Sources Politics

The Gettysburg Address

By Abraham Lincoln · 1863

Lincoln’s tribute to the dead at Gettysburg and his call to preserve democratic government through a renewed commitment to freedom.

Politics Sources

Abraham Lincoln · 1863
The Gettysburg Address

Lincoln’s tribute to the dead at Gettysburg and his call to preserve democratic government through a renewed commitment to freedom.

John F. Kennedy · 1956
Profiles in Courage

Eight studies of US senators who risked popularity, party support or political careers by taking positions they believed were right.

John F. Kennedy · 1961
Inaugural Address of President John F. Kennedy

Kennedy’s first presidential address, calling for civic responsibility, international cooperation and resolve in confronting Cold War tensions and global poverty.

Abraham Lincoln · 1858
House Divided Speech

Lincoln’s argument that the United States could not remain permanently divided over slavery and would eventually become wholly free or wholly slave.

Abraham Lincoln · 1861
First Inaugural Address

Lincoln’s argument that secession is unlawful, the Union must be preserved, and civil conflict should be avoided through restraint and reconciliation.

Abraham Lincoln · 1863
Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln’s declaration that enslaved people in Confederate areas still in rebellion were free, justified as a wartime measure.

Abraham Lincoln · 1865
Second Inaugural Address

Lincoln’s reflection on slavery as the war’s cause and his appeal for humility, reconciliation and a just peace.

Albert Einstein · 1939
Letter to President Roosevelt

A warning to the United States president that uranium research might produce extremely powerful bombs, and a call for government action.

Winston Churchill · 1940
We shall fight on the beaches

A wartime address reporting the Dunkirk evacuation while preparing Parliament and the British public for continued resistance against Nazi Germany.

Winston Churchill · 1941
Give us the tools

A wartime broadcast reviewing Britain’s military position and appealing to the United States for weapons, equipment, shipping, and material support.

Winston Churchill · 1941
You do your worst—and we will do our best

A wartime address praising Britain’s civil defence services while urging continued vigilance, preparedness, and resistance to German bombing.

Winston Churchill · 1941
Never give in, never

A wartime address to Harrow School urging perseverance, measured judgement, and resistance to apparently overwhelming force during the Second World War.

Theodore Roosevelt · 1910
Citizenship in a Republic

An address on citizenship in democratic societies, examining civic duty, individual responsibility, public service, equality, liberty and political conduct.

John F. Kennedy · 1961
The City Upon a Hill Speech

A farewell address to Massachusetts setting out Kennedy’s standards for public leadership as he prepared to assume the US presidency.

John F. Kennedy · 1961
Kennedy’s Bay of Pigs News Conference

A presidential news conference addressing the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs invasion, government responsibility and wider Cold War policy.

John F. Kennedy · 1962
Address at Rice University on the Nation’s Space Effort

A defence of the US space programme and the goal of reaching the Moon, linking exploration with national ambition, technological progress and Cold War competition.

John F. Kennedy · 1963
Civil Rights Address

A national address framing racial equality as a moral and constitutional issue and calling for federal civil rights legislation.

Eleanor Roosevelt · 1935-1962
My Day

A long-running column combining Roosevelt’s daily experiences with commentary on politics, social reform, civil rights and international affairs.

Eleanor Roosevelt · 1963
Tomorrow is Now

Roosevelt examines American democracy, civil rights and international responsibility, arguing for active citizenship and social progress in a changing world.

Thomas Jefferson · 1776
Declaration of Independence

A declaration asserting the thirteen American colonies’ independence from Britain, grounding separation in natural rights, popular consent, and grievances against the Crown.

Franklin D. Roosevelt · 1933
First Inaugural Address of Franklin D. Roosevelt

Roosevelt’s 1933 inaugural address confronting the Great Depression and calling for decisive government action, economic reform and renewed public confidence.

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