired in part by FDR’s New Deal, he devised a set of programs intended to completely eliminate poverty and racial injustice. In 1964, he formally proposed some specific goals in a speech to the University of Michigan, where he coined the lofty ideal of a “Great Society.”

Notable Quote:  “Your imagination, your initiative, and your indignation will determine whether we build a society where progress is the servant of our needs, or a society where old values and new visions are buried under unbridled growth. For in your time we have the opportunity to move not only toward the rich society and the powerful society, but upward to the Great Society.”

11. Lyndon B. Johnson’s “We Shall Overcome” Speech

Date:  March 15, 1965

Context:  By the 1960s, blacks in areas of the Deep South found themselves disenfranchised by state voting laws, such as those requiring a poll tax, literacy tests, or knowledge of the U.S. constitution. Furthermore, these laws were sometimes applied subjectively, leading to the prevention of even educated blacks from voting or registering to vote. Inspired (and sometimes joined) by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., protests were planned throughout the region. Eight days after racial violence erupted around one of these protests in Selma, Alabama, President Johnson addressed Congress to declare that “every American citizen must have an equal right to vote” and that discriminatory policies were denying African-Americans that right.

Notable Quote:  “What happened in Selma is part of a far larger movement which reaches into every section and State of America. It is the effort of American Negroes to secure for themselves the full blessings of American life. Their cause must be our cause too. Because it’s not just Negroes, but really it’s all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome …

“This great, rich, restless country can offer opportunity and education and hope to all, all black and white, all North and South, sharecropper and city dweller. These are the enemies: poverty, ignorance, disease. They’re our enemies, not our fellow man, not our neighbor. And these enemies too—poverty, disease, and ignorance: we shall overcome.”

12. Reagan’s D-Day Anniversary Address

Date:  June 6, 1984

Context:  During World War II, the Allied forces attacked German troops on the coast of Normandy, France on June 6, 1944. A turning point for the war, the day came to be known as D-Day, and its anniversary is forever acknowledged. On its 40th anniversary, President Ronald Reagan honored the heroes of that day in a speech that also invoked a comparison of World War II’s Axis dictators to the Soviet Union during the ongoing Cold War. This reminder to the Allies that they once fought together against totalitarianism and must continue the fight now helped contribute to the ultimate dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Notable Quote:  “We look for some sign from the Soviet Union that they are willing to move forward, that they share our desire and love for peace, and that they will give up the ways of conquest. There must be a changing there that will allow us to turn our hope into action. We will pray forever that some day that changing will come. But for now, particularly today, it is good and fitting to renew our commitment to each other, to our freedom, and to the alliance that protects it. We are bound today by what bound us 40 years ago, the same loyalties, traditions, and beliefs. We’re bound by reality. The strength of America’s allies is vital to the United States, and the American security guarantee is essential to the continued freedom of Europe’s democracies. We were with you then; we are with you now. Your hopes are our hopes, and your destiny is our destiny.”

13. Reagan’s Berlin Wall Speech

Date:  June 12, 1987

Context:  With the fall of Nazi Germany at the end of World War II, Western powers and the Soviet Union sought to establish systems of government in their respective occupied regions. West Germany developed into a Western capitalist country, with a democratic parliamentary government, while East Germany became a socialist workers’ state (though it was often referred to as communist in the English-speaking world). Many experiencing hunger, poverty, and repression in the Soviet-influenced East Germany attempted to move west, with the City of Berlin their main point of crossing. Ultimately, the Soviet Union advised East Germany to build a wall on the inner German border, restricting movement and emigration by threat of execution for attempted emigrants. Seen as a symbol of Communist tyranny by Western nations, the Berlin Wall persisted for nearly three decades. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan visited West Berlin and called upon Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to take down the wall as a symbol of moving forward.

Notable Quote:  “We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

14. George W. Bush’s Post-9/11 Speech

Date:  September 11, 2001

Context:  On September 11, 2001, the United States experienced  the single worst terrorist attack in human history , where four American planes were hijacked and flown into American buildings, killing nearly 3,000 people. Viewers around the world watched the news as five stories of the Pentagon fell and the World Trade Center buildings collapsed entirely. Later that evening, President George W. Bush addressed the nation with a brief but powerful message that chose to focus not on fear, but on America’s strength in unity.

Notable Quote:

“These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our country is strong. A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve. America was targeted for attack because we’re the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.”

15. Obama’s “More Perfect Union” Speech

Date:  March 18, 2008

Context:  While campaigning for the presidency in 2008, Barack Obama came under fire for his relationship with pastor Jeremiah Wright, who had been heard to denounce the United States and accuse the government of racial crimes. To officially address the relationship and condemn Wright’s inflammatory remarks, Obama crafted a speech that discussed the history of racial inequality in America as well as the dissonance between that history and America’s ideals of human liberty. Importantly, however, he also highlighted the necessity for a unified American people to effectively combat those issues, rather than more racial division.

Notable Quote:  “[T]he remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren’t simply controversial. They weren’t simply a religious leader’s effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country—a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America ….

“[These] comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems—two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all ….

“The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we’ve never really worked through—a part of our union that we have yet to perfect. And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American.”

Read about Barack Obama’s presidency in this blog post.

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Cambridge Festival of Ideas debate to examine the changing nature of political speeches.

Martin Luther King could get away with elevated language because his cause was a noble one. You can’t really do that when you are talking about the reform of local government. It just isn’t as big an affront to justice. Phil Collins

All eyes will be on Ed Miliband today and much has been written about the importance of his party conference speech.

But what makes a good political speech? Inevitably, Ed Miliband will be compared with Labour leaders of the past, particularly Tony Blair who was known for his persuasive powers. Phil Collins, who wrote many of Blair's speeches, says that great political speeches need a big event or a rallying cause and there are just less of them than there were in the past.

He will be speaking in a debate on political rhetoric at this year's Cambridge Festival of Ideas next month. Other speakers include David Runciman, reader in political thought at the University of Cambridge, author Piers Brendon, former Keeper of the Churchill Archives Centre and Michael White, the Guardian's political editor. The event will be held at Churchill College, Cambridge on October 20th.

For Collins, great political speeches need three key ingredients: a serious argument which leaves the audience thinking something new or resolved to act; great delivery that stirs the emotions as well as appealing to reason; and a sense of occasion.

He says: “Martin Luther King could get away with elevated language because his cause was a noble one. You can’t really do that when you are talking about the reform of local government. It just isn’t as big an affront to justice. So, there is a very good reason we have fewer remarkable speeches which is that we don’t need them as much as we did.”

Collins also justifies the use of sound bites, although he says he always worked by building a solid argument first and then trying to distil the best possible phrase out of the argument rather than the other way around. He says that not only are soundbites vital in a world where a 24/7 media edits chunks of speeches down to one phrase, but all the great writers are full of them. “We should guard against the derogatory association of the word soundbite,” he says. “All we mean, really, is a pithy way of capturing the essence of the point. To be or not to be – that really was the question. It was a soundbite too.”

He adds that the emphasis on soundbites is likely to increase. “The endless fragmentation that results from the coverage of modern media is the main reason that the soundbite has become such a ubiquitous part of political discourse. Your words are going to be chopped into pieces in any case so you might as well offer up the encapsulation you think is the best one.”

Collins says that one of the potential pitfalls of modern party conference speech is the number of people who vet it. “The big conference speeches have many authors, or at least many contributors,” he says.  “It is inevitable, when there are lots of hands at work, that the integrity of the argument goes missing. The task for a conference speech is always to recuperate the argument. The more a single person can be in overall control, as a sort of editor-in-chief, the better. Writing by committee is rarely a good way to work.”

Nevertheless, a good political speech can make all the difference. David Cameron owes his leadership of the Conservatives to two speeches, he says – one he gave which was well received and one given by his rival David Davis which “bombed”. He adds that it is hard to imagine Barack Obama would have become President without his oratory powers.

The audience is clearly vital for any speech writer and Collins says people's attention spans have declined, as has the breadth of their vocabulary and range of reference. Mass democracy means that references to  high culture divide an audience where they would once have united it, he says. There are also more political speeches than there used to be.

“Gladstone and Disraeli used to speak rarely every year. Each speech was an epic, months in the preparation, but they would not be doing speeches three times a week, as many politicians are now,” he says. “In the process, we have devalued the currency a little. The effective political speech, though, remains what it has always been – a mixture of reasoned argument and emotional passion.”

Other speakers at the Festival of Ideas debate will focus on the historical or wider issues associated with political speech-making. Piers Brendon, for instance, will talk about Churchill's use of political rhetoric, which he likens to the style of a music-hall performer, and contrast it with today's more colloquial, television-orientated and soundbiteish delivery.

• The event, to be held at Wolfson Theatre, Churchill College from 6-7.15pm on Thursday, 20 October, will be chaired by Allen Packwood, Keeper of the Churchill Archives Centre. Arrive at 5.30pm to see an exhibition of documents from the Centre.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence . If you use this content on your site please link back to this page.

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How To Write A Presidential Speech

Katie Clower

The Importance of a Presidential Speech

Presidential speeches have been a prevalent and important part of our country’s society and culture since Washington’s inauguration in April of 1789 in which the first inaugural address, and presidential speech in general, was delivered. Since then, we as a country have beared witness to countless presidential and political speeches. Some have been moving, some inspirational and motivating, some heartbreaking and tear-jerking. Others have made us cringe out of anger, fear, or disappointment. Some have simply fallen flat, having been described as boring or awkward or unsettling.

Many presidential speeches are remembered and regarded to this day, despite how many decades or centuries ago they were delivered. Often, we remember and reflect on those which were the most special and important. But, in some cases the horribly written or delivered ones stick out in our minds, too. This writing guide is designed, in part, for those presidential or politician candidates and hopefuls to use as a tool to ensure their own speeches will be remembered and reflected on for years to come, for their positive messages and audience responses, not the opposite.

If you are not or do not plan to be a politician or president, do not stop reading! This guide is also written with the average person, even one with little to no political ties or aspirations, in mind. Public speech is a large aspect and topic of discussion in our society, one that has become critical to the presidential process. As such, many of us may be fascinated by and curious about the process of constructing and delivering a successful presidential speech. This guide will convey all of this information via data and analyses of previous both renowned and failed presidential speeches, deductions of what it was that made them so great or so catastrophic, syntheses of expert research and findings on the topic, and more. It does so in a casual, easy-to-follow tone, further making it a read for all.

Another reason this guide is applicable to everyone is because the speech-making tips and techniques shared throughout the text are true for not just political speech, but any form. Everyone has to deliver pitches, speeches, or presentations at some point in their lives or careers. The conclusion section emphasizes how the information and advice shared in this guide can apply to and help with all other forms of speech writing and delivering. With all of this in mind, this guide is meant for truly anyone who wants to take the time to read and be informed.

Goals of the Speech

Presidential speeches have become increasingly important over time as a means to connect with and appeal to the people in order to articulate and drive forward presidential goals, deliver or reflect on tragic or positive news, and more. As Teten put it in his study, “speeches are the core of the modern presidency” (334). He finds that while “in the past, speechmaking, as well as public appeal in the content of speeches, was not only infrequent but discouraged due to precedent and technology,” today it is one of the most important and most frequently utilized presidential tools (Teten, 334). Allison Mcnearney states that “even in an age of Twitter, the formal, spoken word from the White House carries great weight and can move, anger or inspire at home and around the world.” These findings make perfecting this method of communication with the people even more crucial to master. One part of doing so requires keeping in mind what the main, general goals of these speeches are.

Connection to Audience

While presidents and politicians deliver many different types of speeches which often have contrasting tones and messages depending on the occasion, there is always an exigence for politicians to make efforts to connect with their audience. This in turn results in a more positive audience perception and reaction to both the president and his speech. Later in the guide, specific rhetorical and linguistic strategies and moves will be discussed which have proven effective in fostering a connection with audience members through speech.

This overall notion of establishing connection works to break down barriers and make the audience feel more comfortable with and trusting of the speech giver. McNearney points to FDR as a president who successfully connected with the people, largely, she claims, through his fireside chats. The fireside chats exemplified a president making use of the media for the first time “to present a very carefully crafted message that was unfiltered and unchallenged by the press” (McNearney). Today, we often see our presidents use Twitter as a media avenue to connect and present their “unfiltered” version of a policy or goal.

Lasting Message

Another central and overarching goal presidents and politicians should keep in mind when writing and delivering a speech is to make it lasting and memorable. It is challenging to predict what exactly will resonate with people in a way that makes a speech long remembered. Many of the various rhetorical and linguistic techniques outlined in section III have helped former presidents deliver speeches that have become known as some of “the greats.”

Sometimes it is a matter of taking risks with a speech. Martin Luther King and Barack Obama are among some of the most powerful speech-givers our country has seen. Both men took risks in many of their speeches. Mcnearney points to Obama’s “A More Perfect Union” speech as being “risky” in its focus and discussion on racial tensions in the country, an often avoided or untouched conversation. But, the speech was well-received and well-remembered, proving this risk was worth it.

What to Do: Rhetorical and Linguistic Moves

A conjunction of previous findings from various scholars and my own research make up this section to portray the effective rhetorical and linguistic strategies that have been employed in successful presidential speech.

Emotive Language

In section II one of the central goals discussed in a presidential speech is to appeal to one’s audience . An effective way to do so is through emotive language and general emotional appeal. In their study, Erisen et al. note the value of “strik[ing] an emotional chord with the public” as a means to gain public support, increase public awareness, and overall aid presidents in pursuing their political agendas (469). They work to prove the effectiveness of this strategy through an analysis of an Obama speech, delivered during a time of growing economic crisis in the country.

Erisen et al. identify Obama’s implementation of both emotional and optimistic tones as rhetorical moves to connect with and appeal to his audience of constituents. The success of his use of emotionally-related rhetorical strategies are evident findings that came out of a survey that “reported that 68% of speech-watchers had a ‘positive reaction’ and that 85% felt ‘more optimistic’ about the direction the country was heading” (Erisen et al., 470). Stewart et al. also find that “more emotionally evocative messages… lead to higher levels of affective response by viewers” (125). This clear data indicates the power connecting with an audience through emotion can have on their response and future outlook.

Optimistic Tone

Along with Obama’s “optimistic tone” described above, others have employed what has been described as both hopeful and reassuring tones as rhetorical moves to appeal to an audience. Two of the ten “most important modern presidential speeches,” as selected by the nonpartisan affiliated scholars of the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, are JFK’s address on the space effort and FDR’s first inaugural address (McNearney). JFK’s address was successful and well-received because of the hopeful tone he employs when discussing the goal to land a man on the moon. He gave the people an optimistic perspective on this lofty goal, making “Americans feel like there was nothing we couldn’t do” (McNearney). In his inaugural address, Roosevelt too pairs bold claims with optimism and reassurance to his audience.

Inclusive Language

Another found strategy utilized by presidents to appeal to their audience through speech is the use of inclusive language. In Teten’s study, he looks at the use of the words “we” and “our”, specifically, in presidential State of the Union Addressesses over time. His findings revealed a steady increase in these words within the speeches over time. The usage of these “public address and inclusion words” create an appeal with presidents’ audiences because they help presidents in creating “an imagined community in which the president and his listeners coexist on a level plane (Teten, 339-342). These findings illustrate the importance of not presenting oneself as an omnipotent power and leader, but rather a normal citizen of the country like all of those watching. Identifying oneself with the audience this way breaks down any barriers present.

Persuasive Language

Persuasion is another often-used rhetorical strategy, especially during presidential campaigns. In their study about “language intensity,” Clementson et al. look at the use of “persuasive language” as a strategy presidential candidates employ during their campaigns. They assert that “candidates seem to vary their language as they try to persuade audiences to perceive them favorably” (Clementson et al., 592). In referring to this persuasive rhetorical strategy, they utilize the term “problem-solution structure” as one which is often well-received by an audience. People appreciate hearing exactly how a president or presidential candidate plans to fix a problem at hand.

What Not to Do

  As stated earlier, while there are many speeches that are excellently written and delivered, there, too, are many speeches that flop. Alexander Meddings wrote an article which spotlights a number of political speeches which he deems some of the “worst” in modern history. In comparing what makes a good versus a bad speech he asserts that “a bad speech must, by definition, be flat, garbled and publicly damaging either for the speaker or for the cause they’re seeking to promote” (Meddings). In looking at some of the characteristics that make up some of the “worst” speeches, this section will highlight what not to do in the process of working to compose and deliver a successful speech.

The research demonstrates that length of speech actually proves very important. In Teten’s study, in addition to looking at inclusive language over time in presidential State of the Union Addresses, he also graphically measured the length, specifically number of words, of the addresses across time. His results proved interesting. There was a rise in length of these speeches from the first one delivered to those delivered in the early 1900s and then there was a sudden and far drop. There was a movement around the time of the drop to make speeches more concise, and it is clear, since they have remained much shorter as time has gone on, this choice was well-received.

Meddings alludes to this in his piece, describing both William Henry Harrison’s presidential inaugural address and Andrew Johnson’s vice-presidential inaugural address as some of the worst speeches, largely because of how dragged out they were. A very important aspect of speech-giving is capturing the audience’s attention, and this cannot be accomplished through a lengthy, uninteresting oration.

Lying And/or Contradiction

Though it should be fairly obvious that one should not lie in a speech, for the consequences will be great, there have been a number of presidents and politicians who have done so. Regan, Clinton, and Trump are all among the presidents and politicians who have made false statements or promises within speeches. Though it is understandable that a politician would want to speak towards what he or she knows will resonate and appeal to the audience, doing so in a false or manipulative way is not commendable and will lead to much greater backlash than just being honest.

Word Choice

Some politicians have been caught lying in speeches when trying to cover up a controversy or scandal. Though one should try to avoid any sort of controversy, a president or person in power has to expect to have to talk on some difficult or delicate topics. This is where careful word choice becomes vital. Often the way to ensure a speech is written eloquently, carefully, and inoffensively is through various rounds of editing from a number of different eyes.

Applications to All Forms of Speech-Giving

This guide should prove helpful for not only those looking to run for office, but for everyone. The various strategies and techniques given within this guide are, for the most part, broad enough that they can be applied to any form of speech-giving or presenting. We will all have to give a speech, a toast, a presentation, and countless other forms of written or oral works in our lives. Refer to this guide when doing so.

In terms of political or presidential speech specifically, though, in a sense there is not a clear formula for how to write and deliver them. In studies looking at various different successful presidential speeches, orators, and speechwriters, it is clear they all have their own unique style and form that works for them. But, the tips provided in this guide will certainly work to help to create a proficient and successful political speech writer and orator.

Works Cited

Clementson, David E., Paola Pascual-Ferr, and Michael J. Beatty. “When does a Presidential Candidate seem Presidential and Trustworthy? Campaign Messages through the Lens of Language Expectancy Theory.” Presidential Studies Quarterly 46.3 (2016): 592-617.  ProQuest. Web. 10 Dec. 2019.

Erisen, Cengiz, and José D. Villalotbos. “Exploring the Invocation of Emotion in Presidential Speeches.” Contemporary Politics , vol. 20, no. 4, 2014, pp. 469–488., doi:10.1080/13569775.2014.968472.

McNearney, Allison. “10 Modern Presidential Speeches Every American Should Know.”

History.com , A&E Television Networks, 16 Feb. 2018, www.history.com/news/10-modern-presidential-speeches-every-american-should-know.

Meddings, Alexander. “The 8 Worst Speeches in Modern Political History.”

HistoryCollection.co , 9 Nov. 2018, historycollection.co/8-worst-speeches-modern-political-history/7/.

Stewart, Patrick A., Bridget M. Waller, and James N. Schubert. “Presidential Speechmaking

Style: Emotional Response to Micro-Expressions of Facial Affect.” Motivation and Emotion 33.2 (2009): 125-35. ProQuest. Web. 1 Oct. 2019.

Teten, Ryan. “Evolution of the Modern Rhetorical Presidency: Presidential Presentation and

Development of the State of the Union Address.” Presidential Studies Quarterly 33.2 (2003): 333-46. ProQuest. Web. 30 Sep. 2019.

Writing Guides for (Almost) Every Occasion Copyright © 2020 by Katie Clower is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Primary Source Set Presidential Speeches

The resources in this primary source set are intended for classroom use. If your use will be beyond a single classroom, please review the copyright and fair use guidelines.

Teacher’s Guide

To help your students analyze these primary sources, get a graphic organizer and guides: Analysis Tool and Guides

Each presidential speech is unique. By working with primary sources from the online collections of the Library of Congress, students can explore the people and events that shaped these speeches. They can also identify the components of an effective speech and discover persuasive strategies that will help make their own speeches presidential.

