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Published on: July 3rd, 2020

15 Great Speeches to Remind America what Independence Day is About

This year we will celebrate the 244 th anniversary of American independence. This day does not only represent the creation of a new nation, but the creation of a new civilization, one founded on the principles of freedom, self-government, and equality. Here are 15 speeches to inspire new vigor for our founding principles. Looking at who and what we were will help us remember who and what we ought to be.

1. Patrick Henry, “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” 1775

Patrick Henry gave this speech in 1775 at the Virginia Convention. It took place only a few months after the assembly of the first Continental Congress had sent King George III a petition for the redress of grievances. Boston Harbor was also blockaded by the British in retaliation for the Boston Tea Party. Tensions were high, revolution seemed inevitable, but still many political leaders in Virginia held out hope that the relationship with Great Britain could be restored. Patrick Henry sought to dispel them of that notion.

Patrick Henry was a lawyer and had a reputation as one of the greatest opponents of British taxation. In this speech he argues passionately for independence. He made his case clear in the opening of his speech stating, “For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery…” He chides the assembly for indulging in “illusions of hope” for passively waiting “to be betrayed with a kiss” and for falling prey to the siren songs of the British.

He reminds the assembly of the lengths the colonists have gone to in order to plead their case to the British, “We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament.” He then states how the British have received such outreach, “Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne.”

Next is Henry’s powerful call to action, a call that would galvanize the colonies into declaring independence from Great Britain:

In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that is left us! … Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave… There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come. It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? 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!

Read Patrick’s entire speech . Watch Patrick’s speech on YouTube .

2. Samuel Adams, “On American Independence” 1776

Samuel Adams was a delegate to the First Continental Congress in 1774, was a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, helped get the Constitution ratified in the Massachusetts Convention, and became Governor of Massachusetts in 1794.

In this speech Adams recognizes that this was not simply a battle that would determine the fate of two nations, but the fate of the world at large. He declared, “Courage, then, my countrymen; our contest is not only whether we ourselves shall be free, but whether there shall be left to mankind an asylum on earth for civil and religious liberty.”

Adams notes the ability of men to “deliberately and voluntarily” form for themselves a political society. He cites John Hampden, John Locke, and Algernon Sidney whose ideas and actions paved the way for such a feat. Of this new founding he states:

Other nations have received their laws from conquerors; some are indebted for a constitution to the suffering of their ancestors through revolving centuries. The people of this country, alone, have formally and deliberately chosen a government for themselves, and with open and uninfluenced consent bound themselves into a social compact. Here no man proclaims his birth or wealth as a title to honorable distinction, or to sanctify ignorance and vice with the name of hereditary authority. He who has most zeal and ability to promote public felicity, let him be the servant of the public. This is the only line of distinction drawn by nature. Leave the bird of night to the obscurity for which nature intended him, and expect only from the eagle to brush the clouds with his wings and look boldly in the face of the sun.

He like Patrick Henry then gives a call to action:

We have no other alternative than independence, or the most ignominious and galling servitude. The legions of our enemies thicken on our plains; desolation and death mark their bloody career, while the mangled corpses of our countrymen seem to cry out to us as a voice from heaven.

Lastly, Adams ends his address declaring the people of America the guardians of their own liberty. Then with an ode to the ancient Roman republic he ends stating, “Nothing that we propose can pass into a law without your consent. Be yourselves, O Americans, the authors of those laws on which your happiness depends.”

You can read Samuel Adams' full speech .

3. John Quincy Adams, “An Address Celebrating the Declaration of Independence” 1821

Adams begins the speech recounting the first settlers of the Plymouth colony and how they entered into a written covenant with one another on the eve of their landing. Of this event he states,

Thus was a social compact formed upon the elementary principles of civil society, in which conquest and servitude had no part. The slough of brutal force was entirely cast off; all was voluntary; all was unbiased consent; all was the agreement of soul with soul.

Adams continues to trace America’s historical and political development throughout the speech. He recalls how the British mistreated the colonists from the beginning, citing how Britain went against its own ideas and principles in denying the colonists representation and consent. He states, “For the independence of North America, there were ample and sufficient causes in the laws of moral and physical nature.”

Adams’ ode to the Declaration of Independence is most worth reading:

It was the first solemn declaration by a nation of the only legitimate foundation of civil government. It was the corner stone of a new fabric, destined to cover the surface of the globe. It demolished at a stroke the lawfulness of all governments founded upon conquest. It swept away all the rubbish of accumulated centuries of servitude. It announced in practical form to the world the transcendent truth of the unalienable sovereignty of the people. It proved that the social compact was no figment of the imagination; but a real, solid, and sacred bond of the social union. From the day of this declaration, the people of North America were no longer the fragment of a distant empire, imploring justice and mercy from an inexorable master in another hemisphere. They were no longer children appealing in vain to the sympathies of a heartless mother; no longer subjects leaning upon the shattered columns of royal promises, and invoking the faith of parchment to secure their rights. They were a nation, asserting as of right, and maintaining by war, its own existence. A nation was born in a day. […] [T]hat a new civilization had come, a new spirit had arisen on this side of the Atlantic more advanced and more developed in its regard for the rights of the individual than that which characterized the Old World. Life in a new and open country had aspirations which could not be realized in any subordinate position. A separate establishment was ultimately inevitable. It had been decreed by the very laws of human nature. Man everywhere has an unconquerable desire to be the master of his own destiny.

Adams goes on to pronounce that the Declaration was more than the “mere secession of territory” and the “establishment of a nation.” No, these things have occurred before, but the Declaration of Independence not only liberated America but ennobled all of humanity, he stated. 

