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The 10 Most Important and Influential Speeches in History

  • by history tools
  • May 25, 2024

Throughout history, the spoken word has demonstrated a remarkable power to inspire change, influence minds, and shape the course of human events. While countless speeches have been delivered over the centuries, a select few stand out as pivotal turning points that defined an era and left an indelible mark. What sets these speeches apart is a combination of the historic significance of when they were given, the rhetorical brilliance of the speaker, and the lasting impact of their message.

As a historian, I‘ve analyzed hundreds of notable speeches, and in my expert opinion, these are ten of the most important and influential in world history:

1. Pericles‘ Funeral Oration (431 BC)

Pericles, the famed Athenian statesman, delivered this classic oration near the end of the first year of the Peloponnesian War. Honoring soldiers who had died defending the city-state against Sparta, Pericles used the occasion to champion Athenian democracy and ideals.

In the speech, he extolled the unique virtues of Athens, praising its system of government, glorious achievements, and the unflinching bravery of its citizens. "Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighboring states," Pericles declared. "We are rather a pattern to others than imitators ourselves."

Pericles‘ oration exemplifies the political rhetoric of ancient Greece. Its influence endures to the present day, with many scholars regarding it as a masterpiece of persuasive speaking. The speech itself is also a valuable historical source documenting the Athenian self-image and value system during the classical era.

2. Pope Urban II‘s Speech at the Council of Clermont (1095)

Pope Urban II‘s fiery sermon at the Council of Clermont launched the First Crusade and initiated centuries of religiously-motivated conflict. Speaking to a large crowd of French clergymen and nobles, Urban called for Christians across Europe to take up arms, travel to the Holy Land, and liberate Jerusalem from Muslim rule.

Urban‘s speech was a masterful work of persuasion. He painted vivid pictures of Christians being tortured and holy places desecrated. He promised spiritual rewards for those who took up the cause. "All who die by the way, whether by land or by sea… shall have immediate remission of sins," he proclaimed. Thousands responded to Urban‘s call, setting off a major historical chain reaction.

The crusades had profound and far-reaching consequences for relations between the Christian and Muslim worlds that reverberate to this day. Urban‘s speech thus stands as an enormously influential example of the power of rhetoric to inspire action on a mass scale.

3. Martin Luther‘s Speech at the Diet of Worms (1521)

In 1521, German monk and reformer Martin Luther was summoned before the Diet of Worms and ordered to recant his famous 95 theses criticizing practices of the Catholic Church. In a dramatic moment, Luther refused to back down, declaring "Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen."

As a key figure in the Protestant Reformation, Luther‘s act of defiance was enormously significant. His speech crystalized his challenge to papal authority and defense of the primacy of individual conscience and scriptural interpretation. Soon after, Luther was excommunicated and his writings banned, but the wheels of the Reformation were already in motion.

Luther‘s bold stand inspired others to break with the Church and join the growing reform movement. Within a few decades, Protestantism had spread across much of northern Europe, fundamentally altering the religious landscape and course of Western civilization. The echoes of Luther‘s forceful words continue to shape Christian thought and identity to the present.

4. Patrick Henry‘s "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" Speech (1775)

With revolution brewing in the American colonies, Virginia statesman Patrick Henry delivered this rousing call to arms at the Second Virginia Convention in Richmond. As debates raged over whether to organize a militia to resist British rule, Henry argued forcefully in favor of preparing for war.

Henry‘s speech is renowned for its ardent, uncompromising language and palpable sense of urgency. "The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave," Henry proclaimed. His speech built to a stirring crescendo with its immortal closing lines: "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

Henry‘s impassioned words helped carry the day, with the convention voting to organize a militia. His speech exemplified the revolutionary fervor and rhetoric of the American patriots and has endured as shorthand for the founding generation‘s commitment to the cause of independence.

5. Frederick Douglass‘ "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" Speech (1852)

Delivered to a large anti-slavery gathering in Rochester, New York, this powerful speech by abolitionist leader and former slave Frederick Douglass held a mirror to America‘s glaring hypocrisy on issues of race and freedom. Speaking on July 5th, Douglass used Independence Day as a vehicle to highlight the evils of slavery and the nation‘s failure to extend liberty to all.

With biting irony, Douglass asked "What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?" He went on to catalog slavery‘s horrors in excruciating detail.

Douglass‘ speech was a masterclass in moral rhetoric and a searing indictment of American society. It exemplified Douglass‘ skill as an orator and the uncompromising nature of his advocacy. Douglass‘ words contributed to the rising anti-slavery sentiment in the years before the Civil War and remain startlingly relevant to this day as the nation still grapples with living up to its founding creed.

6. Abraham Lincoln‘s Gettysburg Address (1863)

On November 19, 1863, at the dedication of a cemetery for Union soldiers killed in the Battle of Gettysburg, President Abraham Lincoln delivered a speech for the ages. In just 272 words, Lincoln encapsulated the very meaning of the Civil War and the promise of America‘s founding ideals.

Lincoln‘s masterful use of parallelism and repetition emphasized his key themes of equality, freedom, and democratic government. "We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain," Lincoln intoned, "that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

The Gettysburg Address redefined the American experiment and crystalized the higher purpose behind the Union cause. It stands as perhaps the most iconic distillation of American values ever uttered. Lincoln‘s words not only consecrated the sacrifice of the fallen soldiers but with soaring, poetic language, held out the promise of a "new birth of freedom" for the nation. The speech endures as a north star, guiding Americans to live up to their highest ideals.