Teaching Ideas

• Present your students with still or moving images from the Library’s online collections of presidents delivering speeches. What do your students notice about the presidents as they speak? What, if any, gestures are they making? If there’s an audience, how does the president interact with them? Why do you think the presidents made these choices?
• Ask your students to watch or listen to recordings of presidential speeches. How do they compare to more recent presidential speeches?
• Ask your students to select a few presidential speeches and identify elements that these speeches have in common. What issues do the speeches address? What was the occasion and audience for each speech? How might occasion and audience have affected the president’s choice of topic and the way in which the president addressed the topic?

Additional Resources

U.S. Presidential Inaugurations

Political Speech for Students and Children

Introduction to political speech.

Many people may have a problem with properly understanding the term politics. Furthermore, people may understand this term in several conflicting ways. Some individuals define it as a greedy battle of power. In contrast, some define it as a way in which an individual converts the hankering of his community into achievement. Simply speaking, politics is a set of activities that are involved in the governance of a country, state, or region. Read Political Speech here.

Classifications of Politics

If I were to classify politics, then its classification can take place into three categories. Above all, the three categories are formal politics, semi-formal politics, and informal politics. When we talk about formal politics, then know that it means the operation of a constitutional system of government and institutions which are in relation to it.

Semi-formal politics deals with government associations like student associations or neighborhood associations. Finally, informal politics refers to everyday politics that consists of forming alliances, promoting particular areas and goals.

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Types of Political Organization

There certainly are many types of political organizations. Furthermore, such organizations include states, international organizations, and non-government organizations (NGOs).

Moreover, states are the institutional form of political governance that are predominant. Some of you may come into confusion regarding state and government. The difference between the two is that whereas a state refers to the institution, the government is the regime in power.

One can further classify states. Aristotle came forward with a classification of states into monarchies, timocracies, aristocracies, oligarchies, tyrannies, and democracies. However, in the contemporary world, such a classification is not very proper.

Politics is Power

One can say that politics is a way of exercising power. It is like a relationship in which one can influence the behavior of others. Furthermore, politics is the power relationship between two people in which one can compel another to undertake a course of action involuntary.

Moreover, when we talk about politics, the nature of power is an important matter. As such, we can identify three different dimensions of power when it comes to politics. Most noteworthy, these three dimensions are power as agenda, power as thought control, and power as decision making.

Power as decision making involves a specific plan that can alter the content of decisions. This means that power can push or pull someone against intentions. Furthermore, power as the agenda refers to the skill to deny decisions from being formulated.

Lastly, power as thought control refers to influencing the wants and needs of individuals. Power as thought control is certainly the most important power dimension when it comes to politics.

Political Values

Several different political spectra have been proposed by experts. The most famous one which I am sure you must be all aware of is the left-right political spectrum. As is the norm with politics, the meaning of left-wing and right has considerable differences between countries.

Generally speaking, right-wing values conservatism, tradition, and inequality. In contrast, left-wing values equality, progress, and egalitarianism. Some individuals claim themselves to be centrists and refuse to identify with either left or right. Also, many experts see centrism as a sort of an ideal political position.

Another important political spectrum is the authoritarian-libertarian. Furthermore, this deals with the amount of individual freedom each person enjoys in a particular society. Generally speaking, the association of authoritarianism is with strong central power and limited political and individual freedoms.

Moreover, libertarianism emphasizes civil liberties, individual rights, and political freedoms over the authority of any kind.

Many believe that the word politics is the most negative word in the English language. However, these people hate politics without really understanding what it is all about. I would like to say that politics is a very important aspect of humanity that cannot be discarded. Without politics, society and civilization will collapse.

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Speech On Politics | Politics Speech for Students and Children in English

February 8, 2024 by Prasanna

Speech on Politics: Politics is a multidimensional concept. It is a term related to affairs among countries and organizations. We can also call politics as the science of governance.

These speeches will be helpful for the students, teachers and guest speakers to put a glance over the science of politics to educate students and enthusiasts.

Students can also find more  English Speech Writing  about Welcome Speeches, Farewell Speeches, etc

Long And Short Speeches On Politics for Kids And Students in English

We are providing a long Speech on Politics of 500 words and a short speech of 150 words on the same topic along with ten lines about the issue to help readers.

A Long Speech On Politics is helpful to students of classes 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. A Short Speech On Politics is helpful to students of classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Long Speech On Politics 500 Words In English

Greetings to everyone.

To understand the sophisticated curriculum of politics, one must first understand the general concepts of politics. Politics is derived from a Greek word Politika , which means “affairs of the cities”. The general definition of politics can be the actions by the power holders that lead to national and international relations which effectively results in policy framing within a country or organization.

Politics is multidimensional and has various approaches towards it. Politics can be both positive and negative in nature. Politics can create conflicts as well as resolve conflicts. Politics is generally called the science of governing. The academic arena that involves studies about politics is a political science and social sciences. However, one to become a politician need not compulsorily have a degree but must be skilled and qualified in the arena of politics.

Politics is an interesting and diplomatic concept. The ideologies derived from philosophies play an important role in modern politics. The main idea behind politics is said to be service to the citizens, but most of the time, it results in the interest for power. To become a politician, one must possess excellent leadership skills, communication skills and diplomatic nature. But most importantly, one must have deep concern towards the well being of the society because politics on a higher level affects life at every level.

Numerous different methods are applied in politics like exercise power and force, making policies and laws, negotiating political matters and keeping a check on adversaries. Politics is applied to a range of social levels from traditional societies to international relations. To portray or popularize one’s political ideology, political parties are formed. Every political party gives the electoral college a varied range of ideologies to choose from during election.

Political methods have a long history which is understood by notable literary works like Aristotle’s politics, Plato’s Republic and Chanakya’s Arthashastra. Popular political ideologies like socialism, communism, fascism, Nazism, Marxism have made the modern aspects of politics. Every political ideology has its pros and cons. To understand or be politically inclined towards a certain ideology, one must study all the elements of politics.

The political system of a country comprises of forms of government and source of power. A political system is a framework that is formed to ensure authority over the societal values by allocating designations. The political system makes public policy. The diplomatic interaction between different political systems forms a network of global politics. Political frameworks differ in terms of various forms of government. Other countries have an either democratic, republican or totalitarian state of government, thus have an entirely different framework of politics.

History has seen many potential and charismatic politicians. Alexander the Great was a Greek king who was undefeated in battle and was a student of Aristotle. Winston Churchill, the British prime minister, plays a great role in ending the world war two. 40 th president of America, Ronald Reagan was highly influential and known as one of the best politicians in the world.

Short Speech On Politics 150 Words In English

In the present scenario of the world, we often hear or overhear an interesting term called politics .the term may be simple, but politics is no simple concept. It is a science of multidimensional ideologies and ideas.

Politics, in general definition, means affairs among countries and organizations that lead to policy formation. But politics can also be used as a negative connotation. We often hear our politicians say “we do not engage in politics” making the concept of politics sound negative.

Politics has various fundamental approaches. Politics is not only a science for the politicians, every individual of every organization; however small it may be can and does engage in political concepts. Thus we understand that politics is beyond politicians.

Diplomacy and effective communication are the keys to political talks. Some of the greatest politicians are alexander the great, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Lenin, Margaret Thatcher, Cleopatra, Ronald Reagan and Genghis khan, to name a few.

10 Lines On Politics Speech In English

• Politics is derived from a Greek word Politika, which means “affairs of the cities”.
• Politics, in general, is defined as diplomatic relations among the power holders of countries and organizations that lead to the formation of policies.
• Politics, as a broad concept, has various fundamental approaches and is multifaceted and multidimensional.
• Political science is the study of politics.
• Political science covers the history techniques and communication that every individual pursuing political knowledge must know.
• Various ideologies have been formed and accepted in the past, which has led to the modern political advancements and scenario.
• Politics can have both positive and negative interpretations that affect the social aspects of a country.
• Politics is the science of policy framework.
• Politics was practised since the prehistoric era and is directly related or can be derived from philosophy.
• Some great politicians who can leave a mark on the field with their charisma are Nelsen Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, alexander the great and Margaret Thatcher, to name a few.

FAQ’s On Politics Speech

Question 1. How to start a speech on Politics?

Answer: There are many effective ways to make a speech interesting with a great start. A speech should start by expressing the motive of the topic chosen. What makes the topic politics important must be said first. Politics is a conceptual topic; thus, it needs to start with explaining base ideas.

Question 2. How politics affect our life?

Answer: Politics is the workplace of the people in power who make policies. These policies are responsible for the subtle or unsettled life of the common man. Examples of policies are education policy, employment policy, poverty control policy, etc. all of these policies shape our day to day life. Politics can create conflicts as well as resolve conflicts. Thus politics affect our life directly.

Question 3. How to make a non-offensive speech on Politics?

Answer: There are many ways to deliver a speech that has very little chance of offending the listeners. The best way to deliver a non-offensive speech is to make factual and neutral statements. Politics might turn to a controversial topic, so while making a speech on politics, keep the tone respectful towards the contradictory opinion.

Question 4. Can I become a politician?

Answer: Yes, anyone can become a politician with the right skills obtained from education and experience. To become a politician, one must have great leadership skills, communication skills and decision-making skills. To become a good politician, one must possess a feeling of deep concern about the citizens of a country belonging to the various class.

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40 famous persuasive speeches you need to hear.

Written by Kai Xin Koh

Across eras of calamity and peace in our world’s history, a great many leaders, writers, politicians, theorists, scientists, activists and other revolutionaries have unveiled powerful rousing speeches in their bids for change. In reviewing the plethora of orators across tides of social, political and economic change, we found some truly rousing speeches that brought the world to their feet or to a startling, necessary halt. We’ve chosen 40 of the most impactful speeches we managed to find from agents of change all over the world – a diversity of political campaigns, genders, positionalities and periods of history. You’re sure to find at least a few speeches in this list which will capture you with the sheer power of their words and meaning!

1. I have a dream by MLK

“I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification – one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning “My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my father’s died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!”

Unsurprisingly, Martin Luther King’s speech comes up top as the most inspiring speech of all time, especially given the harrowing conditions of African Americans in America at the time. In the post-abolition era when slavery was outlawed constitutionally, African Americans experienced an intense period of backlash from white supremacists who supported slavery where various institutional means were sought to subordinate African American people to positions similar to that of the slavery era. This later came to be known as the times of Jim Crow and segregation, which Martin Luther King powerfully voiced his vision for a day when racial discrimination would be a mere figment, where equality would reign.

2. Tilbury Speech by Queen Elizabeth I

“My loving people, We have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit our selves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery; but I assure you I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people. Let tyrants fear. I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good-will of my subjects; and therefore I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust. I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field. I know already, for your forwardness you have deserved rewards and crowns; and We do assure you on a word of a prince, they shall be duly paid. In the mean time, my lieutenant general shall be in my stead, than whom never prince commanded a more noble or worthy subject; not doubting but by your obedience to my general, by your concord in the camp, and your valour in the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over these enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people.”

While at war with Spain, Queen Elizabeth I was most renowned for her noble speech rallying the English troops against their comparatively formidable opponent. Using brilliant rhetorical devices like metonymy, meronymy, and other potent metaphors, she voiced her deeply-held commitment as a leader to the battle against the Spanish Armada – convincing the English army to keep holding their ground and upholding the sacrifice of war for the good of their people. Eventually against all odds, she led England to victory despite their underdog status in the conflict with her confident and masterful oratory.

3. Woodrow Wilson, address to Congress (April 2, 1917)

“The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty. We have no selfish ends to serve. We desire no conquest, no dominion. We seek no indemnities for ourselves, no material compensation for the sacrifices we shall freely make. We are but one of the champions of the rights of mankind. We shall be satisfied when those rights have been made as secure as the faith and the freedom of nations can make them. Just because we fight without rancor and without selfish object, seeking nothing for ourselves but what we shall wish to share with all free peoples, we shall, I feel confident, conduct our operations as belligerents without passion and ourselves observe with proud punctilio the principles of right and of fair play we profess to be fighting for. … It will be all the easier for us to conduct ourselves as belligerents in a high spirit of right and fairness because we act without animus, not in enmity toward a people or with the desire to bring any injury or disadvantage upon them, but only in armed opposition to an irresponsible government which has thrown aside all considerations of humanity and of right and is running amuck. We are, let me say again, the sincere friends of the German people, and shall desire nothing so much as the early reestablishment of intimate relations of mutual advantage between us—however hard it may be for them, for the time being, to believe that this is spoken from our hearts. We have borne with their present government through all these bitter months because of that friendship—exercising a patience and forbearance which would otherwise have been impossible. We shall, happily, still have an opportunity to prove that friendship in our daily attitude and actions toward the millions of men and women of German birth and native sympathy who live among us and share our life, and we shall be proud to prove it toward all who are in fact loyal to their neighbors and to the government in the hour of test. They are, most of them, as true and loyal Americans as if they had never known any other fealty or allegiance. They will be prompt to stand with us in rebuking and restraining the few who may be of a different mind and purpose. If there should be disloyalty, it will be dealt with with a firm hand of stern repression; but, if it lifts its head at all, it will lift it only here and there and without countenance except from a lawless and malignant few. It is a distressing and oppressive duty, gentlemen of the Congress, which I have performed in thus addressing you. There are, it may be, many months of fiery trial and sacrifice ahead of us. It is a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful people into war, into the most terrible and disastrous of all wars, civilization itself seeming to be in the balance. But the right is more precious than peace, and we shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest our hearts—for democracy, for the right of those who submit to authority to have a voice in their own governments, for the rights and liberties of small nations, for a universal dominion of right by such a concert of free peoples as shall bring peace and safety to all nations and make the world itself at last free. To such a task we can dedicate our lives and our fortunes, everything that we are and everything that we have, with the pride of those who know that the day has come when America is privileged to spend her blood and her might for the principles that gave her birth and happiness and the peace which she has treasured. God helping her, she can do no other.”

On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson of the USA delivered his address to Congress, calling for declaration of war against what was at the time, a belligerent and aggressive Germany in WWI. Despite his isolationism and anti-war position earlier in his tenure as president, he convinced Congress that America had a moral duty to the world to step out of their neutral observer status into an active role of world leadership and stewardship in order to liberate attacked nations from their German aggressors. The idealistic values he preached in his speech left an indelible imprint upon the American spirit and self-conception, forming the moral basis for the country’s people and aspirational visions to this very day.

4. Ain’t I A Woman by Sojourner Truth

“That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man – when I could get it – and bear the lash as well! And ain’t I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain’t I a woman? … If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.”

Hailing from a background of slavery and oppression, Sojourner Truth was one of the most revolutionary advocates for women’s human rights in the 1800s. In spite of the New York Anti-Slavery Law of 1827, her slavemaster refused to free her. As such, she fled, became an itinerant preacher and leading figure in the anti-slavery movement. By the 1850s, she became involved in the women’s rights movement as well. At the 1851 Women’s Rights Convention held in Akron, Ohio, she delivered her illuminating, forceful speech against discrimination of women and African Americans in the post-Civil War era, entrenching her status as one of the most revolutionary abolitionists and women’s rights activists across history.

5. The Gettsyburg Address by Abraham Lincoln

“Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said “the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.” 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, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

President Abraham Lincoln had left the most lasting legacy upon American history for good reason, as one of the presidents with the moral courage to denounce slavery for the national atrocity it was. However, more difficult than standing up for the anti-slavery cause was the task of unifying the country post-abolition despite the looming shadows of a time when white Americans could own and subjugate slaves with impunity over the thousands of Americans who stood for liberation of African Americans from discrimination. He urged Americans to remember their common roots, heritage and the importance of “charity for all”, to ensure a “just and lasting peace” among within the country despite throes of racial division and self-determination.

6. Woman’s Rights to the Suffrage by Susan B Anthony

“For any State to make sex a qualification that must ever result in the disfranchisement of one entire half of the people is to pass a bill of attainder, or an ex post facto law, and is therefore a violation of the supreme law of the land. By it the blessings of liberty are for ever withheld from women and their female posterity. To them this government has no just powers derived from the consent of the governed. To them this government is not a democracy. It is not a republic. It is an odious aristocracy; a hateful oligarchy of sex; the most hateful aristocracy ever established on the face of the globe; an oligarchy of wealth, where the right govern the poor. An oligarchy of learning, where the educated govern the ignorant, or even an oligarchy of race, where the Saxon rules the African, might be endured; but this oligarchy of sex, which makes father, brothers, husband, sons, the oligarchs over the mother and sisters, the wife and daughters of every household–which ordains all men sovereigns, all women subjects, carries dissension, discord and rebellion into every home of the nation. Webster, Worcester and Bouvier all define a citizen to be a person in the United States, entitled to vote and hold office. The only question left to be settled now is: Are women persons? And I hardly believe any of our opponents will have the hardihood to say they are not. Being persons, then, women are citizens; and no State has a right to make any law, or to enforce any old law, that shall abridge their privileges or immunities. Hence, every discrimination against women in the constitutions and laws of the several States is today null and void, precisely as in every one against Negroes.”

Susan B. Anthony was a pivotal leader in the women’s suffrage movement who helped to found the National Woman Suffrage Association with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and fight for the constitutional right for women to vote. She courageously and relentlessly advocated for women’s rights, giving speeches all over the USA to convince people of women’s human rights to choice and the ballot. She is most well known for her act of righteous rebellion in 1872 when she voted in the presidential election illegally, for which she was arrested and tried unsuccessfully. She refused to pay the $100 fine in a bid to reject the demands of the American system she denounced as a ‘hateful oligarchy of sex’, sparking change with her righteous oratory and inspiring many others in the women’s suffrage movement within and beyond America.

7. Vladimir Lenin’s Speech at an International Meeting in Berne, February 8, 1916

“It may sound incredible, especially to Swiss comrades, but it is nevertheless true that in Russia, also, not only bloody tsarism, not only the capitalists, but also a section of the so-called or ex-Socialists say that Russia is fighting a “war of defence,” that Russia is only fighting against German invasion. The whole world knows, however, that for decades tsarism has been oppressing more than a hundred million people belonging to other nationalities in Russia; that for decades Russia has been pursuing a predatory policy towards China, Persia, Armenia and Galicia. Neither Russia, nor Germany, nor any other Great Power has the right to claim that it is waging a “war of defence”; all the Great Powers are waging an imperialist, capitalist war, a predatory war, a war for the oppression of small and foreign nations, a war for the sake of the profits of the capitalists, who are coining golden profits amounting to billions out of the appalling sufferings of the masses, out of the blood of the proletariat. … This again shows you, comrades, that in all countries of the world real preparations are being made to rally the forces of the working class. The horrors of war and the sufferings of the people are incredible. But we must not, and we have no reason whatever, to view the future with despair. The millions of victims who will fall in the war, and as a consequence of the war, will not fall in vain. The millions who are starving, the millions who are sacrificing their lives in the trenches, are not only suffering, they are also gathering strength, are pondering over the real cause of the war, are becoming more determined and are acquiring a clearer revolutionary understanding. Rising discontent of the masses, growing ferment, strikes, demonstrations, protests against the war—all this is taking place in all countries of the world. And this is the guarantee that the European War will be followed by the proletarian revolution against capitalism”

Vladimir Lenin remains to this day one of the most lauded communist revolutionaries in the world who brought the dangers of imperialism and capitalism to light with his rousing speeches condemning capitalist structures of power which inevitably enslave people to lives of misery and class stratification. In his genuine passion for the rights of the working class, he urged fellow comrades to turn the “imperialist war” into a “civil” or class war of the proletariat against the bourgeoisie. He encouraged the development of new revolutionary socialist organisations, solidarity across places in society so people could unite against their capitalist overlords, and criticised nationalism for its divisive effect on the socialist movement. In this speech especially, he lambasts “bloody Tsarism” for its oppression of millions of people of other nationalities in Russia, calling for the working class people to revolt against the Tsarist authority for the proletariat revolution to succeed and liberate them from class oppression.

8. I Have A Dream Speech by Mary Wollstonecraft

“If, I say, for I would not impress by declamation when Reason offers her sober light, if they be really capable of acting like rational creatures, let them not be treated like slaves; or, like the brutes who are dependent on the reason of man, when they associate with him; but cultivate their minds, give them the salutary, sublime curb of principle, and let them attain conscious dignity by feeling themselves only dependent on God. Teach them, in common with man, to submit to necessity, instead of giving, to render them more pleasing, a sex to morals. Further, should experience prove that they cannot attain the same degree of strength of mind, perseverance, and fortitude, let their virtues be the same in kind, though they may vainly struggle for the same degree; and the superiority of man will be equally clear, if not clearer; and truth, as it is a simple principle, which admits of no modification, would be common to both. Nay, the order of society as it is at present regulated would not be inverted, for woman would then only have the rank that reason assigned her, and arts could not be practised to bring the balance even, much less to turn it.”