You can read John Quincy Adams' entire speech here .

  4. Daniel Webster “Speech at the laying of the cornerstone of the capitol,” July 4, 1851.

Daniel Webster was one of the most prominent lawyers in the 19 th century, arguing over 200 cases before the Supreme Court. He also represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in Congress and was Secretary of State under three presidents. Webster is also known for his speech in Congress, called the Second Reply to Hayne, which derided the theory of nullification espoused by John C. Calhoun.

Webster’s speech on the occasion of laying the Capital building’s cornerstone had a patriotic tone, He begins with the celebratory declaration, “This is America! This is Washington! And this the Capitol of the United States!”

Of the Founding generation Webster stated,

The Muse inspiring our Fathers was the Genius of Liberty, all on fire with a sense of oppression, and a resolution to throw it off; the whole world was the stage and higher characters than princes trod it… how well the characters were cast, and how well each acted his part…

He went on to speak about the tremendous sacrifice the men who signed the Declaration paid. “It was sealed in blood,” he stated. Of the liberty that the Founding generation bestowed upon successive generations Webster said,

Every man’s heart swells within him; every man’s port and bearing becomes somewhat more proud and lofty, as he remembers that seventy-five years have rolled away, and that the great inheritance of liberty is still his; his undiminished and unimpaired; his in all its original glory’ his to enjoy’ his to protect; and his to transmit to future generations.

Finally, Webster made clear that American liberty is unique among nations,

I have said, gentlemen, that our inheritance is an inheritance of American liberty. That liberty is characteristic, peculiar, and altogether our own. Nothing like it existed in former times, nor was known in the most enlightened States of antiquity; while with us its principles have become interwoven into the minds of individual men… […] And, finally another most important part of the great fabric of American liberty is, that there shall be written constitutions, founded on the immediate authority of the people themselves, and regulating and restraining all the powers conferred upon Government, whether legislative, executive, or judicial.

You can read Daniel Webster's entire speech here .

5. Frederick Douglass, “What to the slave is the 4 th of July?”  July 5, 1852

He spoke about the Founding Fathers as men of courage who “preferred revolution to peaceful submission to bondage.” Of the “fathers of this republic” he said, “They were statesmen, patriots and heroes, and for the good they did, and the principles they contended for, I will unite with you to honor their memory.”

Drawing a contrast between the Founders and the men of his generation advocating the positive good of slavery Douglass stated,

They believed in order; but not in the order of tyranny. With them, nothing was “settled” that was not right. With them, justice, liberty and humanity were “final;” not slavery and oppression. You may well cherish the memory of such men. They were great in their day and generation. Their solid manhood stands out the more as we contrast it with these degenerate times.

Douglass encouraged Americans to celebrate the Declaration as the ring-bolt to the chains of the United Sates’ destiny. “The principles contained in that instrument are saving principles. Stand by those principles, be true to them on all occasions, in all places, against all foes, and at whatever cost,” he stated.

Douglass then rightly points out that America was not living up to its own ideals as laid out in the Declaration when it came to the millions of black men and women still enslaved. He stated,

Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? 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? and am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us?

Of Slavery’s effects on the American union he declared, “It fetters your progress; it is the enemy of improvement, the deadly foe of education; it fosters pride; it breeds insolence; it promotes vice; it shelters crime; it is a curse to the earth that supports it…”

He goes on to explain that this anniversary does not yet include black men and women. He stated, “The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me.” Yet Douglass was optimistic that this would soon change. He called the Constitution a “GLORIOUS LIBERTY DOCUMENT.” He exhorted the assembly to consider the Constitution’s preamble and ask themselves if slavery was listed as one of its purposes.

He finished his momentous speech by saying, 

Allow me to say, in conclusion, notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country. There are forces in operation, which must inevitably work the downfall of slavery. “The arm of the Lord is not shortened,” and the doom of slavery is certain. I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope. While drawing encouragement from the Declaration of Independence, the great principles it contains, and the genius of American Institutions, my spirit is also cheered by the obvious tendencies of the age.

You can read Frederick Douglass' entire speech here .

6. Abraham Lincoln, Electric Cord Speech, 1858

In this speech often titled, “Speech at Chicago, Illinois” Abraham Lincoln replies to Senator Stephen Douglas’ conception of popular sovereignty. This was a theory that argued that each new territory should be able to decide whether or not to have slavery within their borders instead of allowing the federal government to decide. Lincoln saw this as a repeal of the Missouri Compromise which kept slavery relegated to the South.

To make his case against popular sovereignty and the expansion of slavery Lincoln argues that the adopters of the Constitution decreed that slavery should not go into the new territory and that the slave trade should be cut off within twenty years by an act of Congress. “What were [these provisions] but a clear indication that the framers of the Constitution intended and expected the ultimate extinction of that institution,” Lincoln asked the crowd.

After expounding upon the evils of slavery and recent actions to preserve the institution Lincoln turns to the Declaration of Independence for support. He stated,

We hold this annual celebration to remind ourselves of all the good done in this process of time of how it was done and who did it, and how we are historically connected with it; and we go from these meetings in better humor with ourselves—we feel more attached the one to the other and more firmly bound to the country we inhabit. In every way we are better men in the age, and race, and country in which we live for these celebrations. But after we have done all this we have not yet reached the whole. There is something else connected with it. We have besides these men—descended by blood from our ancestors—among us perhaps half our people who are not descendants at all of these men, they are men who have come from Europe—German, Irish, French and Scandinavian—men that have come from Europe themselves, or whose ancestors have come hither and settled here, finding themselves our equals in all things. If they look back through this history to trace their connection with those days by blood, they find they have none, they cannot carry themselves back into that glorious epoch and make themselves feel that they are part of us, but when they look through that old Declaration of Independence they find that those old men say that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,” and then they feel that that moral sentiment taught in that day evidences their relation to those men, that it is the father of all moral principle in them, and that they have a right to claim it as though they were blood of the blood, and flesh of the flesh of the men who wrote that Declaration, (loud and long continued applause) and so they are. That is the electric cord in that Declaration that links the hearts of patriotic and liberty-loving men together, that will link those patriotic hearts as long as the love of freedom exists in the minds of men throughout the world.