7. Emmeline Pankhurst‘s "Freedom or Death" Speech (1913)

As a leader of the British women‘s suffrage movement in the early 20th century, Emmeline Pankhurst was instrumental in the campaign to secure women the right to vote. Her 1913 speech in Hartford, Connecticut defended the increasingly militant tactics adopted by suffragettes and laid bare the stakes of the struggle.

Pankhurst described the humiliating and often brutal treatment suffragettes endured in their fight for equality. "Where peaceful means had failed, revolutionary means must be applied," she declared. In explaining their resolve, she avowed "We will put the enemy in the position where they will have to choose between giving us freedom or giving us death."

Pankhurst‘s speech exemplified the ferocity and commitment of the suffragettes and the hardships they were willing to endure in pursuit of their righteous cause. Her words helped galvanize support for women‘s suffrage on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1918, Britain granted some women the right to vote, though full voting equality wasn‘t achieved until 1928, shortly after Pankhurst‘s death.

8. Winston Churchill‘s "We Shall Fight on the Beaches" Speech (1940)

In the early days of World War II, as a German invasion of Britain appeared imminent, Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered a defiant address to Parliament that embodied the fighting spirit of the nation. Churchill‘s soaring rhetoric and vow to never surrender in the face of Nazi aggression rallied the British people.

Churchill‘s mastery of language and ability to connect with his audience were on full display. "We shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be," he thundered, "we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."

The speech was a crucial moment for Churchill and for Britain. It aimed to boost morale, stiffen resolve, and signal defiance to the enemy. Radio broadcasts spread Churchill‘s words across the globe, with the speech becoming an iconic symbol of British courage and perseverance in their "finest hour." Historians widely regard it as a decisive moment that helped turn the tide of the war.

9. Jawaharlal Nehru‘s "Tryst with Destiny" Speech (1947)

On the eve of India‘s independence from Britain in August 1947, the country‘s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru delivered this historic address to the nation. Against the backdrop of the partitioning of India and Pakistan, Nehru used the occasion to reflect on India‘s long freedom struggle and share his vision for the country‘s future.

"Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny," Nehru began, referring to India‘s centuries-long subjugation, "and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge." He spoke of India‘s great contributions to world civilization and the challenges that lay ahead in fighting poverty, inequality, and disease.

The speech is renowned for its poetic language and the sense of history being made. Nehru‘s words captured the profound emotions and aspirations of the world‘s largest democracy at its birth. With radio carrying his speech across the subcontinent, Nehru‘s address was a defining statement of Indian identity, purpose, and resolve. It reverberates as a touchstone in India to this day.

10. Martin Luther King Jr.‘s "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)

On August 28, 1963, at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech for the ages. Speaking to a massive crowd from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, King‘s address was a defining moment of the American civil rights movement and an iconic call for justice and equality.

King‘s mastery of language and delivery, his use of metaphor and historical and religious allusions, all created an unforgettable impact. He used a phrase from a traditional hymn to express his stirring vision in terms that still resound: "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.‘"

The televised speech reached a vast audience and contributed to the groundswell of support for civil rights legislation. King‘s words gave voice to the hopes and dreams of generations who had suffered discrimination and oppression. Today, the speech endures as one of the most recognizable and quoted in American history, and continues to inspire those fighting for social justice.

Metrics and data on selected speeches:

  • Foner, E. (2014). Give Me Liberty!: An American History. W. W. Norton & Company.
  • Garrow, D. J. (1986). Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. William Morrow & Co.
  • Hansen, D. D. (2003). The Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Speech that Inspired a Nation. Ecco.
  • Keegan, J. (1989). The Second World War. Viking.
  • Manchester, W. & Reid, P. (2012). The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965. Little, Brown and Company.

In summary, each of these speeches stands as a turning point in history – through the power of their language, the passion of their delivery, and the lasting significance of their message. From ancient times to the modern era, they exemplify the vital role of oratory in shaping human events. While only a sample of history‘s most important addresses, these speeches had an outsized impact in defining their times and continue to resonate long after their echoes faded away. As a historian, I believe studying the context and impact of these pivotal moments of eloquence and persuasion provides invaluable insight into the tides of history and the human condition.

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Speech History

  • Author: James Scholes
  • Download stable version

This is an updated version of the Clip Copy add-on for NVDA, initially created by Tyler Spivey in 2012. The add-on is compatible with NVDA versions from 2020.4 to 2024.1.

The original version of the add-on offered two keystrokes:

  • F12: Copy the most recent spoken text to the clipboard
  • Shift+F12: Toggle an optional beep on new text

In this version:

  • You can review the 500 most recent items spoken by NVDA, by default using the hotkeys Shift+F11 and Shift+F12.
  • Pressing F12 will copy the currently selected item from the history, which is updated to be the most recent each time NVDA speaks. In other words, F12 still behaves as it did in the older add-on, unless you've specifically selected an older spoken item to copy.
  • You can capture multiple speech history items in realtime, which is useful for e.g. bug reports without copying from the Speech Viewer. Press NVDA+Shift+F11 to start recording, use NVDA as normal, and then press NVDA+Shift+F12 to stop recording. All recorded speech will be copied to the clipboard, with items separated by a line break ( \n ).
  • The beep on new text function has been removed.