In her vindication of the rights of women, Mary Wollstonecraft was one of the pioneers of the feminist movement back in 1792 who not only theorised and advocated revolutionarily, but gave speeches that voiced these challenges against a dominantly sexist society intent on classifying women as irrational less-than-human creatures to be enslaved as they were. In this landmark speech, she pronounces her ‘dream’ of a day when women would be treated as the rational, deserving humans they are, who are equal to man in strength and capability. With this speech setting an effective precedent for her call to equalize women before the law, she also went on to champion the provision of equal educational opportunities to women and girls, and persuasively argued against the patriarchal gender norms which prevented women from finding their own lot in life through their being locked into traditional institutions of marriage and motherhood against their will.

9. First Inaugural Speech by Franklin D Roosevelt

“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is…fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and of vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. And I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days. … More important, a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence, and an equally great number toil with little return. Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment. Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously. There are many ways in which it can be helped, but it can never be helped merely by talking about it. We must act and act quickly. … I am prepared under my constitutional duty to recommend the measures that a stricken Nation in the midst of a stricken world may require. These measures, or such other measures as the Congress may build out of its experience and wisdom, I shall seek, within my constitutional authority, to bring to speedy adoption. But in the event that the Congress shall fail to take one of these two courses, and in the event that the national emergency is still critical, I shall not evade the clear course of duty that will then confront me. I shall ask the Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis — broad Executive power to wage a war against the emergency, as great as the power that would be given to me if we were in fact invaded by a foreign foe.”

Roosevelt’s famous inaugural speech was delivered in the midst of a period of immense tension and strain under the Great Depression, where he highlighted the need for ‘quick action’ by Congress to prepare for government expansion in his pursuit of reforms to lift the American people out of devastating poverty. In a landslide victory, he certainly consolidated the hopes and will of the American people through this compelling speech.

10. The Hypocrisy of American Slavery by Frederick Douglass

“What to the American slave is your Fourth of July? I answer, a day that reveals to him more than all other days of the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mock; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are to him mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy – a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation of the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of these United States at this very hour. Go search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the Old World, travel through South America, search out every abuse and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival.”

On 4 July 1852, Frederick Douglass gave this speech in Rochester, New York, highlighting the hypocrisy of celebrating freedom while slavery continues. He exposed the ‘revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy’ of slavery which had gone unabolished amidst the comparatively obscene celebration of independence and liberty with his potent speech and passion for the anti-abolition cause. After escaping from slavery, he went on to become a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York with his oratory and incisive antislavery writings. To this day, his fierce activism and devotion to exposing virulent racism for what it was has left a lasting legacy upon pro-Black social movements and the overall sociopolitical landscape of America.

11. Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise. Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? ’Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells Pumping in my living room. Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still I’ll rise. Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes? Shoulders falling down like teardrops, Weakened by my soulful cries? Does my haughtiness offend you? Don’t you take it awful hard ’Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines Diggin’ in my own backyard. You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise. Does my sexiness upset you? Does it come as a surprise That I dance like I’ve got diamonds At the meeting of my thighs? Out of the huts of history’s shame I rise Up from a past that’s rooted in pain I rise I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear in the tide. Leaving behind nights of terror and fear I rise Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear I rise Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise I rise I rise.”

With her iconic poem Still I Rise , Maya Angelou is well-known for uplifting fellow African American women through her empowering novels and poetry and her work as a civil rights activist. Every bit as lyrical on the page, her recitation of Still I Rise continues to give poetry audiences shivers all over the world, inspiring women of colour everywhere to keep the good faith in striving for equality and peace, while radically believing in and empowering themselves to be agents of change. A dramatic reading of the poem will easily showcase the self-belief, strength and punch that it packs in the last stanza on the power of resisting marginalization.

12. Their Finest Hour by Winston Churchill

“What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, “This was their finest hour.””

In the darkest shadows cast by war, few leaders have been able to step up to the mantle and effectively unify millions of citizens for truly sacrificial causes. Winston Churchill was the extraordinary exception – lifting 1940 Britain out of the darkness with his hopeful, convicted rhetoric to galvanise the English amidst bleak, dreary days of war and loss. Through Britain’s standalone position in WWII against the Nazis, he left his legacy by unifying the nation under shared sacrifices of the army and commemorating their courage.

13. A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf

“Life for both sexes – and I looked at them (through a restaurant window while waiting for my lunch to be served), shouldering their way along the pavement – is arduous, difficult, a perpetual struggle. It calls for gigantic courage and strength. More than anything, perhaps, creatures of illusion as we are, it calls for confidence in oneself. Without self-confidence we are babes in the cradle. And how can we generate this imponderable quality, which is yet so invaluable, most quickly? By thinking that other people are inferior to oneself. By feeling that one has some innate superiority – it may be wealth, or rank, a straight nose, or the portrait of a grandfather by Romney – for there is no end to the pathetic devices of the human imagination – over other people. Hence the enormous importance to a patriarch who has to conquer, who has to rule, of feeling that great numbers of people, half the human race indeed, are by nature inferior to himself. It must indeed be one of the great sources of his power….Women have served all these centuries as looking-glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size. Without that power probably the earth would still be swamp and jungle. The glories of all our wars would be on the remains of mutton bones and bartering flints for sheepskins or whatever simple ornament took our unsophisticated taste. Supermen and Fingers of Destiny would never have existed. The Czar and the Kaiser would never have worn their crowns or lost them. Whatever may be their use in civilised societies, mirrors are essential to all violent and heroic action. That is why Napoleon and Mussolini both insist so emphatically upon the inferiority of women, for if they were not inferior, they would cease to enlarge. That serves to explain in part the necessity that women so often are to men. And it serves to explain how restless they are under her criticism; how impossible it is for her to say to them this book is bad, this picture is feeble, or whatever it may be, without giving far more pain and rousing far more anger than a man would do who gave the same criticism. For if she begins to tell the truth, the figure in the looking-glass shrinks; his fitness in life is diminished. How is he to go on giving judgment, civilising natives, making laws, writing books, dressing up and speechifying at banquets, unless he can see himself at breakfast and at dinner at least twice the size he really is?”

In this transformational speech , Virginia Woolf pronounces her vision that ‘a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction’. She calls out the years in which women have been deprived of their own space for individual development through being chained to traditional arrangements or men’s prescriptions – demanding ‘gigantic courage’ and ‘confidence in oneself’ to brave through the onerous struggle of creating change for women’s rights. With her steadfast, stolid rhetoric and radical theorization, she paved the way for many women’s rights activists and writers to forge their own paths against patriarchal authority.

14. Inaugural Address by John F Kennedy

“In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility–I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it–and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.”

For what is probably the most historically groundbreaking use of parallelism in speech across American history, President JFK placed the weighty task of ‘asking what one can do for their country’ onto the shoulders of each American citizen. Using an air of firmness in his rhetoric by declaring his commitment to his countrymen, he urges each American to do the same for the broader, noble ideal of freedom for all. With his crucial interrogation of a citizen’s moral duty to his nation, President JFK truly made history.

15. Atoms for Peace Speech by Dwight Eisenhower

“To pause there would be to confirm the hopeless finality of a belief that two atomic colossi are doomed malevolently to eye each other indefinitely across a trembling world. To stop there would be to accept helplessly the probability of civilization destroyed, the annihilation of the irreplaceable heritage of mankind handed down to us from generation to generation, and the condemnation of mankind to begin all over again the age-old struggle upward from savagery towards decency, and right, and justice. Surely no sane member of the human race could discover victory in such desolation. Could anyone wish his name to be coupled by history with such human degradation and destruction?Occasional pages of history do record the faces of the “great destroyers”, but the whole book of history reveals mankind’s never-ending quest for peace and mankind’s God-given capacity to build. It is with the book of history, and not with isolated pages, that the United States will ever wish to be identified. My country wants to be constructive,not destructive. It wants agreements, not wars, among nations. It wants itself to live in freedom and in the confidence that the peoples of every other nation enjoy equally the right of choosing their own way of life. So my country’s purpose is to help us to move out of the dark chamber of horrors into the light, to find a way by which the minds of men, the hopes of men, the souls of men everywhere, can move forward towards peace and happiness and well-being.”

On a possibility as frightful and tense as nuclear war, President Eisenhower managed to convey the gravity of the world’s plight in his measured and persuasive speech centred on the greater good of mankind. Using rhetorical devices such as the three-part paratactical syntax which most world leaders are fond of for ingraining their words in the minds of their audience, he centers the discourse of the atomic bomb on those affected by such a world-changing decision in ‘the minds, hopes and souls of men everywhere’ – effectively putting the vivid image of millions of people’s fates at stake in the minds of his audience. Being able to make a topic as heavy and fraught with moral conflict as this as eloquent as he did, Eisenhower definitely ranks among some of the most skilled orators to date.

16. The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action by Audre Lorde

“I was going to die, if not sooner then later, whether or not I had ever spoken myself. My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you. But for every real word spoken, for every attempt I had ever made to speak those truths for which I am still seeking, I had made contact with other women while we examined the words to fit a world in which we all believed, bridging our differences. What are the words you do not have yet? What do you need to say? What are the tyrannies you swallow day by day and attempt to make your own, until you will sicken and die of them, still in silence? Perhaps for some of you here today, I am the face of one of your fears. Because I am a woman, because I am black, because I am myself, a black woman warrior poet doing my work, come to ask you, are you doing yours?”

Revolutionary writer, feminist and civil rights activist Audre Lorde first delivered this phenomenal speech at Lesbian and Literature panel of the Modern Language Association’s December 28, 1977 meeting, which went on to feature permanently in her writings for its sheer wisdom and truth. Her powerful writing and speech about living on the margins of society has enlightened millions of people discriminated across various intersections, confronting them with the reality that they must speak – since their ‘silence will not protect’ them from further marginalization. Through her illuminating words and oratory, she has reminded marginalized persons of the importance of their selfhood and the radical capacity for change they have in a world blighted by prejudice and division.

17. 1965 Cambridge Union Hall Speech by James Baldwin

“What is dangerous here is the turning away from – the turning away from – anything any white American says. The reason for the political hesitation, in spite of the Johnson landslide is that one has been betrayed by American politicians for so long. And I am a grown man and perhaps I can be reasoned with. I certainly hope I can be. But I don’t know, and neither does Martin Luther King, none of us know how to deal with those other people whom the white world has so long ignored, who don’t believe anything the white world says and don’t entirely believe anything I or Martin is saying. And one can’t blame them. You watch what has happened to them in less than twenty years.”

Baldwin’s invitation to the Cambridge Union Hall is best remembered for foregrounding the unflinching differences in white and African Americans’ ‘system of reality’ in everyday life. Raising uncomfortable truths about the insidious nature of racism post-civil war, he provides several nuggets of thought-provoking wisdom on the state of relations between the oppressed and their oppressors, and what is necessary to mediate such relations and destroy the exploitative thread of racist hatred. With great frankness, he admits to not having all the answers but provides hard-hitting wisdom on engagement to guide activists through confounding times nonetheless.

18. I Am Prepared to Die by Nelson Mandela

“Above all, My Lord, we want equal political rights, because without them our disabilities will be permanent. I know this sounds revolutionary to the whites in this country, because the majority of voters will be Africans. This makes the white man fear democracy. But this fear cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the only solution which will guarantee racial harmony and freedom for all. It is not true that the enfranchisement of all will result in racial domination. Political division, based on colour, is entirely artificial and, when it disappears, so will the domination of one colour group by another. The ANC has spent half a century fighting against racialism. When it triumphs as it certainly must, it will not change that policy. This then is what the ANC is fighting. Our struggle is a truly national one. It is a struggle of the African people, inspired by our own suffering and our own experience. It is a struggle for the right to live. During my lifetime I have dedicated my life to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and to see realised. But, My Lord, if it needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

Apartheid is still considered one of these most devastating events of world history, and it would not have ended without the crucial effort and words of Nelson Mandela during his courageous political leadership. In this heartbreaking speech , he voices his utter devotion to the fight against institutionalised racism in African society – an ideal for which he was ‘prepared to die for’. Mandela continues to remind us today of his moral conviction in leading, wherein the world would likely to be a better place if all politicians had the same resolve and genuine commitment to human rights and the abolition of oppression as he did.

19. Critique on British Imperialism by General Aung San

“Do they form their observations by seeing the attendances at not very many cinemas and theatres of Rangoon? Do they judge this question of money circulation by paying a stray visit to a local bazaar? Do they know that cinemas and theatres are not true indicators, at least in Burma, of the people’s conditions? Do they know that there are many in this country who cannot think of going to these places by having to struggle for their bare existence from day to day? Do they know that those who nowadays patronise or frequent cinemas and theatres which exist only in Rangoon and a few big towns, belong generally to middle and upper classes and the very few of the many poor who can attend at all are doing so as a desperate form of relaxation just to make them forget their unsupportable existences for the while whatever may be the tomorrow that awaits them?”

Under British colonial rule, one of the most legendary nationalist leaders emerged from the ranks of the thousands of Burmese to boldly lead them towards independence, out of the exploitation and control under the British. General Aung San’s speech criticising British social, political and economic control of Burma continues to be scathing, articulate, and relevant – especially given his necessary goal of uniting the Burmese natives against their common oppressor. He successfully galvanised his people against the British, taking endless risks through nationalist speeches and demonstrations which gradually bore fruit in Burma’s independence.

20. Nobel Lecture by Mother Teresa

“I believe that we are not real social workers. We may be doing social work in the eyes of the people, but we are really contemplatives in the heart of the world. For we are touching the Body Of Christ 24 hours. We have 24 hours in this presence, and so you and I. You too try to bring that presence of God in your family, for the family that prays together stays together. And I think that we in our family don’t need bombs and guns, to destroy to bring peace–just get together, love one another, bring that peace, that joy, that strength of presence of each other in the home. And we will be able to overcome all the evil that is in the world. There is so much suffering, so much hatred, so much misery, and we with our prayer, with our sacrifice are beginning at home. Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the action that we do. It is to God Almighty–how much we do it does not matter, because He is infinite, but how much love we put in that action. How much we do to Him in the person that we are serving.”

In contemporary culture, most people understand Mother Teresa to be the epitome of compassion and kindness. However, if one were to look closer at her speeches from the past, one would discover not merely her altruistic contributions, but her keen heart for social justice and the downtrodden. She wisely and gracefully remarks that ‘love begins at home’ from the individual actions of each person within their private lives, which accumulate into a life of goodness and charity. For this, her speeches served not just consolatory value or momentary relevance, as they still inform the present on how we can live lives worth living.

21. June 9 Speech to Martial Law Units by Deng Xiaoping

“This army still maintains the traditions of our old Red Army. What they crossed this time was in the true sense of the expression a political barrier, a threshold of life and death. This was not easy. This shows that the People’s Army is truly a great wall of iron and steel of the party and state. This shows that no matter how heavy our losses, the army, under the leadership of the party, will always remain the defender of the country, the defender of socialism, and the defender of the public interest. They are a most lovable people. At the same time, we should never forget how cruel our enemies are. We should have not one bit of forgiveness for them. The fact that this incident broke out as it did is very worthy of our pondering. It prompts us cool-headedly to consider the past and the future. Perhaps this bad thing will enable us to go ahead with reform and the open policy at a steadier and better — even a faster — pace, more speedily correct our mistakes, and better develop our strong points.”

Mere days before the 4 June 1989 Tiananmen Square uprising, Chinese Communist Party leader Deng Xiaoping sat with six party elders (senior officials) and the three remaining members of the Politburo Standing Committee, the paramount decision-making body in China’s government. The meeting was organised to discuss the best course of action for restoring social and political order to China, given the sweeping economic reforms that had taken place in the past decade that inevitably resulted in some social resistance from the populace. Deng then gave this astute and well-regarded speech, outlining the political complexities in shutting down student protests given the context of reforms encouraging economic liberalization already taking place, as aligned with the students’ desires. It may not be the most rousing or inflammatory of speeches, but it was certainly persuasive in voicing the importance of taking a strong stand for the economic reforms Deng was implementing to benefit Chinese citizens in the long run. Today, China is an economic superpower, far from its war-torn developing country status before Deng’s leadership – thanks to his foresight in ensuring political stability would allow China to enjoy the fruits of the massive changes they adapted to.

22. Freedom or Death by Emmeline Pankhurst

“You won your freedom in America when you had the revolution, by bloodshed, by sacrificing human life. You won the civil war by the sacrifice of human life when you decided to emancipate the negro. You have left it to women in your land, the men of all civilised countries have left it to women, to work out their own salvation. That is the way in which we women of England are doing. Human life for us is sacred, but we say if any life is to be sacrificed it shall be ours; we won’t do it ourselves, but we will put the enemy in the position where they will have to choose between giving us freedom or giving us death. Now whether you approve of us or whether you do not, you must see that we have brought the question of women’s suffrage into a position where it is of first rate importance, where it can be ignored no longer. Even the most hardened politician will hesitate to take upon himself directly the responsibility of sacrificing the lives of women of undoubted honour, of undoubted earnestness of purpose. That is the political situation as I lay it before you today.”

In 1913 after Suffragette Emily Davison stepped in front of King George V’s horse at the Epsom Derby and suffered fatal injuries, Emmeline Pankhurst delivered her speech to Connecticut as a call to action for people to support the suffragette movement. Her fortitude in delivering such a sobering speech on the state of women’s rights is worth remembering for its invaluable impact and contributions to the rights we enjoy in today’s world.

23. Quit India by Mahatma Gandhi

“We shall either free India or die in the attempt; we shall not live to see the perpetuation of our slavery. Every true Congressman or woman will join the struggle with an inflexible determination not to remain alive to see the country in bondage and slavery. Let that be your pledge. Keep jails out of your consideration. If the Government keep me free, I will not put on the Government the strain of maintaining a large number of prisoners at a time, when it is in trouble. Let every man and woman live every moment of his or her life hereafter in the consciousness that he or she eats or lives for achieving freedom and will die, if need be, to attain that goal. Take a pledge, with God and your own conscience as witness, that you will no longer rest till freedom is achieved and will be prepared to lay down your lives in the attempt to achieve it. He who loses his life will gain it; he who will seek to save it shall lose it. Freedom is not for the coward or the faint-hearted.”

Naturally, the revolutionary activist Gandhi had to appear in this list for his impassioned anti-colonial speeches which rallied Indians towards independence. Famous for leading non-violent demonstrations, his speeches were a key element in gathering Indians of all backgrounds together for the common cause of eliminating their colonial masters. His speeches were resolute, eloquent, and courageous, inspiring the hope and admiration of many not just within India, but around the world.

24. 1974 National Book Award Speech by Adrienne Rich, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde

“The statement I am going to read was prepared by three of the women nominated for the National Book Award for poetry, with the agreement that it would be read by whichever of us, if any, was chosen.We, Audre Lorde, Adrienne Rich, and Alice Walker, together accept this award in the name of all the women whose voices have gone and still go unheard in a patriarchal world, and in the name of those who, like us, have been tolerated as token women in this culture, often at great cost and in great pain. We believe that we can enrich ourselves more in supporting and giving to each other than by competing against each other; and that poetry—if it is poetry—exists in a realm beyond ranking and comparison. We symbolically join together here in refusing the terms of patriarchal competition and declaring that we will share this prize among us, to be used as best we can for women. We appreciate the good faith of the judges for this award, but none of us could accept this money for herself, nor could she let go unquestioned the terms on which poets are given or denied honor and livelihood in this world, especially when they are women. We dedicate this occasion to the struggle for self-determination of all women, of every color, identification, or derived class: the poet, the housewife, the lesbian, the mathematician, the mother, the dishwasher, the pregnant teen-ager, the teacher, the grandmother, the prostitute, the philosopher, the waitress, the women who will understand what we are doing here and those who will not understand yet; the silent women whose voices have been denied us, the articulate women who have given us strength to do our work.”

Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, and Alice Walker wrote this joint speech to be delivered by Adrienne Rich at the 1974 National Book Awards, based on their suspicions that the first few African American lesbian women to be nominated for the awards would be snubbed in favour of a white woman nominee. Their suspicions were confirmed, and Adrienne Rich delivered this socially significant speech in solidarity with her fellow nominees, upholding the voices of the ‘silent women whose voices have been denied’.