You can read the entire Electric Cord speech here .

7. Abraham Lincoln, Address in Independence Hall, February 22, 1861

On Abraham Lincoln's inaugural journey to Washington as president-elect, he stopped in Philadelphia at the site where the Declaration of Independence had been signed. There he said,

I have never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence. I have often pondered over the dangers which were incurred by the men who assembled here, and framed and adopted that Declaration of Independence. I have pondered over the toils that were endured by the officers and soldiers of the army who achieved that Independence. I have often inquired of myself, what great principle or idea it was that kept this Confederacy so long together. It was not the mere matter of the separation of the Colonies from the motherland; but that sentiment in the Declaration of Independence which gave liberty, not alone to the people of this country, but, I hope, to the world, for all future time. It was that which gave promise that in due time the weight would be lifted from the shoulders of all men. This is a sentiment embodied in the Declaration of Independence.

You can read the entire address in Independence Hall here .

8. Abraham Lincoln, Fragments on the Constitution and Union, January 1, 1861

This short selection is not part of Lincoln’s tome of public speeches. One theory is that Lincoln wrote it while composing his first inaugural address. It is noteworthy because of Lincoln’s argument that what is most important about America are the principles and ideals it was founded upon. That principle, he states, is “Liberty to all.”

The  expression  of that principle, in our Declaration of Independence, was most happy, and fortunate.  Without  this, as well as  with  it, we could have declared our independence of Great Britain; but  without  it, we could not, I think, have secured our free government, and consequent prosperity. No oppressed, people will  fight,  and  endure,  as our fathers did, without the promise of something better, than a mere change of masters. The assertion of that principle, at that time, was the word, “fitly spoken” which has proved an “apple of gold” to us. The Union, and the Constitution, are the picture of silver, subsequently framed around it. The picture was made, not to conceal, or destroy the apple; but to adorn, and preserve it. The picture was made for the apple–not the apple for the picture.

Read the entire Fragments on the Constitution and Union selection here .

9. Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863

Aside from our original founding documents the Gettysburg address is perhaps the most important American creed ever written. It signifies America’s second founding or the moment our first founding more fully aligned with its own ideals. Since its decree America has begun to live in what Lincoln called “a new birth of freedom.” Here are selections from the address:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. […] It is rather for us, the living, we here be dedicated to the great task remaining before us that, from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here, gave the last full measure of devotion that we here highly resolve these dead shall not have died in vain; that the nation, 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.

You can read the full Gettysburg Address here .

10. Winston Churchill, “The Third Great Title-Deed of Anglo-American Liberties” July 4, 1918

A great harmony exists between the spirit and language of the Declaration of Independence and all we are fighting for now. A similar harmony exists between the principles of that Declaration and all that the British people have wished to stand for, and have in fact achieved at last both here at home and in the self-governing Dominions of the Crown. The Declaration of Independence is not only an American document. It follows on Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights as the third great title-deed on which the liberties of the English-speaking people are founded.

Read Churchill's entire speech here .

11. Calvin Coolidge, “Speech on the 150 th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, July 5 1926

 Calvin Coolidge, the 30 th president of the United States, was sworn in after President Harding’s unexpected death. Harding’s administration was steeped in scandal. Coolidge is known for restoring integrity to the executive branch by rooting out corruption and being a model of integrity.

Coolidge gave his Fourth of July Speech in Philadelphia, the birthplace of our nation. There he pointed to the Liberty Bell as a great American symbol,

It is little wonder that people at home and abroad consider Independence Hall as hallowed ground and revere the Liberty Bell as a sacred relic. That pile of bricks and mortar, that mass of metal, might appear to the uninstructed as only the outgrown meeting place and the shattered bell of a former time, useless now because of more modern conveniences, but to those who know they have become consecrated by the use which men have made of them. They have long been identified with a great cause. They are the framework of a spiritual event.

Of the Declaration Coolidge stated,

It was not because it was proposed to establish a new nation, but because it was proposed to establish a nation on new principles, that July 4, 1776, has come to be regarded as one of the greatest days in history. Great ideas do not burst upon the world unannounced. They are reached by a gradual development over a length of time usually proportionate to their importance. This is especially true of the principles laid down in the Declaration of Independence. Three very definite propositions were set out in its preamble regarding the nature of mankind and therefore of government. These were the doctrine that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain inalienable rights, and that therefore the source of the just powers of government must be derived from the consent of the governed.

Of his trust in our Founding documents he said,

It is not so much, then, for the purpose of undertaking to proclaim new theories and principles that this annual celebration is maintained, but rather to reaffirm and reestablish those old theories and principles which time and the unerring logic of events have demonstrated to be sound. Amid all the clash of conflicting interests, amid all the welter of partisan politics, every American can turn for solace and consolation to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States with the assurance and confidence that those two great charters of freedom and justice remain firm and unshaken. Whatever perils appear, whatever dangers threaten, the Nation remains secure in the knowledge that the ultimate application of the law of the land will provide an adequate defense and protection.