25. Speech to 20th Congress of the CPSU by Nikita Khruschev

“Considering the question of the cult of an individual, we must first of all show everyone what harm this caused to the interests of our Party. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin had always stressed the Party’s role and significance in the direction of the socialist government of workers and peasants; he saw in this the chief precondition for a successful building of socialism in our country. Pointing to the great responsibility of the Bolshevik Party, as ruling Party of the Soviet state, Lenin called for the most meticulous observance of all norms of Party life; he called for the realization of the principles of collegiality in the direction of the Party and the state. Collegiality of leadership flows from the very nature of our Party, a Party built on the principles of democratic centralism. “This means,” said Lenin, “that all Party matters are accomplished by all Party members – directly or through representatives – who, without any exceptions, are subject to the same rules; in addition, all administrative members, all directing collegia, all holders of Party positions are elective, they must account for their activities and are recallable.””

This speech is possibly the most famed Russian speech for its status as a ‘secret’ speech delivered only to the CPSU at the time, which was eventually revealed to the public. Given the unchallenged political legacy and cult of personality which Stalin left in the Soviet Union, Nikita Khruschev’s speech condemning the authoritarian means Stalin had resorted to to consolidate power as un-socialist was an important mark in Russian history.

26. The Struggle for Human Rights by Eleanor Roosevelt

“It is my belief, and I am sure it is also yours, that the struggle for democracy and freedom is a critical struggle, for their preservation is essential to the great objective of the United Nations to maintain international peace and security. Among free men the end cannot justify the means. We know the patterns of totalitarianism — the single political party, the control of schools, press, radio, the arts, the sciences, and the church to support autocratic authority; these are the age-old patterns against which men have struggled for three thousand years. These are the signs of reaction, retreat, and retrogression. The United Nations must hold fast to the heritage of freedom won by the struggle of its people; it must help us to pass it on to generations to come. The development of the ideal of freedom and its translation into the everyday life of the people in great areas of the earth is the product of the efforts of many peoples. It is the fruit of a long tradition of vigorous thinking and courageous action. No one race and on one people can claim to have done all the work to achieve greater dignity for human beings and great freedom to develop human personality. In each generation and in each country there must be a continuation of the struggle and new steps forward must be taken since this is preeminently a field in which to stand still is to retreat.”

Eleanor Roosevelt has been among the most well-loved First Ladies for good reason – her eloquence and gravitas in delivering every speech convinced everyone of her suitability for the oval office. In this determined and articulate speech , she outlines the fundamental values that form the bedrock of democracy, urging the rest of the world to uphold human rights regardless of national ideology and interests.

27. The Ballot or The Bullet by Malcolm X

“And in this manner, the organizations will increase in number and in quantity and in quality, and by August, it is then our intention to have a black nationalist convention which will consist of delegates from all over the country who are interested in the political, economic and social philosophy of black nationalism. After these delegates convene, we will hold a seminar; we will hold discussions; we will listen to everyone. We want to hear new ideas and new solutions and new answers. And at that time, if we see fit then to form a black nationalist party, we’ll form a black nationalist party. If it’s necessary to form a black nationalist army, we’ll form a black nationalist army. It’ll be the ballot or the bullet. It’ll be liberty or it’ll be death.”

Inarguably, the revolutionary impact Malcolm X’s fearless oratory had was substantial in his time as a radical anti-racist civil rights activist. His speeches’ emancipatory potential put forth his ‘theory of rhetorical action’ where he urges Black Americans to employ both the ballot and the bullet, strategically without being dependent on the other should the conditions of oppression change. A crucial leader in the fight for civil rights, he opened the eyes of thousands of Black Americans, politicising and convincing them of the necessity of fighting for their democratic rights against white supremacists.

28. Living the Revolution by Gloria Steinem

“The challenge to all of us, and to you men and women who are graduating today, is to live a revolution, not to die for one. There has been too much killing, and the weapons are now far too terrible. This revolution has to change consciousness, to upset the injustice of our current hierarchy by refusing to honor it, and to live a life that enforces a new social justice. Because the truth is none of us can be liberated if other groups are not.”

In an unexpected commencement speech delivered at Vassar College in 1970, Gloria Steinem boldly makes a call to action on behalf of marginalized groups in need of liberation to newly graduated students. She proclaimed it the year of Women’s Liberation and forcefully highlighted the need for a social revolution to ‘upset the injustice of the current hierarchy’ in favour of human rights – echoing the hard-hitting motto on social justice, ‘until all of us are free, none of us are free’.

29. The Last Words of Harvey Milk by Harvey Milk

“I cannot prevent some people from feeling angry and frustrated and mad in response to my death, but I hope they will take the frustration and madness and instead of demonstrating or anything of that type, I would hope that they would take the power and I would hope that five, ten, one hundred, a thousand would rise. I would like to see every gay lawyer, every gay architect come out, stand up and let the world know. That would do more to end prejudice overnight than anybody could imagine. I urge them to do that, urge them to come out. Only that way will we start to achieve our rights. … All I ask is for the movement to continue, and if a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door…”

As the first openly gay elected official in the history of California, Harvey Milk’s entire political candidature was in itself a radical statement against the homophobic status quo at the time. Given the dangerous times he was in as an openly gay man, he anticipated that he would be assassinated eventually in his political career. As such, these are some of his last words which show the utter devotion he had to campaigning against homophobia while representing the American people, voicing his heartbreaking wish for the bullet that would eventually kill him to ‘destroy every closet door’.

30. Black Power Address at UC Berkeley by Stokely Carmichael

“Now we are now engaged in a psychological struggle in this country, and that is whether or not black people will have the right to use the words they want to use without white people giving their sanction to it; and that we maintain, whether they like it or not, we gonna use the word “Black Power” — and let them address themselves to that; but that we are not going to wait for white people to sanction Black Power. We’re tired waiting; every time black people move in this country, they’re forced to defend their position before they move. It’s time that the people who are supposed to be defending their position do that. That’s white people. They ought to start defending themselves as to why they have oppressed and exploited us.”

A forceful and impressive orator, Stokely Carmichael was among those at the forefront of the civil rights movement, who was a vigorous socialist organizer as well. He led the Black Power movement wherein he gave this urgent, influential speech that propelled Black Americans forward in their fight for constitutional rights in the 1960s.

31. Speech on Vietnam by Lyndon Johnson

“The true peace-keepers are those men who stand out there on the DMZ at this very hour, taking the worst that the enemy can give. The true peace-keepers are the soldiers who are breaking the terrorist’s grip around the villages of Vietnam—the civilians who are bringing medical care and food and education to people who have already suffered a generation of war. And so I report to you that we are going to continue to press forward. Two things we must do. Two things we shall do. First, we must not mislead the enemy. Let him not think that debate and dissent will produce wavering and withdrawal. For I can assure you they won’t. Let him not think that protests will produce surrender. Because they won’t. Let him not think that he will wait us out. For he won’t. Second, we will provide all that our brave men require to do the job that must be done. And that job is going to be done. These gallant men have our prayers-have our thanks—have our heart-felt praise—and our deepest gratitude. Let the world know that the keepers of peace will endure through every trial—and that with the full backing of their countrymen, they are going to prevail.”

During some of the most harrowing periods of human history, the Vietnam War, American soldiers were getting soundly defeated by the Vietnamese in guerrilla warfare. President Lyndon Johnson then issued this dignified, consolatory speech to encourage patriotism and support for the soldiers putting their lives on the line for the nation.

32. A Whisper of AIDS by Mary Fisher

“We may take refuge in our stereotypes, but we cannot hide there long, because HIV asks only one thing of those it attacks. Are you human? And this is the right question. Are you human? Because people with HIV have not entered some alien state of being. They are human. They have not earned cruelty, and they do not deserve meanness. They don’t benefit from being isolated or treated as outcasts. Each of them is exactly what God made: a person; not evil, deserving of our judgment; not victims, longing for our pity ­­ people, ready for  support and worthy of compassion. We must be consistent if we are to be believed. We cannot love justice and ignore prejudice, love our children and fear to teach them. Whatever our role as parent or policymaker, we must act as eloquently as we speak ­­ else we have no integrity. My call to the nation is a plea for awareness. If you believe you are safe, you are in danger. Because I was not hemophiliac, I was not at risk. Because I was not gay, I was not at risk. Because I did not inject drugs, I was not at risk. The lesson history teaches is this: If you believe you are safe, you are at risk. If you do not see this killer stalking your children, look again. There is no family or community, no race or religion, no place left in America that is safe. Until we genuinely embrace this message, we are a nation at risk.”

Back when AIDS research was still undeveloped, the stigma of contracting HIV was even more immense than it is today. A celebrated artist, author and speaker, Mary Fisher became an outspoken activist for those with HIV/AIDS, persuading people to extend compassion to the population with HIV instead of stigmatizing them – as injustice has a way of coming around to people eventually. Her bold act of speaking out for the community regardless of the way they contracted the disease, their sexual orientation or social group, was an influential move in advancing the human rights of those with HIV and spreading awareness on the discrimination they face.

33. Freedom from Fear by Aung San Suu Kyi

“The quintessential revolution is that of the spirit, born of an intellectual conviction of the need for change in those mental attitudes and values which shape the course of a nation’s development. A revolution which aims merely at changing official policies and institutions with a view to an improvement in material conditions has little chance of genuine success. Without a revolution of the spirit, the forces which produced the iniquities of the old order would continue to be operative, posing a constant threat to the process of reform and regeneration. It is not enough merely to call for freedom, democracy and human rights. There has to be a united determination to persevere in the struggle, to make sacrifices in the name of enduring truths, to resist the corrupting influences of desire, ill will, ignorance and fear. Saints, it has been said, are the sinners who go on trying. So free men are the oppressed who go on trying and who in the process make themselves fit to bear the responsibilities and to uphold the disciplines which will maintain a free society. Among the basic freedoms to which men aspire that their lives might be full and uncramped, freedom from fear stands out as both a means and an end. A people who would build a nation in which strong, democratic institutions are firmly established as a guarantee against state-induced power must first learn to liberate their own minds from apathy and fear.”

Famous for her resoluteness and fortitude in campaigning for democracy in Burma despite being put under house arrest by the military government, Aung San Suu Kyi’s speeches have been widely touted as inspirational. In this renowned speech of hers, she delivers a potent message to Burmese to ‘liberate their minds from apathy and fear’ in the struggle for freedom and human rights in the country. To this day, she continues to tirelessly champion the welfare and freedom of Burmese in a state still overcome by vestiges of authoritarian rule.

34. This Is Water by David Foster Wallace

“Our own present culture has harnessed these forces in ways that have yielded extraordinary wealth and comfort and personal freedom. The freedom all to be lords of our tiny skull-sized kingdoms, alone at the centre of all creation. This kind of freedom has much to recommend it. But of course there are all different kinds of freedom, and the kind that is most precious you will not hear much talk about much in the great outside world of wanting and achieving…. The really important kind of freedom involves attention and awareness and discipline, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them over and over in myriad petty, unsexy ways every day. That is real freedom. That is being educated, and understanding how to think. The alternative is unconsciousness, the default setting, the rat race, the constant gnawing sense of having had, and lost, some infinite thing.”

Esteemed writer David Foster Wallace gave a remarkably casual yet wise commencement speech at Kenyon College in 2005 on the importance of learning to think beyond attaining a formal education. He encouraged hundreds of students to develop freedom of thought, a heart of sacrificial care for those in need of justice, and a consciousness that would serve them in discerning the right choices to make within a status quo that is easy to fall in line with. His captivating speech on what it meant to truly be ‘educated’ tugged at the hearts of many young and critical minds striving to achieve their dreams and change the world.

35. Questioning the Universe by Stephen Hawking

“This brings me to the last of the big questions: the future of the human race. If we are the only intelligent beings in the galaxy, we should make sure we survive and continue. But we are entering an increasingly dangerous period of our history. Our population and our use of the finite resources of planet Earth are growing exponentially, along with our technical ability to change the environment for good or ill. But our genetic code still carries the selfish and aggressive instincts that were of survival advantage in the past. It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster in the next hundred years, let alone the next thousand or million. Our only chance of long-term survival is not to remain inward-looking on planet Earth, but to spread out into space. The answers to these big questions show that we have made remarkable progress in the last hundred years. But if we want to continue beyond the next hundred years, our future is in space. That is why I am in favor of manned — or should I say, personned — space flight.”

Extraordinary theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author Stephen Hawking was a considerable influence upon modern physics and scientific research at large, inspiring people regardless of physical ability to aspire towards expanding knowledge in the world. In his speech on Questioning the Universe, he speaks of the emerging currents and issues in the scientific world like that of outer space, raising and answering big questions that have stumped great thinkers for years.

36. 2008 Democratic National Convention Speech by Michelle Obama

“I stand here today at the crosscurrents of that history — knowing that my piece of the American dream is a blessing hard won by those who came before me. All of them driven by the same conviction that drove my dad to get up an hour early each day to painstakingly dress himself for work. The same conviction that drives the men and women I’ve met all across this country: People who work the day shift, kiss their kids goodnight, and head out for the night shift — without disappointment, without regret — that goodnight kiss a reminder of everything they’re working for. The military families who say grace each night with an empty seat at the table. The servicemen and women who love this country so much, they leave those they love most to defend it. The young people across America serving our communities — teaching children, cleaning up neighborhoods, caring for the least among us each and every day. People like Hillary Clinton, who put those 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling, so that our daughters — and sons — can dream a little bigger and aim a little higher. People like Joe Biden, who’s never forgotten where he came from and never stopped fighting for folks who work long hours and face long odds and need someone on their side again. All of us driven by a simple belief that the world as it is just won’t do — that we have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be. That is the thread that connects our hearts. That is the thread that runs through my journey and Barack’s journey and so many other improbable journeys that have brought us here tonight, where the current of history meets this new tide of hope. That is why I love this country.”

Ever the favourite modern First Lady of America, Michelle Obama has delivered an abundance of iconic speeches in her political capacity, never forgetting to foreground the indomitable human spirit embodied in American citizens’ everyday lives and efforts towards a better world. The Obamas might just have been the most articulate couple of rhetoricians of their time, making waves as the first African American president and First Lady while introducing important policies in their period of governance.

37. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama

“I’m not talking about blind optimism here — the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don’t think about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about something more substantial. It’s the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker’s son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. Hope — Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope! In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation. A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead.”

Now published into a book, Barack Obama’s heart-capturing personal story of transformational hope was first delivered as a speech on the merits of patriotic optimism and determination put to the mission of concrete change. He has come to be known as one of the most favoured and inspiring presidents in American history, and arguably the most skilled orators ever.

38. “Be Your Own Story” by Toni Morrison

“But I’m not going to talk anymore about the future because I’m hesitant to describe or predict because I’m not even certain that it exists. That is to say, I’m not certain that somehow, perhaps, a burgeoning ménage a trois of political interests, corporate interests and military interests will not prevail and literally annihilate an inhabitable, humane future. Because I don’t think we can any longer rely on separation of powers, free speech, religious tolerance or unchallengeable civil liberties as a matter of course. That is, not while finite humans in the flux of time make decisions of infinite damage. Not while finite humans make infinite claims of virtue and unassailable power that are beyond their competence, if not their reach. So, no happy talk about the future. … Because the past is already in debt to the mismanaged present. And besides, contrary to what you may have heard or learned, the past is not done and it is not over, it’s still in process, which is another way of saying that when it’s critiqued, analyzed, it yields new information about itself. The past is already changing as it is being reexamined, as it is being listened to for deeper resonances. Actually it can be more liberating than any imagined future if you are willing to identify its evasions, its distortions, its lies, and are willing to unleash its secrets.”

Venerated author and professor Toni Morrison delivered an impressively articulate speech at Wellesley College in 2004 to new graduates, bucking the trend by discussing the importance of the past in informing current and future ways of living. With her brilliance and eloquence, she blew the crowd away and renewed in them the capacity for reflection upon using the past as a talisman to guide oneself along the journey of life.

39. Nobel Speech by Malala Yousafzai

“Dear brothers and sisters, the so-called world of adults may understand it, but we children don’t. Why is it that countries which we call “strong” are so powerful in creating wars but so weak in bringing peace? Why is it that giving guns is so easy but giving books is so hard? Why is it that making tanks is so easy, but building schools is so difficult? As we are living in the modern age, the 21st century and we all believe that nothing is impossible. We can reach the moon and maybe soon will land on Mars. Then, in this, the 21st century, we must be determined that our dream of quality education for all will also come true. So let us bring equality, justice and peace for all. Not just the politicians and the world leaders, we all need to contribute. Me. You. It is our duty. So we must work … and not wait. I call upon my fellow children to stand up around the world. Dear sisters and brothers, let us become the first generation to decide to be the last. The empty classrooms, the lost childhoods, wasted potential-let these things end with us.”

At a mere 16 years of age, Malala Yousafzai gave a speech on the severity of the state of human rights across the world, and wowed the world with her passion for justice at her tender age. She displayed tenacity and fearlessness speaking about her survival of an assassination attempt for her activism for gender equality in the field of education. A model of courage to us all, her speech remains an essential one in the fight for human rights in the 21st century.

40. Final Commencement Speech by Michelle Obama

“If you are a person of faith, know that religious diversity is a great American tradition, too. In fact, that’s why people first came to this country — to worship freely. And whether you are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh — these religions are teaching our young people about justice, and compassion, and honesty. So I want our young people to continue to learn and practice those values with pride. You see, our glorious diversity — our diversities of faiths and colors and creeds — that is not a threat to who we are, it makes us who we are. So the young people here and the young people out there: Do not ever let anyone make you feel like you don’t matter, or like you don’t have a place in our American story — because you do. And you have a right to be exactly who you are. But I also want to be very clear: This right isn’t just handed to you. No, this right has to be earned every single day. You cannot take your freedoms for granted. Just like generations who have come before you, you have to do your part to preserve and protect those freedoms. … It is our fundamental belief in the power of hope that has allowed us to rise above the voices of doubt and division, of anger and fear that we have faced in our own lives and in the life of this country. Our hope that if we work hard enough and believe in ourselves, then we can be whatever we dream, regardless of the limitations that others may place on us. The hope that when people see us for who we truly are, maybe, just maybe they, too, will be inspired to rise to their best possible selves.”

Finally, we have yet another speech by Michelle Obama given in her final remarks as First Lady – a tear-inducing event for many Americans and even people around the world. In this emotional end to her political tenure, she gives an empowering, hopeful, expressive speech to young Americans, exhorting them to take hold of its future in all their diversity and work hard at being their best possible selves.

Amidst the bleak era of our current time with Trump as president of the USA, not only Michelle Obama, but all 40 of these amazing speeches can serve as sources of inspiration and hope to everyone – regardless of their identity or ambitions. After hearing these speeches, which one’s your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

Article Written By: Kai Xin Koh

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5 Minute English

Navigating Political English: Vocabulary Guide

Understanding political discussions in English can be daunting, especially for ESL learners. The language used in politics is not only formal but also filled with specific vocabulary and phrases that carry significant weight in debates, speeches, and news reports. This article aims to demystify the world of political English, helping learners to not only understand but also participate in political discussions.

Why Learn Political English?

Politics is everywhere—from television news to everyday conversations, social media, and even when decisions are made that affect education, healthcare, and personal freedoms. For ESL learners, understanding the language of politics is crucial not only for academic purposes but also for integrating more fully into English-speaking societies, enhancing career opportunities, and participating in civic activities.

Basic Political Vocabulary

Let’s start with some fundamental terms that are essential in any political discussion:

• Government : The group of people who govern an area, especially a country.
• Policy : A course of action adopted and pursued by a government, party, ruler, or organization.
• Election : A formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
• Democracy : A system of government where the citizens exercise power by voting.
• Constitution : A body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state is acknowledged to be governed.

Political Systems

Understanding different political systems is key to grasping the broader political discourse:

• Democracy : Government by the people; especially, rule of the majority.
• Republic : A state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives.
• Monarchy : A form of government with a monarch at the head.
• Autocracy : A system of government by one person with absolute power.
• Oligarchy : A small group of people having control of a country or organization.

Election-Related Terms

Elections are a fundamental aspect of many political systems. Here are some terms commonly associated with elections:

• Candidate : A person who applies for a job or is nominated for election.
• Ballot : A process of voting, in writing and typically in secret.
• Campaign : An organized effort to influence decision making within a specific group.
• Debate : A formal discussion on a particular topic in a public meeting or legislative assembly, in which opposing arguments are put forward.
• Polls : The process of voting in an election.

Government Structure

Different countries have different structures for their governments. Common terms include:

• Executive : The person or branch of a government responsible for putting decisions or laws into effect.
• Legislature : A group of people who have the power to make laws.
• Judiciary : The judicial authorities of a country; judges collectively.

Important Phrases in Political Discussions

Phrases commonly used in politics can often seem cryptic or loaded with meaning. Here are a few to understand:

• “Cross the aisle” : To work with members of an opposing party.
• “A hot-button issue” : A controversial subject or issue that elicits strong emotional reactions.
• “Grassroots movement” : A movement driven by the politics of a community.
• “Political leverage” : The power to influence a situation to one’s own advantage.