Read Coolidge's full speech here .

12. John F. Kennedy, “Some Elements of the American Character” July 4, 1946

John F. Kennedy gave this speech as a candidate for Congress. In it he offers a robust defense of America’s founding. He lauds America’s religious character and derides the theory that America’s founders were concerned purely with economic interests. He explicitly states,

In recent years, the existence of this element in the American character has been challenged by those who seek to give an economic interpretation to American history. They seek to destroy our faith in our past so that they may guide our future. These cynics are wrong…

 Kennedy instead argues,

In Revolutionary times, the cry "No taxation without representation" was not an economic complaint. Rather, it was directly traceable to the eminently fair and just principle that no sovereign power has the right to govern without the consent of the governed. Anything short of that was tyranny. It was against this tyranny that the colonists "fired the shot heard 'round the world."

Kennedy then espouses a political theory of the American founding that relies on natural rights, 

The American Constitution has set down for all men to see the essentially Christian and American principle that there are certain rights held by every man which no government and no majority, however powerful, can deny. Conceived in Grecian thought, strengthened by Christian morality, and stamped indelibly into American political philosophy, the right of the individual against the State is the keystone of our Constitution. Each man is free.

You can read John F. Kennedy's full speech here .

13. Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have a Dream” 1963

Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech” is another great cry from another great man declaring that America was not living up to its founding principles.

King begins his speech by harkening back to Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. He states, “This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice.” Yet, he argues, 100 years later black men and women are still not free. To right this wrong, he points to the Declaration,

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

King refused to believe that there was no hope. He said,

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

King’s dream inspired a nation to live up to its ideals. His beautiful words have become iconic,

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."

 You can read and listen to "I Have a Dream" in full here .

14. Martin Luther King Jr. “The American Dream” Sermon Delivered at Ebenezar Baptist Church” July 4, 1965

In this sermon delivered on July 4, 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. locates the substance of the American dream within the Declaration of Independence. About the statement, “All men are created equal,” King states, “The first saying we notice in this dream is an amazing universalism. It doesn’t say “some men,” it says “all men.”

King goes on to explain to the congregation what separates the United States from other nations around the world.

 Then that dream goes on to say another thing that ultimately distinguishes our nation and our form of government from any totalitarian system in the world. It says that each of us has certain basic rights that are neither derived from or conferred by the state.

As the source of these inalienable rights King points to the fact that they are God-given. “Never before in the history of the world has a sociopolitical document expressed in such profound, eloquent, and unequivocal language the dignity and the worth of human personality,” he said.

King goes on to point out that America has not lived up to this dream. He describes America as being “divided against herself.” He argues that America cannot afford an “anemic democracy.”

He however professed hope that this dream will challenge America to remember her “noble capacity for justice and love and brotherhood.” He further challenged America to respect the “dignity and worth of all human personality” and to live up to the ideal that “all men are created equal.”

King clarifies that equality does not mean that every musician is a Mozart or every philosopher an Aristotle, but that all men are “equal in intrinsic worth.” He points to the Biblical concept of imago dei . He states, “[T]are no gradations in the image of God. Every man from a treble white to a bass black is significant on God’s keyboard, precisely because every man is made in the image of God. He ends his sermon with these powerful words,

We have a dream. It started way back in 1776, and God grant that America will be true to her dream. I still have a dream this morning that truth will reign supreme and all of God’s children will respect the dignity and worth of human personality. And when this day comes the morning stars will sing together and the sons of God will shout for joy.

Read Martin Luther King Jr.'s full sermon here .

15. Ronald Reagan, “Address to the Nation on Independence Day” July 4, 1986

In this speech Reagan recalls the moment of the signing of the Declaration,

Fifty-six men came forward to sign the parchment. It was noted at the time that they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honors. And that was more than rhetoric; each of those men knew the penalty for high treason to the Crown. ``We must all hang together,'' Benjamin Franklin said, ``or, assuredly, we will all hang separately.'' And John Hancock, it is said, wrote his signature in large script so King George could see it without his spectacles. They were brave. They stayed brave through all the bloodshed of the coming years. Their courage created a nation built on a universal claim to human dignity, on the proposition that every man, woman, and child had a right to a future of freedom.

Reagan also talked about the beautiful friendship between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. He noted how they died on the same day, July 4 th , exactly 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It was their first gift to us, Reagan said.

My fellow Americans, it falls to us to keep faith with them and all the great Americans of our past. Believe me, if there's one impression I carry with me after the privilege of holding for 5 ½ years the office held by Adams and Jefferson and Lincoln, it is this: that the things that unite us -- America's past of which we're so proud, our hopes and aspirations for the future of the world and this much-loved country -- these things far outweigh what little divides us. And so tonight we reaffirm that Jew and gentile, we are one nation under God; that black and white, we are one nation indivisible; that Republican and Democrat, we are all Americans. Tonight, with heart and hand, through whatever trial and travail, we pledge ourselves to each other and to the cause of human freedom, the cause that has given light to this land and hope to the world.

You can watch Ronald Reagan's speech here or read Reagan's speech here .

About Hillsdale in D.C.

Hillsdale in D.C. is an extension of the teaching mission of Hillsdale College to Washington, D.C. Its purpose is to teach the Constitution and the principles that give it meaning. Through the study of original source documents from American history—and of older books that formed the education of America’s founders—it seeks to inspire students, teachers, citizens, and policymakers to return the America’s principles to their central place in the political life of the nation.

About Hillsdale College

Hillsdale College is an independent liberal arts college located in southern Michigan. Founded in 1844, the College has built a national reputation through its classical liberal arts core curriculum and its principled refusal to accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies, even indirectly in the form of student grants or loans. It also conducts an outreach effort promoting civil and religious liberty, including a free monthly speech digest, Imprimis , with a circulation of more than 5.7 million. For more information, visit hillsdale.edu .

‘What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?’: The History of Frederick Douglass’ Searing Independence Day Oration

A merica has been working to fully live up to the ideals laid out in the Declaration of Independence ever since the document was printed on July 4, 1776. So while the U.S. tends to go all out celebrating freedom on the Fourth of July, alternate independence commemorations held a day later often draw attention to a different side of that story, with readings of the Frederick Douglass speech best known today as “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”

The speech was originally delivered at a moment when the country was fiercely locked in debate over the question of slavery, but there’s a reason why it has remained famous more than 150 years after emancipation, says David Blight, author of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize winning biography Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom.

To some, celebrations of American independence on July 4 are a reminder of the country’s hypocrisy on the matter of freedom, as slavery played a key role in the nation’s history; even today, America’s history of racism is still being written , while other forms of modern-day slavery persist in the U.S. and around the world . For those who feel that way, July 5 may be an easier day to celebrate: on that day in 1827, 4,000 African Americans paraded down Broadway in New York City to celebrate the end of slavery in their state.

More from TIME

One person who felt that way was Douglass, the famous abolitionist, who was himself born into slavery. When the Ladies Anti-Slavery Society of Rochester, N.Y., invited Douglass to give a July 4 speech in 1852, Douglass opted to speak on July 5 instead.

Addressing an audience of about 600 at the newly constructed Corinthian Hall, he started out by acknowledging that the signers of the Declaration of Independence were “brave” and “great” men, and that the way they wanted the Republic to look was in the right spirit. But, he said, speaking more than a decade before slavery was ended nationally, a lot of work still needed to be done so that all citizens can enjoy “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Above “your national, tumultuous joy” — the July 4th celebrations of white Americans — were the “mournful wails of millions” whose heavy chains “are, today, rendered more intolerable by the jubilee shouts that reach them.”

In the oration’s most famous passages, Douglass discussed what it felt like to see such festivities and to know independence was not a given for people like him:

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? and am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us?… I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn… What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in 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 denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; 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 on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour.

Douglass’ speech also foreshadowed the bloody reckoning to come: Civil War. “For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder,” he said. “We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.”

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At the time Douglass spoke, Blight says, the opportunity was ripe for a lecture on the moral crisis.

“ Uncle Tom’s Cabin had just been published that spring and was taking the country by storm. The country was in the midst of crises over fugitive slave rescues in the wake of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. The political party system was beginning to tear itself asunder over the expansion of slavery,” he says. “It’s also an election year; the 1852 presidential election was heating up that summer. The Nativist party is rising. It’s an extraordinary political moment.”

It was a turbulent time for Douglass personally, too. In the late 1840s and into the 1850s, his finances were tight, and he was struggling to sustain the newspaper he founded, The North Star . He’d had a breakdown in the early 1850s, and was having trouble supporting his family. His friend Julia Griffith, the treasurer of the Rochester group that invited him to give the 1852 speech, was one of the people helping him fund-raise to keep the paper alive.

The message wasn’t new — Douglass promoted those ideas year-round — but Blight says he knew the Fourth of July was a good hook, and expected the speech to be a hit. He had it printed immediately after delivering it and then went out on the road and sold it for 50 cents a copy or $6 for a hundred. “He does some of his greatest writing in early 1850s during this terrible personal crisis,” Blight says, “and right there in the middle of it comes the greatest speech he’s ever delivered, of the hundreds of speeches he delivered in his life.”

“It’s the birth of American Independence, the birth of a nation, and what the speech is saying is you must destroy first what you created and remake it, or it will be destroyed — and you with it,” says Blight.

Douglass continued to add to the speech in the years that followed. On July 4, 1862 — with the war underway — he addressed an audience of about 2,000 in Himrods Corner, N.Y.; Blight argues that his shift then from addressing simply “you” to discussing the Revolution as something undertaken by “your fathers, and my fathers” indicates he believed emancipation will happen more than he did a decade earlier.

President Lincoln did issue the Emancipation Proclamation six months later — but even after the war’s end, Douglass continued to use the Fifth of July to draw attention to the nation’s track record on the idea celebrated on the Fourth. On July 5, 1875, as Reconstruction brought its own fears, like violence from the Ku Klux Klan, Douglass shifted his speech for the day, asking, “If war among the whites brought peace and liberty to the blacks, what will peace among the whites bring?” But the 1852 “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” speech remains the best known of his addresses on the occasion, especially as it became even more widely read in the late-20th century, with events like the public readings sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council and a powerful reading by James Earl Jones in 2004.

Douglass’ message — about America struggling to live up to the lofty goals it set for itself at the founding — continues to be relevant, says Blight.

“He would use the Fourth of July for its irony over and over and over, just like the Declaration of Independence is used to remind the country of its potential and promise, and to him, race was always the measure of that,” he says. “America, by its nature, is never quite fulfilling all of those promises.”

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The July 4 speeches that helped define what America is — or what it should be

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Generations ago, America’s leading political figures delivered many of their most eloquent orations not in the chambers of the Capitol but from local gazebos and bandstands on Independence Day. Before large crowds on town greens or in front of fire halls, they would harken back to the lessons of the nation’s Founders, often holding their audiences spellbound for an hour, perhaps even more.