Key Verbs in Political English

Verbs carry the action in a sentence and are crucial in political language:

• Elect : Choose (someone) to hold public office or some other position by voting.
• Amend : Make minor changes to (a text, piece of legislation, etc.) to make it fairer or more accurate.
• Advocate : Publicly recommend or support.
• Implement : Put (a decision, plan, agreement, etc.) into effect.

Reading and Understanding Political News

When you start reading political news, focus on identifying the vocabulary and phrases discussed here. Notice the context in which different terms are used and how they relate to one another. Practice makes perfect, and over time, the complex world of political English will become more familiar.

Learning political English is not just about vocabulary acquisition; it’s about understanding the dynamics of power, governance, and public opinion in English-speaking societies. This knowledge will not only enhance your language skills but also empower you to engage more effectively in political discourse, making informed decisions and contributing to discussions that shape the world.

Engaging with Political Speeches

Political speeches are a goldmine for ESL learners to hear political vocabulary in action. Speakers often use rhetoric to persuade, inform, or motivate the public. Here are a few tips for ESL learners to get the most out of political speeches:

• Listen for repetition : Politicians often repeat key terms and phrases to emphasize their points.
• Note the context : Words in politics can have different meanings based on context. Pay attention to how terms are used in relation to current events or issues.
• Watch with subtitles : If available, use subtitles to better follow along and see the spelling of unfamiliar words.

Discussing Politics Respectfully

Politics can be a sensitive subject, so it’s important to discuss political topics respectfully, especially in a new language. Here are some phrases that can help:

• “I see your point, but I think…” : This phrase allows you to acknowledge another’s opinion before presenting your own.
• “Could you explain why you believe that?” : This question shows you are open to understanding other perspectives.
• “We might have to agree to disagree.” : Use this when it’s clear that consensus is not possible, yet you want to end the conversation amicably.

Practical Exercises for ESL Learners

To sharpen your political English, try these exercises:

• Follow a political campaign : Choose a candidate and follow their campaign closely. Watch their speeches, read their policy documents, and discuss their platforms with peers.
• Debate club : Join or start a debate club. Regular debating will improve not only your political vocabulary but also your speaking and argumentation skills.
• Write essays : Practice writing essays on political topics. This helps consolidate your knowledge of political vocabulary and trains you to express complex ideas.

Influential Political Speeches to Study

Studying famous speeches can provide insights into effective political communication. Here are a few speeches by English-speaking politicians that are noteworthy for their powerful use of language:

• Winston Churchill’s “We Shall Fight on the Beaches”
• John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address
• Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream”

These speeches use persuasive language, powerful imagery, and strong emotional appeals to connect with their audiences.

Online Resources for Learning Political English

Several online resources can help ESL learners expand their political vocabulary:

• News websites : Regularly reading news from reputable sources helps you stay updated on political issues while exposing you to political language.
• Educational platforms : Websites like Khan Academy, Coursera, or even YouTube have courses and videos focused on political science and English vocabulary.
• Language learning apps : Apps like Duolingo, Babbel, or Memrise offer courses specifically for learning English used in different contexts, including politics.

The journey to mastering political English is an enriching experience that goes beyond mere language learning. It involves understanding cultural nuances, historical contexts, and the ideological underpinnings that shape political discourse. By building your vocabulary and engaging with political content, you’ll not only improve your English skills but also gain a deeper appreciation for the political landscape of English-speaking countries. As you continue to learn and engage, remember that each conversation, each article, and each speech offers a chance to refine your understanding and express your thoughts more clearly. Embrace the complexity of political English and enjoy the process of becoming a more informed and articulate speaker.