American presidents still deliver pro-forma July Fourth messages; last year President Trump, in a remarkable personal version of history and the capabilities of George Washington’s Revolutionary War forces, said that “our Army manned the air, it rammed the ramparts, it took over the airports. ”

But the grand tradition of the Independence Day oration has largely disappeared. Today’s audiences are unaccustomed to the patriotic rhetoric that once commanded attention. Indeed, the standard themes of July Fourths past — paeans to the wisdom of Washington, suggestions that his Revolutionary comrades were soldiers in God’s own cause — now possess an antiquarian, almost alien air.

“A politician’s Fourth of July speech may seem anodyne and clichéd,” said Rutgers historian David Greenberg. “But it also contributes in some way to understanding and perhaps subtly redefining, in that moment and from that political perspective, what Americanism is or should be.”

And there are lessons in these orations of a long-ago age. They are period pieces, and yet they underline in the 21st century how the 18th century Enlightenment values embedded in the Declaration of Independence have not been redeemed or realized.

“If democracy is America’s civic religion, then its sacred text is the Declaration of Independence ,” said Martin Kaplan, a USC expert on media and society. “What better occasion for a secular sermon about our founding values than the anniversary of our birth certificate? The first time many Americans heard their unalienable rights proclaimed was with their own ears, listening to its text. In a way, every Fourth of July speech since then has been a reenactment of that first declaration, renewed and recommitted in the terms of its changing times.”

So as the 244th celebration of American Independence draws near, let us pause and draw inspiration, and perhaps wisdom, from this holiday sampler of Fourth of July addresses of the past:

Daniel Webster, July 4, 1800

“It becomes us, on whom the defence of our country will ere long devolve, this day, most seriously to reflect on the duties incumbent upon us. Our ancestors bravely snatched expiring liberty from the grasp of Britain, whose touch is poison... Shall we, their descendants, now basely disgrace our lineage, and pusillanimously disclaim the legacy bequeathed to us? Shall we pronounce the sad valediction to freedom, and immolate liberty on the altars our fathers have raised to her?”

Of all the remarkable elements of Webster’s life, what might be most remarkable was that the citizens of Hanover, N.H., invited him as a Dartmouth junior to deliver a speech at the tiny college town’s Independence Day commemoration. At age 18, Webster consciously looked to the past (by invoking the greatness of Washington, who had died earlier that year) and eerily foreshadowed the future (by providing a direct antecedent to the message John F. Kennedy would offer when he bid Americans to “ask what you can do for your country”).

These words also remind us that these moral principles are at the heart of the American creed, a theme that John Quincy Adams would return to on July 4, 1821, when he spoke of how the American Revolution “swept away all the rubbish of accumulated centuries of servitude” and “proved that the social compact was no figment of the imagination, but a real, solid, and sacred bond of the social union.”

Charles Sumner, July 4, 1845

“Nothing resembles God more than that man among us who has arrived at the highest degree of justice. The true greatness of nations is in those qualities which constitute the greatness of the individual. It is not to be found in extent of territory, nor in vastness of population, nor in wealth; not in fortifications, or armies, or navies; not in the phosphorescent glare of fields of battle; not in Golgothas, though covered by monuments that kiss the clouds; for all these are the creatures and representatives of those qualities of our nature, which are unlike any thing in God’s nature.”

These remarks by Sumner, who would become known as one of the Senate’s most ardent opponents of slavery, are part of a larger speech delivered six months before Texas joined the Union. In summoning an image of Golgotha, the Jerusalem hillside where Christ was crucified, and in decrying the prospect of war with Mexico, Sumner offered a vivid celebration of the concept of justice. This is a meditation on eternal truths that we might embrace in our own time, when the killings of men in Minneapolis and Atlanta remind us that we have not yet arrived at “the highest degree of justice.”

Frederick Douglass, July 5, 1852

“The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn...”

Speaking in Rochester, N.Y ., the Black abolitionist and statesman opened by asserting that he was “not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic.” Douglass, perhaps the greatest orator in our history, escaped slavery and in in his freedom spoke across the country, assuring that Americans could not escape the moral questions inherent in human bondage nor the hypocrisy of Americans’ rhetoric about human freedom.

In this speech he went on to ask the preeminent question of the age, and of ours: “Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?”

Douglass’ speech came on July 5, not the Fourth, because he refused to celebrate American independence on the usual day until the enslaved were free. July 5 was not without meaning; on that date in 1827 , 4,000 Blacks people had marched through New York to mark the end of slavery in that state.

Edward Everett, July 4, 1861

“We contend for the great inheritance of constitutional freedom transmitted from our revolutionary fathers. We engage in the struggle forced upon us, with sorrow, as by our misguided brethren, but with high heart and faith….”

Few Americans ever assembled a resume quite like that of Everett, who served as governor of Massachusetts, member of both the U.S. House and Senate, secretary of State — and president of Harvard University. But he is remembered most for a speech he delivered whose content, ironically, is not remembered at all — a two-hour stemwinder with allusions to classical antiquity, references to the War of the Roses and quotes from the philosopher David Hume that turned out to be merely the warm-up act to the two minutes of what is now known as Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

Everett possessed a voice that was, in the words of his protege, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “most mellow and beautiful, and correct of all the instruments of the time.” In the speech excerpted above, delivered in the early months of the Civil War, he spoke of the primacy of freedom in the Constitution and, by employing the powerful verb “contend,” he underlined the enduring struggle that has animated all of our history — and our own time: the debate over the nature, and the extent, of freedom in the nation.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, July 4, 1863

“It is easy to understand the bitterness which is often shown toward reformers. They are never general favorites. They are apt to interfere with vested rights and time honored interests. They often wear an unlovely, and forbidding, aspect.”

Physician and poet, Holmes was both one of the leading literary figures of a period with a surfeit of cultural giants and the father of the famous Supreme Court justice (1902-1932) who bore his name.

These remarks came as Union troops were surging to victory at Gettysburg in Pennsylvania and Vicksburg in Mississippi, and they anticipated a period when the country, rent by the Civil War, would need to be reconstituted on a new, reformed basis — in essence the “new birth of freedom” that Lincoln spoke of in his Gettysburg Address and that we seek in this hard year of contention and conflict.

Susan B. Anthony, July 4, 1876

“Our faith is firm and unwavering in the broad principles of human rights proclaimed in 1776, not only as abstract truths, but as the corner stones of a republic. Yet we cannot forget, even in this glad hour, that while all men of every race, and clime, and condition, have been invested with the full rights of citizenship under our hospitable flag, all women still suffer the degradation of disfranchisement.”

The official celebration of the centenary of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia included no remarks by women. But a group of determined feminists distributed a Declaration of Rights for Women to the crowd assembled outside Independence Hall and then, at a stand erected for a group of musicians, Anthony read that document aloud.

“It is with sorrow we strike the one discordant note’’ at the anniversary commemoration, she said, but went on to assert, “The history of our country the past hundred years has been a series of assumptions and usurpations of power of woman, in direct opposition to the principles of just government...’’

With Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Anthony founded the National American Woman Suffrage Assn. It took 44 more years for the passage of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing all women the right to vote — a measure known as the “Susan B. Anthony Amendment” — and a century and a half later there remains a pay gap between men and women in the workplace and a representation gap in Congress. Anthony, an important ally of Douglass in the abolitionist movement, became the first woman portrayed on an American coin.

Charles Francis Adams, July 4, 1876

“Let us labor continually to keep the advance in civilization as it becomes us to do after the struggles of the past, so that the rights to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which we have honorably secured, may be firmly entailed upon the ever enlarging generations of mankind.”

The son and grandson of presidents, Adams was a state senator, a congressman, twice an unsuccessful vice presidential candidate, and the American ambassador to London. In this excerpt, delivered pointedly on the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, he speaks of the fragility of liberty and the threat that it might not be extended to all in the future. This sentence is a vow that any contemporary American political figure could, and perhaps should, quote in a speech this Independence Day.

John F. Kennedy, July 4, 1946

“Our idealism, [a fundamental] element of the American character, is being severely tested. Now, only time will tell whether this element of the American character will be true to its historic tradition.”

In an evocative setting where Daniel Webster thundered about the Union and Frederick Douglass lectured about the evils of slavery, a first-time congressional candidate delivered a thoughtful analysis of what it means to be an American. In Boston’s Faneuil Hall, the meeting place for colonial rebels built by a slave trader and slave owner, Kennedy examined several elements of the American creed.

“JFK’s speech couldn’t be more timely,” said Robert Dallek, a prominent historian and Kennedy biographer. “With a current president, whose character defects cast a shadow across the presidency and the nation’s reputation for human decency, Kennedy’s speech reminds us that the country is better than what Donald Trump represents.”

Yet the Kennedy speech is more than an answer to the Trump presidency. As president he would weaponize the rhetoric of idealism, but as a recent war veteran and fledgling politician he set forth the ultimate American challenge, as fresh on the Fourth of July in 1946 as it would be three-quarters of a century later: for the United States to be true to its historic traditions.

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The True Story Behind Bill Pullman's Famous Speech in 'Independence Day'

Bill Pullman drew inspiration from Bobby Kennedy for his recitation of the speech

Actor Bill Pullman reprised his role as American President Thomas J. Whitmore in 2016's Independence Day: Resurgence, the sequel to the 1996 film Independence Day .

This is great because Pullman made for a pretty decent president. The speech Whitmore orated in the original film before flying off for the final battle against the invading aliens has become a pop culture fixture , joining similar scenes from Braveheart and Hoosiers in the pantheon of cinematic inspirational speeches.

Here's the text, in case you forgot.

"Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world. And you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind."

"'Mankind.' That word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. Perhaps it's fate that today is the Fourth of July , and you will once again be fighting for our freedom … Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution … but from annihilation. We are fighting for our right to live. To exist."

"And should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day the world declared in one voice: 'We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive!' Today we celebrate our Independence Day!"

Good stuff, right? Filming the scene was also weirdly synchronistic: It was shot in front of the hanger that once housed the Enola Gay, one of the bombers that dropped the atomic bombs on Japan on Aug. 6, 1945. The scene was filmed exactly 50 years later.

A more prosaic bit of trivia about the speech: It ended with the film's title because, up until then, the movie was called ID4 ; Warner Bros. owned the rights to the title Independence Day . According to The Atlantic , screenwriters (and directors/producers) Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin added the line to the end of the speech , hoping it would convince the studio backing their film, 20th Century Fox, to fight for Independence Day , their preferred title. (Fox had been lobbying for Doomsday .) Devlin and Emmerich's efforts worked.

Complex has a fantastic oral history of the speech , in which Devlin revealed that he told Emmerich during the writing process they should give Whitmore "a kind of a St. Crispin's Day speech," referencing a similarly famous speech in Shakespeare's Henry V .

Devlin, by his own account, wrote the speech in "literally five minutes" as a placeholder, with the thought that it could always be changed later.

Pullman told Complex that he researched various acclaimed speeches from the 20th century to inform his recitation, drawing particular inspiration from a speech Robert Kennedy made shortly after finding out Martin Luther King, Jr., had been shot. He "just knocked this one out of the park," Devlin said. "None of us were prepared for it until his first rehearsal, and then we were just staring in awe and wonder."