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© Copyright 2001-Present. American Rhetoric by Michael E. Eidenmuller All rights reserved. The English Bureau English for IELTS, Business & Advanced The Essential Vocabulary Guide to Political English 5th January 2017 By Alex Markham Leave a Comment The Political English vocabulary used by politicians and journalists is a variation of Business English and shares much of the vocabulary.  Politicians and journalists often use expressions and words that no one else would ever use in everyday English. Many of these expressions never appear in English language books or courses. This article covers much of how they write and speak in politics. POLITICAL ENGLISH VOCABULARY Politicians probably use complex vocabulary to try to avoid telling the truth and to try to sound clever. They fail on both counts of course,  but continue to try anyway. However, it could all be very confusing for a non-native English speaker. The word Brexit ( Br itish exit from the EU) is one political word now being used by everyone in the UK and Europe of course. After Brexit will we then see Frexit or Grexit ( Fr ench exit or Gr eek exit )? Most of the rest of political language is probably incomprehensible to most non-native speakers so let’s have a look at some examples. EXAMPLES OF POLITICAL ENGLISH VOCABULARY Political speech example:. If it’s a general election our politicians start saying strange things like: “Our political platform going forward will help the squeezed middle  and those hard-working families up and down the country who have suffered from the stealth taxes of the previous government. We’re going to c ut red tape , reduce the number of quangos and manage the public purse by balancing the books . ” Just what are they on about ?  What they’re really saying is “Our strategic policies from this moment and into the future will help those people in low to medium incomes in our country who have suffered from the indirect tax rises of the previous government. We’re going to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and regulation,   Qu asi A utonomous N on G overnment O rganisations funded by the government and look after the money the government raises through taxation by making sure we don’t spend more money than we have. “ POLITICAL VOCABULARY TRANSLATION So, most Political English and political speeches are just spin and usually written by spin doctors who promise, for example, to introduce new  metrics to improve frontline services which is just a way of saying they are going to do nothing much except talk. They say they have been on the doorstep in order to find out what the issues are outside the Westminster bubble. Naturally they say that the opposition parties always have a black hole in their financial plans. Every politician wants to be careful to be seen to be against the self-serving   metropolitan liberal elite despite the fact most politicians are in fact the metropolitan liberal elite themselves. Their plans will include pouring in more investment to the NHS . The parties of the right will say they want to send a message to the Union Barons and the left want to send a message to company bosses. All parties will be fighting against the  Whitehall Mandarins who will be trying to subvert their plans. No politician wants to be a lame duck so they will reach out to the grass roots by looking at the findings of a think tank in order to better understand their needs. Or so they say. Or in normal English: So, most Political English and political speeches are just biased propaganda  usually written by people who are employed just to write things to make politicians look good  who promise, for example, to introduce new measurements to improve services provided by government directly to citizens . Which is a way of saying they are going to do nothing much except talk. They say they have been speaking to normal people in order to find out what they are worried about outside the insular world of politics in Westminster . Naturally they say  the political parties not in government always have financial plans that will cost too much money. Every politician wants to be careful to be seen against the wealthy people living in London who are only interested in their own concerns despite the fact that despite the fact most politicians are in fact the metropolitan liberal elite themselves. Their plans will include spending lots of   public money on the National Health Service . The parties of the right will say they want to make a significant statement through their actions to the leaders of the Trade Unions and the left want to make a significant statement through their actions to company bosses. All parties will be fighting against the workings of the UK’s senior civil servants who will be trying to subvert their plans. No politician wants to be an ineffectual person due to having lost power  so they will make contact in a beneficial way  with their ordinary supporters and party members by looking at the findings of a body of experts  in order to better understand their needs. Or so they say. POLITICAL ENGLISH IS EVERYWHERE Politicians seem to believe that we can be fooled by use of pretentious words and grammar structures. That is political English vocabulary. They use lazy metaphors again and again; the squeezed middle ? riding roughshod over ? fast and loose ? There was once an instance of a British civil servant using the expression ‘ economical with the truth ‘ to avoid saying that something he was saying was a lie. If you’re not a native speaker then most of what they might say sounds like nonsense but learning the over-used metaphors and expressions enables you to see through their bad use of English. Or you could just ignore them and do something better instead. Do leave me a comment is you have any other examples of Political English. Union Barons is a pejorative term to indicate that the leaders of trade unions operate in an undemocratic and autocratic manner for their own benefit. A baron is an unelected aristocrat. Whitehall Mandarins is a pejorative term to describe the UK’s senior civil servants suggesting they operate against the democratic wishes of the population. Whitehall is the road in Westminster in London which leads to the UK Parliament building and houses many offices of the UK civil service. Mandarin, apart from being the language of China, also used to be the name for a senior civil servant in China in the time of imperial China before communism. They were remote from the wishes and needs of the population of China. Share this: Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Leave a comment Cancel reply This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed . All content on the site, including personal photographs, is © Alexander Markham 2019 Privacy Policy An official website of the United States government Politics and the English Language By George Orwell Most people who bother with the matter at all would admit that the English language is in a bad way, but it is generally assumed that we cannot by conscious action do anything about it. Our civilization is decadent and our language—so the argument runs—must inevitably share in the general collapse. It follows that any struggle against the abuse of language is a sentimental archaism, like preferring candles to electric light or hansom cabs to aeroplanes. Underneath this lies the half-conscious belief that language is a natural growth and not an instrument which we shape for our own purposes. Now, it is clear that the decline of a language must ultimately have political and economic causes: it is not due simply to the bad influence of this or that individual writer. But an effect can become a cause, reinforcing the original cause and producing the same effect in an intensified form, and so on indefinitely. A man may take to drink because he feels himself to be a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts. The point is that the process is reversible. Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation and which can be avoided if one is willing to take the necessary trouble. If one gets rid of these habits one can think more clearly, and to think clearly is a necessary first step toward political regeneration: so that the fight against bad English is not frivolous and is not the exclusive concern of professional writers. I will come back to this presently, and I hope that by that time the meaning of what I have said here will have become clearer. Meanwhile, here are five specimens of the English language as it is now habitually written. These five passages have not been picked out because they are especially bad—I could have quoted far worse if I had chosen—but because they illustrate various of the mental vices from which we now suffer. They are a little below the average, but are fairly representative examples. I number them so that I can refer back to them when necessary: 1. I am not, indeed, sure whether it is not true to say that the Milton who once seemed not unlike a seventeenth-century Shelley had not become, out of an experience ever more bitter in each year, more alien [sic] to the founder of that Jesuit sect which nothing could induce him to tolerate. Professor Harold Laski (Essay in Freedom of Expression ) 2. Above all, we cannot play ducks and drakes with a native battery of idioms which prescribes egregious collocations of vocables as the Basic put up with for tolerate, or put at a loss for bewilder. Professor Lancelot Hogben ( Interglossia ) 3. On the one side we have the free personality: by definition it is not neurotic, for it has neither conflict nor dream. Its desires, such as they are, are transparent, for they are just what institutional approval keeps in the forefront of consciousness; another institutional pattern would alter their number and intensity; there is little in them that is natural, irreducible, or culturally dangerous. But on the other side, the social bond itself is nothing but the mutual reflection of these self-secure integrities. Recall the definition of love. Is not this the very picture of a small academic? Where is there a place in this hall of mirrors for either personality or fraternity? Essay on psychology in Politics (New York) 4. All the “best people” from the gentlemen’s clubs, and all the frantic fascist captains, united in common hatred of Socialism and bestial horror at the rising tide of the mass revolutionary movement, have turned to acts of provocation, to foul incendiarism, to medieval legends of poisoned wells, to legalize their own destruction of proletarian organizations, and rouse the agitated petty-bourgeoise to chauvinistic fervor on behalf of the fight against the revolutionary way out of the crisis. Communist pamphlet 5. If a new spirit is to be infused into this old country, there is one thorny and contentious reform which must be tackled, and that is the humanization and galvanization of the B.B.C. Timidity here will bespeak canker and atrophy of the soul. The heart of Britain may be sound and of strong beat, for instance, but the British lion’s roar at present is like that of Bottom in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream—as gentle as any sucking dove. A virile new Britain cannot continue indefinitely to be traduced in the eyes or rather ears, of the world by the effete languors of Langham Place, brazenly masquerading as “standard English.” When the Voice of Britain is heard at nine o’clock, better far and infinitely less ludicrous to hear aitches honestly dropped than the present priggish, inflated, inhibited, school-ma’amish arch braying of blameless bashful mewing maidens! Letter in Tribune Each of these passages has faults of its own, but, quite apart from avoidable ugliness, two qualities are common to all of them. The first is staleness of imagery; the other is lack of precision. The writer either has a meaning and cannot express it, or he inadvertently says something else, or he is almost indifferent as to whether his words mean anything or not. This mixture of vagueness and sheer incompetence is the most marked characteristic of modern English prose, and especially of any kind of political writing. As soon as certain topics are raised, the concrete melts into the abstract and no one seems able to think of turns of speech that are not hackneyed: prose consists less and less of words chosen for the sake of their meaning, and more and more of phrases tacked together like the sections of a prefabricated henhouse. I list below, with notes and examples, various of the tricks by means of which the work of prose construction is habitually dodged: Dying metaphors A newly invented metaphor assists thought by evoking a visual image, while on the other hand a metaphor which is technically “dead” (e.g. iron resolution) has in effect reverted to being an ordinary word and can generally be used without loss of vividness. But in between these two classes there is a huge dump of worn-out metaphors which have lost all evocative power and are merely used because they save people the trouble of inventing phrases for themselves. Examples are: Ring the changes on, take up the cudgel for, toe the line, ride roughshod over, stand shoulder to shoulder with, play into the hands of, no axe to grind, grist to the mill, fishing in troubled waters, on the order of the day, Achilles’ heel, swan song, hotbed . Many of these are used without knowledge of their meaning (what is a “rift,” for instance?), and incompatible metaphors are frequently mixed, a sure sign that the writer is not interested in what he is saying. Some metaphors now current have been twisted out of their original meaning without those who use them even being aware of the fact. For example, toe the line is sometimes written as tow the line. Another example is the hammer and the anvil, now always used with the implication that the anvil gets the worst of it. In real life it is always the anvil that breaks the hammer, never the other way about: a writer who stopped to think what he was saying would avoid perverting the original phrase. Operators or verbal false limbs These save the trouble of picking out appropriate verbs and nouns, and at the same time pad each sentence with extra syllables which give it an appearance of symmetry. Characteristic phrases are render inoperative, militate against, make contact with, be subjected to, give rise to, give grounds for, have the effect of, play a leading part (role) in, make itself felt, take effect, exhibit a tendency to, serve the purpose of, etc., etc. The keynote is the elimination of simple verbs. Instead of being a single word, such as break, stop, spoil, mend, kill, a verb becomes a phrase, made up of a noun or adjective tacked on to some general-purpose verb such as prove, serve, form, play, render. In addition, the passive voice is wherever possible used in preference to the active, and noun constructions are used instead of gerunds (by examination of instead of by examining). The range of verbs is further cut down by means of the -ize and de- formations, and the banal statements are given an appearance of profundity by means of the not un- formation. Simple conjunctions and prepositions are replaced by such phrases as with respect to, having regard to, the fact that, by dint of, in view of, in the interests of, on the hypothesis that; and the ends of sentences are saved by anticlimax by such resounding commonplaces as greatly to be desired, cannot be left out of account, a development to be expected in the near future, deserving of serious consideration, brought to a satisfactory conclusion, and so on and so forth. Pretentious diction Words like phenomenon, element, individual (as noun), objective, categorical, effective, virtual, basic, primary, promote, constitute, exhibit, exploit, utilize, eliminate, liquidate, are used to dress up a simple statement and give an aire of scientific impartiality to biased judgements. Adjectives like epoch-making, epic, historic, unforgettable, triumphant, age-old, inevitable, inexorable, veritable, are used to dignify the sordid process of international politics, while writing that aims at glorifying war usually takes on an archaic color, its characteristic words being: realm, throne, chariot, mailed fist, trident, sword, shield, buckler, banner, jackboot, clarion. Foreign words and expressions such as cul de sac, ancien régime, deus ex machina, mutatis mutandis, status quo, gleichschaltung, weltanschauung, are used to give an air of culture and elegance. Except for the useful abbreviations i.e., e.g., and etc., there is no real need for any of the hundreds of foreign phrases now current in the English language. Bad writers, and especially scientific, political, and sociological writers, are nearly always haunted by the notion that Latin or Greek words are grander than Saxon ones, and unnecessary words like expedite, ameliorate, predict, extraneous, deracinated, clandestine, subaqueous, and hundreds of others constantly gain ground from their Anglo-Saxon numbers. The jargon peculiar to Marxist writing (hyena, hangman, cannibal, petty bourgeois, these gentry, lackey, flunkey, mad dog, White Guard, etc.) consists largely of words translated from Russian, German, or French; but the normal way of coining a new word is to use Latin or Greek root with the appropriate affix and, where necessary, the size formation. It is often easier to make up words of this kind (deregionalize, impermissible, extramarital, non-fragmentary and so forth) than to think up the English words that will cover one’s meaning. The result, in general, is an increase in slovenliness and vagueness. Meaningless words In certain kinds of writing, particularly in art criticism and literary criticism, it is normal to come across long passages which are almost completely lacking in meaning. Words like romantic, plastic, values, human, dead, sentimental, natural, vitality, as used in art criticism, are strictly meaningless, in the sense that they not only do not point to any discoverable object, but are hardly ever expected to do so by the reader. When one critic writes, “The outstanding feature of Mr. X’s work is its living quality,” while another writes, “The immediately striking thing about Mr. X’s work is its peculiar deadness,” the reader accepts this as a simple difference opinion. If words like black and white were involved, instead of the jargon words dead and living, he would see at once that language was being used in an improper way. Many political words are similarly abused. The word Fascism has now no meaning except in so far as it signifies “something not desirable.” The words democracy, socialism, freedom, patriotic, realistic, justice have each of them several different meanings which cannot be reconciled with one another. In the case of a word like democracy, not only is there no agreed definition, but the attempt to make one is resisted from all sides. It is almost universally felt that when we call a country democratic we are praising it: consequently the defenders of every kind of regime claim that it is a democracy, and fear that they might have to stop using that word if it were tied down to any one meaning. Words of this kind are often used in a consciously dishonest way. That is, the person who uses them has his own private definition, but allows his hearer to think he means something quite different. Statements like “Marshal Petain was a true patriot,” “The Soviet press is the freest in the world,” “The Catholic Church is opposed to persecution,” are almost always made with intent to deceive. Other words used in variable meanings, in most cases more or less dishonestly, are: class, totalitarian, science, progressive, reactionary, bourgeois, equality. Now that I have made this catalogue of swindles and perversions, let me give another example of the kind of writing that they lead to. This time it must of its nature be an imaginary one. I am going to translate a passage of good English into modern English of the worst sort. Here is a well-known verse from Ecclesiastes : I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. Here it is in modern English: Objective considerations of contemporary phenomena compel the conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, but that a considerable element of the unpredictable must invariably be taken into account. This is a parody, but not a very gross one. Exhibit (3) above, for instance, contains several patches of the same kind of English. It will be seen that I have not made a full translation. The beginning and ending of the sentence follow the original meaning fairly closely, but in the middle the concrete illustrations—race, battle, bread—dissolve into the vague phrases “success or failure in competitive activities.” This had to be so, because no modern writer of the kind I am discussing—no one capable of using phrases like “objective considerations of contemporary phenomena”—would ever tabulate his thoughts in that precise and detailed way. The whole tendency of modern prose is away from concreteness. Now analyze these two sentences a little more closely. The first contains forty-nine words but only sixty syllables, and all its words are those of everyday life. The second contains thirty-eight words of ninety syllables: eighteen of those words are from Latin roots, and one from Greek. The first sentence contains six vivid images, and only one phrase (“time and chance”) that could be called vague. The second contains not a single fresh, arresting phrase, and in spite of its ninety syllables it gives only a shortened version of the meaning contained in the first. Yet without a doubt it is the second kind of sentence that is gaining ground in modern English. I do not want to exaggerate. This kind of writing is not yet universal, and outcrops of simplicity will occur here and there in the worst-written page. Still, if you or I were told to write a few lines on the uncertainty of human fortunes, we should probably come much nearer to my imaginary sentence than to the one from Ecclesiastes . As I have tried to show, modern writing at its worst does not consist in picking out words for the sake of their meaning and inventing images in order to make the meaning clearer. It consists in gumming together long strips of words which have already been set in order by someone else, and making the results presentable by sheer humbug. The attraction of this way of writing is that it is easy. It is easier—even quicker, once you have the habit—to say In my opinion it is not an unjustifiable assumption that than to say I think. If you use ready-made phrases, you not only don’t have to hunt about for the words; you also don’t have to bother with the rhythms of your sentences since these phrases are generally so arranged as to be more or less euphonious. When you are composing in a hurry—when you are dictating to a stenographer, for instance, or making a public speech—it is natural to fall into a pretentious, Latinized style. Tags like a consideration which we should do well to bear in mind or a conclusion to which all of us would readily assent will save many a sentence from coming down with a bump. By using stale metaphors, similes, and idioms, you save much mental effort, at the cost of leaving your meaning vague, not only for your reader but for yourself. This is the significance of mixed metaphors. The sole aim of a metaphor is to call up a visual image. When these images clash—as in The Fascist octopus has sung its swan song, the jackboot is thrown into the melting pot—it can be taken as certain that the writer is not seeing a mental image of the objects he is naming; in other words he is not really thinking. Look again at the examples I gave at the beginning of this essay. Professor Laski (1) uses five negatives in fifty three words. One of these is superfluous, making nonsense of the whole passage, and in addition there is the slip—alien for akin—making further nonsense, and several avoidable pieces of clumsiness which increase the general vagueness. Professor Hogben (2) plays ducks and drakes with a battery which is able to write prescriptions, and, while disapproving of the everyday phrase put up with, is unwilling to look egregious up in the dictionary and see what it means; (3), if one takes an uncharitable attitude towards it, is simply meaningless: probably one could work out its intended meaning by reading the whole of the article in which it occurs. In (4), the writer knows more or less what he wants to say, but an accumulation of stale phrases chokes him like tea leaves blocking a sink. In (5), words and meaning have almost parted company. People who write in this manner usually have a general emotional meaning—they dislike one thing and want to express solidarity with another—but they are not interested in the detail of what they are saying. A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: What am I trying to say? What words will express it? What image or idiom will make it clearer? Is this image fresh enough to have an effect? And he will probably ask himself two more: Could I put it more shortly? Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly? But you are not obliged to go to all this trouble. You can shirk it by simply throwing your mind open and letting the ready-made phrases come crowding in. The will construct your sentences for you—even think your thoughts for you, to a certain extent—and at need they will perform the important service of partially concealing your meaning even from yourself. It is at this point that the special connection between politics and the debasement of language becomes clear. In our time it is broadly true that political writing is bad writing. Where it is not true, it will generally be found that the writer is some kind of rebel, expressing his private opinions and not a “party line.” Orthodoxy, of whatever color, seems to demand a lifeless, imitative style. The political dialects to be found in pamphlets, leading articles, manifestoes, White papers and the speeches of undersecretaries do, of course, vary from party to party, but they are all alike in that one almost never finds in them a fresh, vivid, homemade turn of speech. When one watches some tired hack on the platform mechanically repeating the familiar phrases—bestial, atrocities, iron heel, bloodstained tyranny, free peoples of the world, stand shoulder to shoulder—one often has a curious feeling that one is not watching a live human being but some kind of dummy: a feeling which suddenly becomes stronger at moments when the light catches the speaker’s spectacles and turns them into blank discs which seem to have no eyes behind them. And this is not altogether fanciful. A speaker who uses that kind of phraseology has gone some distance toward turning himself into a machine. The appropriate noises are coming out of his larynx, but his brain is not involved as it would be if he were choosing his words for himself. If the speech he is making is one that he is accustomed to make over and over again, he may be almost unconscious of what he is saying, as one is when one utters the responses in church. And this reduced state of consciousness, if not indispensable, is at any rate favorable to political conformity. In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible. Things like the continuance of British rule in India, the Russian purges and deportations, the dropping of the atom bombs on Japan, can indeed be defended, but only by arguments which are too brutal for most people to face, and which do not square with the professed aims of the political parties. Thus political language has to consist largely of euphemism, question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness. Defenseless villages are bombarded from the air, the inhabitants driven out into the countryside, the cattle machine-gunned, the huts set on fire with incendiary bullets: this is called pacification. Millions of peasants are robbed of their farms and sent trudging along the roads with no more than they can carry: this is called transfer of population or rectification of frontiers. People are imprisoned for years without trial, or shot in the back of the neck or sent to die of scurvy in Arctic lumber camps: this is called elimination of unreliable elements. Such phraseology is needed if one wants to name things without calling up mental pictures of them. Consider for instance some comfortable English professor defending Russian totalitarianism. He cannot say outright, “I believe in killing off your opponents when you can get good results by doing so.” Probably, therefore, he will say something like this: While freely conceding that the Soviet regime exhibits certain features which the humanitarian may be inclined to deplore, we must, I think, agree that a certain curtailment of the right to political opposition is an unavoidable concomitant of transitional periods, and that the rigors which the Russian people have been called upon to undergo have been amply justified in the sphere of concrete achievement. The inflated style itself is a kind of euphemism. A mass of Latin words falls upon the facts like soft snow, blurring the outline and covering up all the details. The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one’s real and one’s declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish spurting out ink. In our age there is no such thing as “keeping out of politics.” All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred, and schizophrenia. When the general atmosphere is bad, language must suffer. I should expect to find—this is a guess which I have not sufficient knowledge to verify—that the German, Russian and Italian languages have all deteriorated in the last ten or fifteen years, as a result of dictatorship. But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought. A bad usage can spread by tradition and imitation even among people who should and do know better. The debased language that I have been discussing is in some ways very convenient. Phrases like a not unjustifiable assumption, leaves much to be desired, would serve no good purpose, a consideration which we should do well to bear in mind, are a continuous temptation, a packet of aspirins always at one’s elbow. Look back through this essay, and for certain you will find that I have again and again committed the very faults I am protesting against. By this morning’s post I have received a pamphlet dealing with conditions in Germany. The author tells me that he “felt impelled” to write it. I open it at random, and here is almost the first sentence I see: “[The Allies] have an opportunity not only of achieving a radical transformation of Germany’s social and political structure in such a way as to avoid a nationalistic reaction in Germany itself, but at the same time of laying the foundations of a co-operative and unified Europe.” You see, he “feels impelled” to write—feels, presumably, that he has something new to say—and yet his words, like cavalry horses answering the bugle, group themselves automatically into the familiar dreary pattern. This invasion of one’s mind by ready-made phrases (lay the foundations, achieve a radical transformation) can only be prevented if one is constantly on guard against them, and every such phrase anaesthetizes a portion of one’s brain. I said earlier that the decadence of our language is probably curable. Those who deny this would argue, if they produced an argument at all, that language merely reflects existing social conditions, and that we cannot influence its development by any direct tinkering with words and constructions. So far as the general tone or spirit of a language goes, this may be true, but it is not true in detail. Silly words and expressions have often disappeared, not through any evolutionary process but owing to the conscious action of a minority. Two recent examples were explore every avenue and leave no stone unturned, which were killed by the jeers of a few journalists. There is a long list of flyblown metaphors which could similarly be got rid of if enough people would interest themselves in the job; and it should also be possible to laugh the not un- formation out of existence, to reduce the amount of Latin and Greek in the average sentence, to drive out foreign phrases and strayed scientific words, and, in general, to make pretentiousness unfashionable. But all these are minor points. The defense of the English language implies more than this, and perhaps it is best to start by saying what it does not imply. To begin with it has nothing to do with archaism, with the salvaging of obsolete words and turns of speech, or with the setting up of a “standard English” which must never be departed from. On the contrary, it is especially concerned with the scrapping of every word or idiom which has outworn its usefulness. It has nothing to do with correct grammar and syntax, which are of no importance so long as one makes one’s meaning clear, or with the avoidance of Americanisms, or with having what is called a “good prose style.” On the other hand, it is not concerned with fake simplicity and the attempt to make written English colloquial. Nor does it even imply in every case preferring the Saxon word to the Latin one, though it does imply using the fewest and shortest words that will cover one’s meaning. What is above all needed is to let the meaning choose the word, and not the other way around. In prose, the worst thing one can do with words is surrender to them. When yo think of a concrete object, you think wordlessly, and then, if you want to describe the thing you have been visualizing you probably hunt about until you find the exact words that seem to fit it. When you think of something abstract you are more inclined to use words from the start, and unless you make a conscious effort to prevent it, the existing dialect will come rushing in and do the job for you, at the expense of blurring or even changing your meaning. Probably it is better to put off using words as long as possible and get one’s meaning as clear as one can through pictures and sensations. Afterward one can choose—not simply accept—the phrases that will best cover the meaning, and then switch round and decide what impressions one’s words are likely to make on another person. This last effort of the mind cuts out all stale or mixed images, all prefabricated phrases, needless repetitions, and humbug and vagueness generally. But one can often be in doubt about the effect of a word or a phrase, and one needs rules that one can rely on when instinct fails. I think the following rules will cover most cases: Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. Never us a long word where a short one will do. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out. Never use the passive where you can use the active. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous. These rules sound elementary, and so they are, but they demand a deep change of attitude in anyone who has grown used to writing in the style now fashionable. One could keep all of them and still write bad English, but one could not write the kind of stuff that I quoted in those five specimens at the beginning of this article. I have not here been considering the literary use of language, but merely language as an instrument for expressing and not for concealing or preventing thought. Stuart Chase and others have come near to claiming that all abstract words are meaningless, and have used this as a pretext for advocating a kind of political quietism. Since you don’t know what Fascism is, how can you struggle against Fascism? One need not swallow such absurdities as this, but one ought to recognize that the present political chaos is connected with the decay of language, and that one can probably bring about some improvement by starting at the verbal end. If you simplify your English, you are freed from the worst follies of orthodoxy. You cannot speak any of the necessary dialects, and when you make a stupid remark its stupidity will be obvious, even to yourself. Political language—and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists—is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. One cannot change this all in a moment, but one can at least change one’s own habits, and from time to time one can even, if one jeers loudly enough, send some worn-out and useless phrase—some jackboot, Achilles’ heel, hotbed, melting pot, acid test, veritable inferno, or other lump of verbal refuse—into the dustbin, where it belongs. Glossary of political terms activist (noun): someone who actively tries to achieve social or political change, most often by joining an activist group – Even before she joined Greenpeace, Liz was an environmental activist. advocate (verb): to publicly support something like a policy or plan – Does your party advocate stronger regulation of social media? ally (noun): countries that have agreed to help each other, especially in a war, are allies – In 2011 the USA persuaded allies like the UK, France and Canada to join them in attacking Libya. alliance (noun): a formal agreement between two or more countries or political parties to work together in certain ways – NATO is a military alliance that around 30 European and North American countries have joined. anarchism (noun): the belief that local co-operatives freely established and run by the people they serve work better than centralized governments run by powerful elites and politicians – Kurdish anarchism was developed by Abdullah Öcalan, and he was inspired by Murray Bookchin. (the) Anglosphere (noun): the UK and countries the UK colonized such as the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – English is the main language used throughout the Anglosphere. austerity (noun): a policy of cutting government spending to reduce public debt, with cuts to welfare, health and education often being significant – Is austerity a better way of reducing public debt than raising taxes? authoritarian (adjective): of governments that demand absolute obedience and will use violence, unjust laws, surveillance, etc to destroy opposition – Authoritarian governments will do anything to stay in power. autocracy (noun): a country or government that is controlled by a single person – Which of the countries on the Korean peninsula is an autocracy? autonomous (adjective): able to govern oneself without outside control – Three of our country's regions are autonomous, but the rest are controlled by the central government. backbencher (noun): a Member of Parliament who isn't a government minister or an opposition leader – The education minister lost his portfolio and became a backbencher again. (also "backbench MP") bailout (noun): money given to a company, country or an organisation that's in financial trouble – Should governments give bailouts to failing private companies? ballot (noun): a vote to find out what people think about something – Before going on strike, we held a secret ballot to make sure our members supported it. battleground state (noun): a state that doesn't always elect the same party's candidate – We spent most of our election campaign in three battleground states. (also "swing state") bureaucracy (noun): a hierarchy of officials who administer an organisation or a government department – I hate dealing with government bureaucracies. benefits (noun): welfare payments such as sickness benefits and unemployment benefits – I was out of work, but at least I could get unemployment benefits. biased (adjective): unfairly favouring or judging someone or something because of personal preference or prejudice – Political parties were biased against women and wouldn't let them run for office. bill (noun): a document outlining a proposed new law that will be voted on by elected representatives – Do you think the new environmental protection bill will be passed? (also "legislation", "legislative proposal") bipartisan (adjective): involving two political parties or both sides of a political division – Defence budget increases usually get bipartisan support. budget (noun): a government's stated projection on income and spending, most often over the coming year – Couldn't the government balance the budget by spending less on weapons and other military stuff? cabinet (noun): a group of government members who have important jobs like running ministries – The prime minister will announce the new cabinet next week. candidate (noun): someone who's competing for votes in an election – How many candidates are running in next month's election? capitalism (noun): an economic system based on privately-owned businesses that have to make a profit to survive – If capitalism isn't regulated, the need to make a profit can lead to mistreatment of workers, consumers and the environment. caucus (noun): a group of politicians with similar aims or interests – A bipartisan congressional caucus aims to boost trade with China. citizen (noun): a person with the legal right to live in and be part of a country – If you're a UK citizen you can get a British passport. civil rights (noun): rights to equal treatment and equal opportunities regardless of one's race, gender, sexual preference, religion, etc – Have you heard Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream civil rights speech? (the) civil service (noun): government departments and the people who work for them – My father began his career in the civil service before shifting to journalism. (also "the Civil Service") civil war (noun): a war between different groups or regions in the same country – In the American Civil War, southern states fought for the right to buy and sell people and use them as slaves. coalition (noun): a government made up of two or more political parties who agree to work together – Will your party join the governing coalition or the opposition? colonization (noun): the act of invading and settling on lands that don't belong to you – For us indigenous Australians, colonization was the worst thing that ever happened to us. (also "to colonize" (verb) and "colonial" (adjective)) communism (noun): a political system in which a central government makes economic plans and fairly distributes wealth created by workers who produce goods and services – Communism can work in small communities, but it can become authoritarian when used to govern an entire country. Congress (US noun): the body elected to govern the US at the federal level, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate – Congress has approved a bill that legalizes same-sex marriage. conservative (adjective): believing in traditional ideas and values rather than progressive ideas and social change – Aren't right-wing parties more conservative than left-wing parties? constitution (noun): a document that states the principles and rules that a country's system of government is based on – Human rights are protected in our country's constitution. constituent (noun): a person who lives and votes in a particular constituency – Before the election, our candidate got to know many of her constituents. consumerism (noun): the belief that buying material things makes people happy - Is Western-style consumerism the way of the future? corporate (adjective): relating to big companies and corporations – The corporate sector uses advertising to sell its products to consumers. corporation (noun): a large company – Corporations have to sell more and more products in order to make bigger and bigger profits. corrupt (adjective): related to corruption – Since the 2021 coup, corrupt army generals have stolen billions of dollars. corruption (noun): the dishonest or illegal use of power or authority, usually for money or gifts – How much money does our country lose to corruption every year? coup d’état or coup (noun): the illegal and often violent overthrow of government, usually by military officers – The coup was carried out by a bunch of greedy, power-hungry generals. deficit (noun): the amount by which money earned or received is less than the amount spent or owed in a particular period of time – If a government spends 3 trillion dollars and its income is only 2 trillion, its budget deficit is 1 trillion dollars. demagogue (noun): a political leader who arouses emotions like fear, greed, anger and prejudice to get people's support – The world's most dangerous leaders are fascist demagogues like Hitler and Mussolini. democracy (noun): a political system in which people choose their own governments by voting in free and fair elections – Some countries are true democracies, but those with rigged elections are fake democracies. (also "democratic" (adjective)) (the) Democratic Party (US noun): one of the two main political parties in the US – The Democratic Party is more likely to adopt progressive policies than the Republican Party. (also "the Democrats") democratic socialism (noun): a left-wing political philosophy that combines democracy with a highly-regulated market economy, state-run essential services and a state-financed welfare system – Unlike communism, democratic socialism can't produce a one-party state. depression (noun): the period in a capitalist economic cycle when many banks and companies fail, production falls, unemployment increases and many workers fall into poverty – Even little kids went to bed hungry during the depression. (see also "recession") dictatorship (noun): an authoritarian government that uses force to hold onto power – At first he was a democratically-elected demagogue, but then he banned elections and established a dictatorship. (Note: a "dictator" (noun) is the person who controls a dictatorship) diplomacy (noun): the managing of relations between countries – Why aren't we using diplomacy instead of threats of war to resolve our disagreements? (Note: a "diplomat" (noun) is someone who works in the field of diplomacy) disinformation (noun): deliberately false information that's used to deceive or wrongly persuade people – The USA used disinformation to persuade other countries to join its illegal 2003 invasion of Iraq. (Note: "misinformation" has a similar meaning) domestic terrorist (noun): someone who violently attacks people or places in their own country for political reasons – SWAT teams in heavy armour used military weapons to arrest a group of domestic terrorists. (also "homegrown terrorist") draconian (adjective): extremely strict and severe (esp of a law or punishment) – Draconian drug laws meant kids spent years in jail for possessing a little marijuana, and their lives were ruined. election (noun): a democratic process in which people vote for politicians to represent them in a government – Who are you voting for in the election? election campaign (collocation): a series of events and advertisements in the run-up to an election that try to persuade people to vote for a particular politician or party – How much will the party spend on the election campaign? electoral college (US noun): a small group of unelected people in each US state who elect the president and vice-president even though a nation-wide vote has just taken place – In 2016 the electoral college gave Donald Trump the presidency even though he'd lost the popular vote. empire (noun): all the countries, colonies, overseas lands, etc that a powerful country controls after invading or occupying them – Many countries including Canada, Australia, South Africa, Kenya and Jamaica were claimed by the British empire after being invaded. endorse (verb): to openly express support for someone or something – The electoral board can't endorse any of the candidates before an election. equal rights (collocation): the idea that people of all kinds should have the same access to things like education, medical care, police protection, justice, etc – Prisoners, drug users and disabled people still don't have equal rights. (also "civil rights") (the) establishment (noun): the most powerful and privileged group in a country, most of whom support conservative parties and policies – In British politics, the Tories are seen as the party of the establishment. (also "the Establishment") exploit (verb): to treat someone or something badly in order to get some benefit for yourself – Workers are still being exploited in these factories. (also "exploitation" (noun)) (the) far left (noun): people of the left who believe radical or extreme forms of social, economic and political change are needed – Some on the far left still believe in taking the revolution to the streets. (also "the hard left") (the) far right (noun): people of the right with extremely conservative views, some of whom have racist and fascist beliefs of the sort found in Nazi Germany – These days the far right is mostly just a bunch of boys who dress up like fascists in order to shock their parents. (also "the hard right") fascism (noun): an extreme right-wing dictatorial political system based on racial purity and the violent hatred of racial and other minorities – Fascism is a vile political system that we must stamp out forever. feminism (noun): a movement for social change that aims to rid society of beliefs and traditions that stop women from having the same rights, powers and opportunities as men – In many countries, feminism is still seen as a threat to traditional male dominance. federal (adjective): of a central government in a federation, as opposed to governments of individual states – The US federal government is made of up the legislative branch which includes the House of Representatives and the Senate, the executive branch which includes the President and Vice President, and the judicial branch which includes the Supreme Court and other federal courts. federation (noun): a country made up of several states that have united under a central or federal government – Many of the world's biggest countries are federations, including Russia and the USA. fiscal (adjective): related to public finances, including the collection of taxes and the spending of government money – The federal government's fiscal policy caused a number of economic problems. foreign relations (collocation): a country's dealings with other countries, including establishing friendly relationships, negotiating trade deals, arranging scientific and cultural exchanges, etc – Our diplomats are improving foreign relations right across Asia. (also "foreign affairs" and "international relations") foreign aid (noun): assistance or help given by one country to another, including economic aid, development projects, disaster relief, etc – How much money does your country spend on foreign aid every year? foreign policy (noun): how a country plans to further its national interests when dealing with other countries and regions – Our foreign policy mustn't damage our relations with our neighbours. fundraising (noun): trying to get people to give money to a charity or an organization – Lots of people give money to the Greens at their fundraising dinners. geopolitics (noun): the study of how a country or region fits into the global network of political and economic alliances and rivalries – The main struggle in geopolitics now is between the West and countries the West doesn't trust, like China and Russia. government (noun): those who govern a country, state or region and make decisions about laws, taxes, budgets, welfare funding, etc – Why does the government spend so much on foreign aid? head of state (noun): a country's official leader, such as a republic's president or a monarchy's king or queen – The UK's head of state is the king, with the prime minister being the head of government. (the) House of Representatives (noun): the name of the lower house in certain parliaments like the US Congress and the Parliament of Australia – Is the House of Representatives as powerful as the Senate? human rights (noun): the rights we all have to be treated fairly and without cruelty or injustice – The arrest and jailing of peaceful protesters is a clear violation of their human rights. (See also "civil rights" and "women's rights") ideology (noun): a system of beliefs, goals and ethics that form the basis of an economy, a society, a political party, etc – Anti-capitalist ideologies claim that capitalism exploits workers, creates inequality, and puts profits above human and environmental health. (also "ideological" (adjective)) inclusive (adjective): wanting to include people of all kinds, especially those previously excluded from mainstream society – Ireland is much more inclusive these days. (also "inclusivity" (noun)) incumbent (noun): someone holding an official position at a certain time – Most incumbents are elected for a second term. independent (noun): an elected representative who isn't a member of a political party – More independents were elected this time than ever before. indigenous governance (collocation): forms of social organization, law and diplomacy that indigenous peoples practiced, many of which were lost after colonization – Luckily some forms of indigenous governance are still passed on by the elders. inflation (noun): rising prices – The government's doing whatever it can to reduce inflation. (also "inflationary' (adjective)) issue (noun): an important topic that people are discussing, debating or having disputes about – Climate change is an issue that all parties have to have a policy on. insurrection (noun): a violent attempt to take power from a government – The people who planned the insurrection were arrested and sentenced to death. (also "uprising") (the) judiciary (noun): the judges and court officials that run trials and issue punishments in a particular country – If the judiciary were independent, would they be jailing peaceful protesters? (also "judicial" (adjective)) junta (noun): a military government that has taken power by force – The junta killed thousands of protesters after staging their coup. justice (noun): the fair treatment of people of all kinds – Children seem to have a natural sense of justice. labour (noun): work, especially manual work – Who decides how much our labour is worth? (Note: used in many collocations like "labour law", "labour costs", "forced labour", "child labour", etc.) (the) Labour Party (noun): the more left-wing of the UK's two main political parties – The Labour Party has always claimed to be the party of the workers. (Note: The equivalent party in Australia is the differently-spelled "Labor Party") landslide (noun): an election victory in which the winning party wins by a very big margin – Our party has won in a landslide! law and order (phrase): a situation in which laws and the police are obeyed by nearly everyone – Political parties often promise to improve law and order when campaigning. leader (noun): a person with enough power, status or charisma to become the head of a country, an organisation, a gang, etc. – Was the leader of your country democratically elected, and did they take power by force? (the) Leader of the Opposition (noun): the leader of the parties that didn't have enough seats in parliament to form the government – The Leader of the Opposition accused the Prime Minister of being corrupt. (also "minority leader") left-wing (adjective): believing that power and wealth should be shared fairly and that services like health care and education should be free – Most countries in South America have left-wing governments at the moment. (also "of the left", "leftist", "progressive" and "liberal") legislation (noun): a law or a set of laws – New legislation on the clearing of forests was passed in parliament today. (also "to legislate" (verb) and "legislative" (adjective)) legislative agenda (noun): new laws that a party or politician promises to introduce – The government's tertiary education bill was part of its legislative agenda. liberal (US adjective): supporting the fair sharing of power and wealth and strong protection of human rights, civil liberties and freedom of speech – My grandfather has become more liberal the older he gets. (also "progressive") liberal democracy (noun): a democratic, market-based political system in which human rights, civil liberties and basic freedoms are constitutionally-protected – India, Brazil, Japan and South Africa are among the many countries now seeing themselves as liberal democracies. (Note: don't confuse with the idea of "social democracy" in which capitalism gradually shifts towards socialism) libertarian (adjective): believing that personal freedom should only be subject to minimal government control – My uncle says he's libertarian, but he does exactly what he's expected to do. lobby (verb): to try to get a politician or government to do something for you, such as change a regulation that harms your business – If we elect someone, shouldn't they put our interests ahead of the companies that lobby them? (also "lobbyist" (noun)) lower class (noun): the social class that poor people with low status belong to – Lower-class people are looked down on by just about everyone. (also "the lower classes" and "working class") lower house (noun): another name for the House of Representatives (US) or the House of Commons (UK) – How many parties won seats in the lower house in last year's election? (Note: the opposite of "upper house") mainstream (adjective): considered normal due to widespread acceptance in society – Why don't mainstream media like CNN and the BBC fact-check government claims? market economy (noun): an economy in which the forces of supply and demand determine prices and wages – We have a market economy, but the government adjusts prices and wages as necessary. (also "free market economy") meritocracy (noun): a system in which a person's talents and achievements determine their position, income and status instead of their social class, race or gender – It's fairer than it was fifty years ago, but it still isn't a true meritocracy. middle class (noun): the social class between the lower classes and the upper classes – I'm glad I was born into the middle class. midterms (short for "midterm elections") (US noun): the election of a certain number of seats around halfway through the term of office of a president or government – The Democrats could lose their Senate majority in the next midterms. military dictatorship (noun): an authoritarian government run by military officers who took power by force – How many people has the military dictatorship tortured and killed in order to stay in power? (also "military regime") moderate (adjective): not considered extreme or unreasonable – We might get elected if we advocate moderate tax increases. monarchy (noun): a country in which the head of state is a king or queen – France used to be a monarchy, but the French Revolution put an end to that. nation (noun): an individual country made up of people from one or more ethnic groups who live together under one government – Many African nations are trading with Asia these days. (also "nation state") National People's Congress (noun): the national legislature and supreme state authority of the People's Republic of China – Most of the nearly 3,000 delegates to the National People's Congress are elected by local people's congresses. national security (noun): a nation's efforts to protect its territory and people – There are better ways to protect national security than spending a fortune on weapons. nationalize (verb): to transfer a privately-owned company or industry to state ownership and government control – The government has had to nationalize essential utilities like water and power again. neoconservative (adjective): related to the militaristic conservatism adopted by the US Republican Party from the 1980s to the 2000s that led to several failed wars – Why hasn't neoconservative US president George W Bush been put on trial for starting illegal wars? (Note: often abbreviated to "neocon") neo-Nazi (noun): a member or supporter of any group that promotes white supremacy, violent attacks on minorities or mass murder of the sort Nazi Germany committed – My brother says he joined the neo-Nazis because he was lonely and they made him feel good about himself. nominee (noun): someone who is nominated for a political position, a job or an award of some sort – For the first time ever the Republican Party's nominee for president is Asian. oligarchy (noun): a small group of powerful people who control a country, an organization or an industry – She must've been put in power by the oligarchy that really runs the country. (Note: an "oligarch" (noun) is a member of an oligarchy) (the) opposition (noun): politicians who sit in parliament but aren't part of the party or coalition in power – The leader of the opposition has blamed the prime minister for wrecking the country's economy. oppression (noun): the cruel and unfair treatment of people – The refugees are fleeing political oppression in their own country. (also "oppressive" (adjective) as in "He fled his country's oppressive rulers.") overthrow (verb): to force a leader or a government to give up power – The government was overthrown by an invading army. parliament (noun): all the people elected to make or change a country's laws – The Green Party won six seats in parliament this time. patriarchy (also The Patriarchy) (noun): a society or political system ruled by men – Feminists speak about how oppressive the patriarchy has always been. patriotism (noun): love of one's country and the willingness to fight and die for it – Right-wing demagogues know how to turn feelings of patriotism into hatred of foreigners. patriot (noun): someone with an extreme love of their own country, often combined with an extreme distrust or fear of foreign countries and people – Were those who attacked the US Capitol in 2021 loyal patriots or the brainwashed puppets of a power-hungry demagogue? platform (noun): the policies of a political party or an independent candidate, esp as expressed during an election campaign – If a party's platform includes raising taxes, it's unlikely to win an election. plutocracy (noun): a country or government controlled by the wealthy, either directly or indirectly – After gaining independence from our colonial masters, we became a plutocracy rather than a proper democracy. policy (noun): a plan that a political party or a government department promises to put into action – The Republican Party says it's developing a new education policy. political correctness (noun): the effort to challenge language and acts that express dislike or prejudice towards people of certain races, genders, ethnicities, sexual preferences, etc. – Some conservatives see political correctness as a threat to their right to be prejudiced. political science (noun): the study of politics and systems of government – My political science course covers comparative politics, international relations and political theory. politician (noun): a person who is elected to represent voters in a democracy – Most people around here don't trust politicians. politics (noun): the ways power is gained, held, used and lost in a particular society – We got into politics to make the world a better place, not to make money. politicize (verb): to use an event or an issue to change public opinion on a political party or politician – The gun lobby says anyone who expresses shock at mass shootings is politicizing them to help anti-gun politicians. poll (noun): a survey in which many people are asked for their opinion on something – According to the latest poll, over 60% of voters intend to vote for the opposition party. polling booth (noun): a place in which people can cast their vote in an election – Privacy is ensured in a polling booth, so nobody will know who you've voted for. populism (noun): a political movement that targets the votes of ordinary working people by using emotive language and pretending to share their pain and frustration – A billionaire got elected by using the tricks of populism to convince millions of workers that he was one of them. populist (adjective): related to politicians who claim to share the frustrations and anger of ordinary workers in order to get their votes – Populist politicians can turn a crowd of normal people into an angry mob. (also "populist" (noun) means someone who uses populist techniques to win votes) prejudice (noun): a deep-seated bias against, and dislike of, a particular group of people, most often based on their race, ethnicity or sexual preference – Where did this prejudice against people with dark skin come from in the first place? president (noun): the political leader and head of state of a republic – The French president is meeting the British prime minister next month. prime minister (noun): the person who leads a parliamentary government – The prime minister lost the support of her own party, so they replaced her with another one. private enterprise (noun): an economic system in which privately-owned companies create and market products and services in order to make a profit – Private enterprise works best if regulations prevent companies from exploiting their workers, damaging the environment and minimizing their taxes. (also "free enterprise") privatize (verb): to sell a government-owned company and allow it to become a profit-seeking privately-owned company – After the government privatized our state-owned power plants, electricity prices went way up. progressive (adjective): promoting changes in society that make life better and fairer for everyone – The Greens always have the most progressive policies. (see "liberal") propaganda (noun): biased information that's meant to make a country, government or political system seem better or worse than it really is – Authoritarian governments use state media to spread their propaganda. public opinion (noun): the opinions and views of the majority of people in a particular society – If your policies don't take public opinion into account, you won't win the election. racism (noun): the belief that people of some races are better than those of other races – Can we really understand the pain that racism causes if we haven't experienced it ourselves? (also "racial prejudice") ratify (verb): to make an agreement official by signing a document or voting to confirm it – The trade deal wasn't ratified until each country's leader had signed it. reactionary (adjective): highly conservative and automatically reacting against progressive change in society – My uncle bored everyone to death with all his reactionary nonsense. rebel (verb): to oppose or reject something you're expected to support – Some MPs are rebelling against their party's tax cuts. (also "rebel" (noun), as in "James was a young rebel who often got into trouble.") real wages (noun): the true value of wages in terms of what you can buy with the money you've earned – If inflation rises but your wages don't, your real wages fall even if you're getting as much as before. recession (noun): a period when a country's economy does badly, with falling productivity and rising unemployment – I lost my job during the recession and couldn't even pay my rent. (also see "depression") referendum (noun): a national poll in which everyone can vote on an important issue such as a constitutional change – Have you thought about which way you'll vote in the referendum? reform (noun): a change that improves an existing situation, such as a legal reform, educational reform, economic reform, etc. – Left-wing people want taxation reform that increases the tax that big companies pay. representative (noun): a person who's chosen or elected by one or more people to make choices or act for them – The candidate that most of us voted for is our new representative. (see also "House of Representatives") republic (noun): a country with an elected head of state, usually a president – The referendum shows that most of us want to live in a republic instead of a monarchy. Republican Party (noun): the more conservative or right-wing of the two main political parties in the US – The Republican Party usually gets more votes in rural areas than the Democratic Party. (also "the GOP") revolution (noun): a successful uprising by many people that overthrows a political or economic system and replaces it with their preferred system – The communist revolution in Cuba overthrew the right-wing government established after the coup in 1952. rig (verb): to make something like an election, a sporting event or an exam unfair by giving one side or one person an unfair advantage – After losing, the former president falsely claimed the election was rigged. (the) right (noun): conservative political parties or people who oppose progressive reforms – Which group wants taxes for the rich increased, the left or the right? right-wing (adjective): of conservative people and organizations that oppose regulating business, giving welfare to the poor, reforming institutions, etc. – Which news organizations are the most right-wing? run for office (phrase): to join a list of electoral candidates and campaign for votes – I ran for office because I wanted to make things better. safety net (noun): help that a government gives to people in difficulty, including housing for the poor, medical care for the sick and financial help for the unemployed – Luckily our country has a good safety net for those who need it. seat (noun): a position in something like a house of parliament, a company board, a jury, etc. – How many seats did your party win in the last election? (Note: in politics, there are seats in parliament, in Congress, in the House of Representatives, in The Senate, etc.) senate (noun): the upper house of the two-house parliament in countries like the US, France, the Philippines, Brazil and Argentina – Legislation has to be passed by the senate before it becomes law. senator (noun): a member of a senate – Julia has been a senator since 2020. social justice (noun): the idea that everyone should have the same rights and opportunities regardless of their class, race, religion, gender or sexuality – Social justice legislation has begun to reduce inequality for some groups. (Note: a "social justice warrior" is someone who fights for social justice) social welfare (noun): support that a government provides to people in need – Countries that spend lots of money on social welfare are sometimes called welfare states. socialism (noun): a political and economic system that ensures that a country’s wealth is shared fairly and that essential services are provided by the government instead of profit-seeking companies – Is socialism fairer than capitalism? state (noun): 1. a country and its government's administration 2. one region of a country with its own state legislature, laws and elected representatives – One of the world's most powerful states 1 is the United States 2 of America. (the) State Duma (noun): the lower house of the two-house Federal Assembly of Russia – All the elected members of the State Duma serve for a period of five years. statesman (noun): an experienced political leader who is respected for his understanding and wisdom – We desperately need more great statesmen like Nelson Mandela. (Note: the female equivalent is "stateswoman") strike (noun): a time during which workers stop working to force employers to improve their pay or working conditions – Railway workers are going on strike next week if they don't get a pay rise. surplus (noun): a situation in which a government spends less than the amount it receives as revenue during a certain period – This year's surplus will help reduce the deficit that's built up over the years. terrorism (noun): the use of extreme violence such as shooting and bombing to achieve political goals – Terrorism of the sort that the US experienced on September 11 is very unusual. (Note: a "terrorist" is someone who's involved in terrorism) trade union (noun): an organization of workers that tries to improve members' pay and working conditions – Right-wing governments often pass laws that limit the power of trade unions. (also "union") (the) Treasury (noun): a government department that takes care of public money and oversees taxation, treasury accounts and national budgets – One of the Treasury's jobs is to produce and issue the nation's banknotes and coins. tyranny (noun): a brutal government that uses violence and fear to control its own people – The people couldn't stand living under a tyranny any longer. (Note: a "tyrant" is the person who controls a tyrannical state) unemployed (adjective): out of work, or not having a job – My brother has been unemployed for months. unionize (verb): to organize a group of workers doing the same type of work into a trade union – The government made it illegal for workers to unionize. (the) United States Capitol (noun): the building in Washington, D.C. in which the US Congress meets – I could hardly believe it when the United States Capitol was attacked by the president's own supporters. (also "The Capitol" or "the Capitol Building") upper class (noun): the social class with the highest status and the most money and power – He speaks like someone from the upper class, but he's really from the working class. (Note: the opposite of "lower class" or "working class") upper house (noun): the smaller house of a two-house parliament, often called the Senate, that reviews legislation passed by the lower house – Did you know the UK has an unelected upper house called the House of Lords? veto (verb): to use official power or authority to stop something from happening – In some countries the head of state can veto legislation. vote (verb): to show which person you want to win an election, most often by marking a piece of paper or using a voting machine – Have you decided who you're going to vote for in the election yet? (also "vote" (noun) as in "How many votes did the Liberal Party win by?") wedge issue (US noun): a divisive issue that a political party uses to draw supporters from another party – The Republican Party has made gun control a wedge issue to attract traditional Democrat voters. welfare state (noun): a state that takes care of the welfare of its citizens by providing free health care, free education and benefits to the elderly, the disabled, the unemployed and others needing support – People in welfare states like Sweden and Norway don't have much to worry about, do they? Western (adjective): of European countries and places that Europeans took from indigenous people, such as the USA, Canada and Australia – Even though they're in Asia, settler Australians say they live in a Western country. (also "The West") (the) White House (noun): a building in Washington D.C. in which US presidents live and work while in office – The West Wing of the White House is where the US president's "Oval Office" is located. white privilege (noun): the privileges that white people in some countries have simply because of their skin colour – Racism will continue until the reality of white privilege is acknowledged. white supremacy (noun): the racist belief that white people are superior to black people and should have power over them – White kids are being targeted by websites promoting white supremacy. (also "white supremacist" (noun) as in "Have you ever met a white supremacist?") women's rights (noun): rights for women that are equal to those of men, including equal pay – Our panel on women's rights will discuss equal educational and employment opportunities for women. (the) working class (noun): people from the lowest and least powerful social class, most of whom have low-paying jobs and don't own property – In Britain, most punk bands were from the working class. (also "lower class" and "the proletariat") xenophobia (noun): a strong dislike or fear of people from other countries, including immigrants – He says he's patriotic, but it's more like xenophobia. (also "xenophobic" (adjective) as in "White supremacists are xenophobic.") Corpus ID: 150291970 Linguistic features in political speeches : how language can be used to impose certain moral or ethical values on people Published 2009 Linguistics, Political Science 16 Citations Justin trudeau’s political speeches: a study of political success, speech acts and language styles of biden’s victory speech for promoting peace values. Highly Influenced A Semantic and Rhetorical Study of Manipulation in Two English and Arabic Political Speeches A critical discourse analysis of sen. santiago’s speech: “navigating the crimes of the plunder mastermind”, a comparative study of political discourse features in english and arabic, lexical incongruity in translations of american political speeches into arabic, the use of macro and micro structures in pakistani prime minister’s speech at unga: a critical discourse analysis approach naeem afzal, textuality and the power of the egyptian political speech: a comparative study in light of analyzing two speeches presented by president abdel fattah el-sisi and president mohammad morsi, differences of style between english and arabic political discourse: a contrastive study, a voice for education: a digital analysis of sheikha moza's public statements, 2009-2018, 10 references, the language of politics. Highly Influential 18 Excerpts Politicians and Rhetoric: The Persuasive Power of Metaphor 25 Excerpts Metaphor, Morality, and Politics Or, Why Conservatives Have Left Liberals In the Dust 1 Metaphor and thought: process and products in making sense of tropes, metaphor and war: the metaphor system used to justify war in the gulf. 14 Excerpts Metaphors We Live by Text and discourse analysis, language and politics, related papers. Showing 1 through 3 of 0 Related Papers Mobile Menu Overlay The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500 FACT SHEET: President   Biden Announces New Actions to Keep Families   Together Since his first day in office, President Biden has called on Congress to secure our border and address our broken immigration system. As Congressional Republicans have continued to put partisan politics ahead of national security – twice voting against the toughest and fairest set of reforms in decades – the President and his Administration have taken actions to secure the border, including: Implementing executive actions to bar migrants who cross our Southern border unlawfully from receiving asylum when encounters are high; Deploying record numbers of law enforcement personnel, infrastructure, and technology to the Southern border; Seizing record amounts of fentanyl at our ports of entry; Revoking the visas of CEOs and government officials outside the U.S. who profit from migrants coming to the U.S. unlawfully; and Expanding efforts to dismantle human smuggling networks and prosecuting individuals who violate immigration laws. President Biden believes that securing the border is essential. He also believes in expanding lawful pathways and keeping families together, and that immigrants who have been in the United States for decades, paying taxes and contributing to their communities, are part of the social fabric of our country. The Day One immigration reform plan that the President sent to Congress reflects both the need for a secure border and protections for the long-term undocumented. While Congress has failed to act on these reforms, the Biden-Harris Administration has worked to strengthen our lawful immigration system. In addition to vigorously defending the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood arrivals) policy, the Administration has extended Affordable Care Act coverage to DACA recipients and streamlined, expanded, and instituted new reunification programs so that families can stay together while they complete the immigration process.  Still, there is more that we can do to bring peace of mind and stability to Americans living in mixed-status families as well as young people educated in this country, including Dreamers. That is why today, President Biden announced new actions for people who have been here many years to keep American families together and allow more young people to contribute to our economy.   Keeping American Families Together Today, President Biden is announcing that the Department of Homeland Security will take action to ensure that U.S. citizens with noncitizen spouses and children can keep their families together. This new process will help certain noncitizen spouses and children apply for lawful permanent residence – status that they are already eligible for – without leaving the country. These actions will promote family unity and strengthen our economy, providing a significant benefit to the country and helping U.S. citizens and their noncitizen family members stay together. In order to be eligible, noncitizens must – as of June 17, 2024 – have resided in the United States for 10 or more years and be legally married to a U.S. citizen, while satisfying all applicable legal requirements. On average, those who are eligible for this process have resided in the U.S. for 23 years. Those who are approved after DHS’s case-by-case assessment of their application will be afforded a three-year period to apply for permanent residency. They will be allowed to remain with their families in the United States and be eligible for work authorization for up to three years. This will apply to all married couples who are eligible.   This action will protect approximately half a million spouses of U.S. citizens, and approximately 50,000 noncitizen children under the age of 21 whose parent is married to a U.S. citizen. Easing the Visa Process for U.S. College Graduates, Including Dreamers President Obama and then-Vice President Biden established the DACA policy to allow young people who were brought here as children to come out of the shadows and contribute to our country in significant ways. Twelve years later, DACA recipients who started as high school and college students are now building successful careers and establishing families of their own. Today’s announcement will allow individuals, including DACA recipients and other Dreamers, who have earned a degree at an accredited U.S. institution of higher education in the United States, and who have received an offer of employment from a U.S. employer in a field related to their degree, to more quickly receive work visas. Recognizing that it is in our national interest to ensure that individuals who are educated in the U.S. are able to use their skills and education to benefit our country, the Administration is taking action to facilitate the employment visa process for those who have graduated from college and have a high-skilled job offer, including DACA recipients and other Dreamers.  Stay Connected We'll be in touch with the latest information on how President Biden and his administration are working for the American people, as well as ways you can get involved and help our country build back better. Opt in to send and receive text messages from President Biden. The Speech FDR Would Give As economic royalists ally with Trump, we have already seen an example of a rhetorical counter that tells it like it is. by David Dayen June 14, 2024 Before a vast throng of more than 100,000 people, President Franklin D. Roosevelt accepted the Democratic nomination for president, June 27, 1936, in Philadelphia. A first-term president is presiding over an improving economy, but still one with severe individual hardship. His opponent is bolstered by almost unilateral support from the business community, seeking to regain its position of untrammeled dominion over American life. The president decides to use the corporate tycoons’ stated preference to frame the election, taking every opportunity to remind voters of the wealthy and powerful forces arrayed against him. The year is 1936, not 2024, and the president is Franklin Roosevelt. Throughout the year, polling between Roosevelt and Alf Landon was relatively close ; one decidedly unscientific poll taken right before Election Day by The Literary Digest , which had nailed the previous five elections, predicted a Landon victory . In the end, it wasn’t close at all; in fact, one of the great landslides in U.S. politics. FDR’s strategy to run hard against the malefactors of great wealth was sui generis , never really to be replicated before or since. While Democrats habitually become more populist around campaign season, politics has become such a money game that politicians have learned not to touch the third rail of inspiring a plutocrat riot. But if there ever was a moment to pay attention to Rooseveltian rhetoric, it’s now. More from David Dayen Wall Street donors who once rejected Donald Trump after January 6th have returned to his side . Silicon Valley bigwigs held a fundraiser for Trump in the heart of San Francisco last week. Trump asked oil barons for $1 billion in campaign funds in exchange for regulatory relief. A hedge fund manager pledged hundreds of thousands of dollars to Trump minutes after he was convicted of a felony; Miriam Adelson, heir to the casino fortune, pledged $100 million . Even FDR would blanch at the open rallying for the presumptive Republican nominee from those who need to use the word “billion” to describe their net worth. Corporate America’s sentiment was summed up pretty well by Kathryn Wylde, who represents the Partnership for New York City, a business lobby, who has openly described Wall Street as New York’s Main Street in the past. “The threat to capitalism from the Democrats is more concerning than the threat to democracy from Trump,” Wylde told Politico . She will bear any burden to pay a little less in taxes and regulatory compliance, in other words. When people discuss how Roosevelt handled a similar mutiny by the rich, they tend to point to a speech given on the eve of the 1936 election at Madison Square Garden, the famed “ I welcome their hatred ” speech, where he openly sided against “the old enemies of peace—business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering.” But there is another speech, far more detailed in its discussion of economic tyranny and the dangers of concentrated power, within and without the political realm. It was his acceptance speech at the 1936 Democratic National Convention, given 88 years ago this month. What Roosevelt is doing is defining what Americans lost when their government fell to the economic royalists. This was the speech that brought into the political lexicon the term “economic royalists.” Roosevelt, in full teaching mode, defined them as the descendants of the British royalists of the Revolutionary era, who “governed without the consent of the governed” and “put the average man’s property and the average man’s life in pawn to the mercenaries of dynastic power.” The end of political tyranny in 1776, however, in time gave way to a new dynasty, an economic tyranny “built upon concentration of control over material things.” The privileged class turned economic systems to their own benefit, and cut laborers, farmers, smaller merchants, and everybody else out of the deal. And then FDR takes it a step further, and here he could be describing 2024: “It was natural and perhaps human that the privileged princes of these new economic dynasties, thirsting for power, reached out for control over Government itself. They created a new despotism and wrapped it in the robes of legal sanction … The hours men and women worked, the wages they received, the conditions of their labor—these had passed beyond the control of the people, and were imposed by this new industrial dictatorship.” The new despotism. How else would you describe Silicon Valley, Big Oil, and Wall Street coming together to back a transactional presidential candidate who promises them specific favors, after reducing their corporate taxes by 40 percent the last time he was president? What Roosevelt is doing is defining what Americans lost when their government fell to the economic royalists: restrictions of business initiative and opportunity, crushing of wages, inequality of wealth and prosperity. The economy, thus controlled, imploded with the Great Depression, and the people sought another direction. But like the Stephen Schwarzmans and Bill Ackmans of today, the economic royalists were appalled that anyone elected by the people could act as if they had the authority to carry out the people’s will: “The royalists of the economic order,” Roosevelt says, “have conceded that political freedom was the business of the Government, but they have maintained that economic slavery was nobody’s business.” This, Roosevelt says, cannot stand. “If the average citizen is guaranteed equal opportunity in the polling place, he must have equal opportunity in the market place. These economic royalists complain that we seek to overthrow the institutions of America. What they really complain of is that we seek to take away their power.” You almost never hear this kind of bracing talk in politics today. An American president called out titans of industry as traitors to the ideals of democracy, as enemies of a free people, out only to feather their own nests and willing to take over the levers of government power to do it. He sides with the ordinary laborer and farmer, specifically highlighting their need for economic liberty, to pursue their talents without the boot of monopolists hanging over their heads. Roosevelt had actually commissioned two different drafts for his speech: one, a conciliatory speech from the rightward-moving Raymond Moley, who had been close to Roosevelt during the first two years as president, and the hard-hitting one he opted to deliver, by longtime aide Sam Rosenman and rookie writer Stanley High, who coined the term “economic royalists.” Roosevelt loved the phrase and made it the centerpiece of his speech. FDR went on to win the electoral vote 523-8, also carrying the Democrats to their greatest congressional majority in history. That was obviously a different time. By actually trying to do something about the Great Depression—massive public-works and employment programs, creating Social Security and legalizing collective bargaining—Roosevelt earned his chance to keep at it. Rhetoric alone did not deliver the second term; tangible improvements did. But both FDR and Joe Biden style themselves as saviors of democracy, which after the economic collapse of 1929 was not fated to continue. It turns out that Roosevelt delivered his DNC acceptance speech on June 27, 1936. June 27 is the same day that Joe Biden will debate Donald Trump on CNN. Though Trump is often described as a populist with a working-class voter base, the “economic royalist” sobriquet perfectly describes the cult of the wealthy that is determined to back him. With the nouveau royalists’ bet on Trump, a second Trump term is likely to upstage the first as a pay-to-play spectacle, where the chief executive can be bought to endorse candidates , bought to reverse his views on policy , and bought to grease the wheels for more tax cuts, less restriction on business, and generally whatever they ask for. Trump’s occasional broadsides at big business in 2016 have really melted away in today’s speeches and rallies. He is all personal grievance, all the time. But that masks an agenda of favors to his billionaire backers, who are enraged by having their power diminished by the likes of Lina Khan or Gary Gensler or Rohit Chopra or Jennifer Abruzzo. These royalists believe that worker rights, consumer protection, and open markets meddle dangerously with the established order of things, where regulation is historically set in the corporate boardroom, and everyone submits to their will. The anti-democratic, anti-patriotic, freedom-restricting spirit that animated the rich enemies of Roosevelt is more than present with the super-rich enemies of the Biden administration. No road to 523 electoral votes is available today, not even for FDR himself. But I know how he would respond to this moment, as the forces of wealth and privilege unite against him. Biden’s choice lies in whether he will describe the situation as it is, and the struggle for power at the heart of it. You can count on the Prospect , can we count on you? There's no paywall here. Your donations power our newsroom as we report on ideas, politics and power — and what’s really at stake as we navigate another presidential election year. Please, become a member , or make a one-time donation , today. Thank you! About the Prospect / Contact Info Browse Archive / Back Issues Subscription Services Privacy Policy DONATE TO THE PROSPECT Copyright 2024 | The American Prospect, Inc. | All Rights Reserved Election 2024 Entertainment Newsletters Photography Personal Finance AP Investigations AP Buyline Personal Finance AP Buyline Shopping Press Releases Israel-Hamas War Russia-Ukraine War Global elections Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East Election Results Delegate Tracker AP & Elections Auto Racing 2024 Paris Olympic Games Movie reviews Book reviews Personal finance Financial Markets Business Highlights Financial wellness Artificial Intelligence Social Media Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu is set to address the US Congress on July 24 FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a cabinet meeting at the Kirya military base, which houses the Israeli Ministry of Defense, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Dec. 24, 2023. Top U.S. leaders have invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver an address to Congress. The visit would provide a show of wartime support for the longtime ally despite mounting political divisions over Israel’s military assault on Gaza. The invitation from House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, and the other leaders has been in the works for some time. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, Pool, File) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a Cabinet meeting at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. (Gil Cohen-Magen/Pool Photo via AP) Copy Link copied WASHINGTON (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to address a joint meeting of Congress on July 24, setting the stage for what is expected to be a contentious speech at a crucial moment for the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Congressional leaders confirmed the date of the address late Thursday after formally inviting Netanyahu to come speak before lawmakers last week. It is the most recent show of wartime support for the longtime ally despite mounting political divisions over Israel’s military assault on Hamas in Gaza. “The existential challenges we face, including the growing partnership between Iran, Russia, and China, threaten the security, peace, and prosperity of our countries and of free people around the world,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, along with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, said in the letter. “To build on our enduring relationship and to highlight America’s solidarity with Israel, we invite you to share the Israeli government’s vision for defending democracy, combatting terror, and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region.” Netanyahu’s appearance before a growingly divided Congress is sure to be controversial and met with plenty of protests both inside the Capitol from lawmakers and outside by pro-Palestinian protesters. And it will put on stark display the growing election-year divisions among Democrats over the prime minister’s prosecution of the monthslong war against Hamas. Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the U.S. — who delivered a stinging rebuke of Netanyahu in March — said in a separate statement Thursday night that he has “clear and profound disagreements” with the Israeli leader but joined in the request for him to speak “because America’s relationship with Israel is ironclad and transcends one person or prime minister.” Other Democratic lawmakers more critical of Netanyahu’s strategy are expected to be no-shows for the address. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the independent from Vermont, said: “Netanyahu is a war criminal. I certainly will not attend.” Netanyahu’s visit to the Capitol also comes as the relationship between President Joe Biden and the leader of the Jewish state has increasingly frayed in recent months. Biden has privately and publicly criticized Netanyahu’s handling of the war and criticized the Israeli government for not letting more humanitarian aid into Gaza. Late last week, Biden announced a proposed agreement to end the fighting in Gaza, putting growing pressure on Netanyahu to accept the deal. Many Israelis have been urging him to embrace the terms, but his far-right allies have threatened to leave his coalition government if he does. That could expose Netanyahu to new elections, scrutiny over security failures that led to the war and, if he loses the prime minister post, prosecution on longstanding corruption charges. The first phase of the deal described by Biden would last for six weeks and include a “full and complete cease-fire,” a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all densely populated areas of Gaza and the release of a number of hostages, including women, older people and the wounded, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The second phase would include the release of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The third phase calls for the start of a major reconstruction of Gaza, which faces decades of rebuilding from the war’s devastation. Netanyahu has repeatedly called a permanent cease-fire in Gaza a “nonstarter” until long-standing conditions for ending the war are met, appearing to undermine the proposal that Biden described as an Israeli one. A number of Democratic lawmakers who have been supportive of Israel since the start of the war have said their attendance at Netanyahu’s address will be dependent on his decision to accept the peace deal at hand. Johnson first suggested inviting the Israeli leader, saying it would be “a great honor of mine” to invite him. In the press release Thursday, Johnson said Netanyahu responded to the invitation in kind. “I am very moved to have the privilege of representing Israel before both Houses of Congress and to present the truth about our just war against those who seek to destroy us to the representatives of the American people and the entire world,” Netanyahu said, according to the release. 264 IMAGES Speech On Politics A Level English Language Political Speech Analysis Your 4 Step Guide On Writing An Effective Political Speech Political speech The power of words FREE 8+ Campaign Speech Templates in PDF VIDEO Chairman Imran Khan Speech Highlights with English Subtitles ENGLISH SPEECH Election Vocabulary –Talking about presidential elections ( Improve your Spoken English) ENGLISH SPEECH How to Speak English in PUBLIC with POWER and CONFIDENCE COMMENTS Presidential Speeches Search Presidential Speeches. May 31, 2024: Remarks on the Middle East. video icon audio icon transcript icon. March 7, 2024: State of Union Address. video icon audio icon transcript icon. January 5, 2024: Speech on the Third Anniversary of the January 6th Attack. Top 100 Speeches of the 20th Century THE TOP 100 SPEECHES is an index to and substantial database of full text transcriptions of the 100 most significant American political speeches of the 20th century, according to a list compiled by Professors Stephen E. Lucas and Martin J. Medhurst.Dr. Lucas is Evjue-Bascom Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Transcript: Barack Obama's DNC speech 19:06 - Source: CNN. CNN —. Read former President Barack Obama's speech to the 2020 Democratic National Convention, as prepared for delivery: Good evening, everybody. As you've seen by now ... American Rhetoric: The Power of Oratory in the United States Full text, audio, and video database of the 100 most significant American political speeches of the 20th century, according to 137 leading scholars of American public address, as compiled by Stephen E. Lucas (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and Martin J. Medhurst (Baylor University). Discover who made the cut and experience the power of rhetorical eloquence in this provocative list of "who's ... The 15 Most Inspiring Presidential Speeches in American History 15. Obama's "More Perfect Union" Speech. Date: March 18, 2008. Context: While campaigning for the presidency in 2008, Barack Obama came under fire for his relationship with pastor Jeremiah Wright, who had been heard to denounce the United States and accuse the government of racial crimes. Political Speech with English Subtitles Learn and practice your English watching these Political Speeches What makes a great political speech? Each speech was an epic, months in the preparation, but they would not be doing speeches three times a week, as many politicians are now," he says. "In the process, we have devalued the currency a little. The effective political speech, though, remains what it has always been - a mixture of reasoned argument and emotional passion." How To Write A Presidential Speech Goals of the Speech. Presidential speeches have become increasingly important over time as a means to connect with and appeal to the people in order to articulate and drive forward presidential goals, deliver or reflect on tragic or positive news, and more. As Teten put it in his study, "speeches are the core of the modern presidency" (334). Primary Source Set Presidential Speeches Each presidential speech is unique. By working with primary sources from the online collections of the Library of Congress, students can explore the people and events that shaped these speeches. They can also identify the components of an effective speech and discover persuasive strategies that will help make their own speeches presidential. Political Speech for Students and Children Generally speaking, the association of authoritarianism is with strong central power and limited political and individual freedoms. Moreover, libertarianism emphasizes civil liberties, individual rights, and political freedoms over the authority of any kind. Many believe that the word politics is the most negative word in the English language. Analysing Political Speeches: Rhetoric, Discourse and Metaphor Analysing Political Speeches: Rhetoric, Discourse and Metaphor Jonathan Charteris-Black. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. 274 pages, $39.27 (paperback), ISBN 978--23-027439-6 Politics Speech for Students and Children in English Students can also find more English Speech Writing about Welcome Speeches, Farewell Speeches, etc Long And Short Speeches On Politics for Kids And Students in English. We are providing a long Speech on Politics of 500 words and a short speech of 150 words on the same topic along with ten lines about the issue to help readers. 40 Most Famous Speeches In History 17. 1965 Cambridge Union Hall Speech by James Baldwin. "What is dangerous here is the turning away from - the turning away from - anything any white American says. The reason for the political hesitation, in spite of the Johnson landslide is that one has been betrayed by American politicians for so long. Navigating Political English: Vocabulary Guide To sharpen your political English, try these exercises: Follow a political campaign: Choose a candidate and follow their campaign closely. Watch their speeches, read their policy documents, and discuss their platforms with peers. Debate club: Join or start a debate club. Regular debating will improve not only your political vocabulary but also ... Top 100 Speeches of the 20th Century by Rank Speech Bank: Top 100 Speeches: Great New Speeches: Obama Speeches: GWB Speeches: Movie Speeches: Rhetorical Figures: Christian Rhetoric: 9/11 Speeches: News and Research: For Scholars: Rhetoric Defined: Corax v. Tisias: Plato on Rhetoric: Aristotle on Rhetoric: Comm Journals: Comm Associations: Cool Exercises: Rodman & de Ref: Speech Quiz #1 ... Rhetoric, discourse and the hermeneutics of public speech James Martin is Professor of Political Theory at Goldsmiths, University of London. His research includes studies on political rhetoric and Continental political theory. His most recent book is Psychopolitics of Speech: Uncivil Discourse and the Excess of Desire. Bielefeld: transcript Verlag, 2019. The Essential Vocabulary Guide to Political English Or in normal English: So, most Political English and political speeches are just biased propaganda usually written by people who are employed just to write things to make politicians look good who promise, for example, to introduce new measurements to improve services provided by government directly to citizens. Which is a way of saying they ... Politics and the English Language Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation and which can be avoided if one is willing to take the necessary trouble. ... In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible. Things like the continuance of British rule in India, the Russian purges and deportations ... (PDF) Linguistic and Cognitive Features of English-Language Political mass media (T oktagazin et al., 2016; Y elubay et al., 2022). Political discourse is an element of public discourse. It consists of statements made by people belonging to the power. elite ... Glossary of political terms Glossary of political terms. This glossary includes a wide range of words or terms that can be used when talking or writing about politics and related topics. Each term is followed by its part of speech (adjective, noun, verb, etc.) and in some cases UK English or US English is also indicated. The definition is next, followed by an example ... British Political Speech Welcome to BritishPoliticalSpeech. Welcome to British Political Speech, an online archive of British political speech and a place for the discussion, analysis, and critical appreciation of political rhetoric. Our archive currently holds texts of speeches given by Conservative, Labour and Liberal/Liberal Democrat Party leaders going back to 1895. Linguistic features in political speeches This article is devoted to examine political discourse, in particular features of political speeches in English and Arabic Language. Political speeches are often shaped in a specific cultural and … Expand. 2 [PDF] 1 Excerpt; Save. Lexical Incongruity in Translations of American Political Speeches into Arabic. FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces New Actions to Keep Families Since his first day in office, President Biden has called on Congress to secure our border and address our broken immigration system. As Congressional Republicans have continued to put partisan ... The Speech FDR Would Give This was the speech that brought into the political lexicon the term "economic royalists." Roosevelt, in full teaching mode, defined them as the descendants of the British royalists of the Revolutionary era, who "governed without the consent of the governed" and "put the average man's property and the average man's life in pawn to ... Harvard's Dean of Speech Sanctions Dean Bobo wants faculty to be punished for speech he doesn't like. ... English Edition. Edition Print Edition; Video; Audio ... in a 2001 article for the American Political Science Review. Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress on July 24 WASHINGTON (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to address a joint meeting of Congress on July 24, setting the stage for what is expected to be a contentious speech at a crucial moment for the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.. Congressional leaders confirmed the date of the address late Thursday after formally inviting Netanyahu to come speak before lawmakers last week. "We must nurture a new movement for peace," says High Commissioner Chair,Dear Colleagues, Friends,Many thanks for this invitation. I regret that I am unable to join you in person.It is a great privilege to be delivering the first lecture in honour of former Secretary-General Annan.His unwavering commitment to the UN's mission, dedication to the most vulnerable, and his leadership during testing political times, left a deep impression on me. Iranian war criminal and Swedish diplomat prisoner swap criticised by An Iranian war criminal has been exchanged for a Swedish diplomat in a prisoner swap that has triggered a backlash among rights groups. Sweden handed back Hamid Nouri to the Iranian regime on ... assignment essay homework paper report resume review speech thesis