Talking to Complex , Michael Waldman, President of the Brennan Center for Justice and Director of Speechwriting for President Bill Clinton from 1995-99, said, "I wrote a book that was a collection of great presidential speeches, and if in fact the world had been invaded by aliens, this speech would have made the collection, so that's high praise."

That said, the speech does contain a mangling of an even more famous line. Whitmore's declaration, "We will not go quietly into the night," seemed to be a reference to Dylan Thomas' classic poem "Do not go gentle into that good night," though Devlin and Emmerich haven't ever mentioned it. Interestingly, the poem is recited in full in Interstellar , the 2014 movie about humans trekking to other planets rather than the other way around.

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A Nation's Story: “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”

On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass gave a keynote address at an Independence Day celebration and asked, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Douglass was a powerful orator, often traveling six months out of the year to give lectures on abolition. His speech, given at an event commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence, was held at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York. It was a scathing speech in which Douglass stated, “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine, You may rejoice, I must mourn.”

In his speech, Douglass acknowledged the Founding Fathers of America, the architects of the Declaration of Independence, for their commitment to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness:”

“Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were great men, too, great enough to give frame to a great age. It does not often happen to a nation to raise, at one time, such a number of truly great men. The point from which I am compelled to view them is not, certainly, the most favorable; and yet I cannot contemplate their great deeds with less than admiration. They were statesmen, patriots and heroes, and for the good they did, and the principles they contended for, I will unite with you to honor their memory.”

A black-and-white photograph of Frederick Douglass wearing a jacket, waistcoat, and bowtie. The wet plate ambrotype plates are housed in a folding leather case with tooled gilt oval mat.

Douglass stated that the nation's founders were great men for their ideals of freedom. But in doing so he brings awareness to the hypocrisy of their ideals by the existence of slavery on American soil. Douglass continues to interrogate the meaning of the Declaration of Independence, to enslaved African Americans experiencing grave inequality and injustice: 

“Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? 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? and am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us?”

We use the video player Able Player to provide captions and audio descriptions. Able Player performs best using web browsers Google Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. If you are using Safari as your browser, use the play button to continue the video after each audio description. We apologize for the inconvenience.

I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. Frederick Douglass “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”

“Would to God, both for your sakes and ours, that an affirmative answer could be truthfully returned to these questions! Then would my task be light, and my burden easy and delightful. For who is there so cold, that a nation’s sympathy could not warm him? Who so obdurate and dead to the claims of gratitude, that would not thankfully acknowledge such priceless benefits? Who so stolid and selfish, that would not give his voice to swell the hallelujahs of a nation’s jubilee, when the chains of servitude had been torn from his limbs? I am not that man. In a case like that, the dumb might eloquently speak, and the 'lame man leap as an hart.'

But such is not the state of the case. I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.”

- Frederick Douglass, July 5, 1852

This speech is now remembered as one of Douglass' most poignant. Read the address in full on  PBS .  

Crowd of men and women during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Washington, D.C., Aug. 28, 1963

Subtitle here for the credits modal.

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The Oral History of the President’s Speech in ‘Independence Day’

As ‘Independence Day Resurgence’ continues filming in the desert, re-live the most patriotic and motivational speech in cinematic history.

Image via 20th Century Fox

The Fourth of July is a simple holiday with a few beloved traditions. From coast to coast, the day calls for enjoying some beer, eating a few hot dogs, and trying not to lose a hand while blowing up miniature bombs. However, for 220 years we Americans celebrated the creation of our independent political state without even realizing that things could get even better. Then, in 1996, Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin put out a film that would redefine summer blockbusters, launch the career of Will Smith , and give America even more to cheer for on the Fourth.

Independence Day  had it all. The explosions, aliens, and global destruction set a new standard (in a pre-9/11 world when you could blow up fake world monuments with little hesitation), earning the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. The world fell in love with Will Smith, who, combined with his role in  Bad Boys , became the leading action star of the decade. The film made over $800 million and became synonymous with the holiday that anchored its theme and story, joining the ranks of Halloween , Groundhog Day , and the marathon of Christmas movies that flood secondary cable channels every year.

Amongst all that, there is one scene in the epic that has persevered through two decades, and has stood above the CGI orgy that thrashes box offices each summer. To kick off the third act, President Thomas J. Whitmore, played by Bill Pullman, only has a few minutes before joining a ragtag team of volunteers who are about to launch a last-ditch effort against an all-powerful alien force. The military hero never got used to the neckties and bureaucratic compromise of politics, but in a short monologue, Whitmore delivers a rousing speech that immediately unites the surviving dregs of the desert who have gathered at Area-51 in the common desire to once again win back mankind's independence. 

Yes, an element of camp and nostalgia have increased the enduring love of this speech among the patriotic hordes that recite it every Fourth of July, but the truth behind this timeless scene only adds further to the greatest cinematic moment in the summer of '96. Not every 90-second sermon remains more engrained in the collective conscious than footage of the White House exploding, so we spoke to the people who made the scene happen (and also Bill Clinton's former speechwriter) to find out why. As Independence Day: Resurgence continues filming in the New Mexico desert and motors to a summer 2016 release, here is the full story on how one of the greatest speeches in cinematic history came to be, and how it very well may have influenced a future, real life president.

Dean Devlin : Not to get spiritual, but it felt like the whole experience in making this movie was somehow channeled. Roland and I wrote the original draft in about three weeks, and we didn’t do a whole lot of rewriting after that. I mean things like that just never happen. The day we filmed the speech was especially magical.

Michael Waldman : The ‘90s were this golden period between the end of the Cold War and the beginning of the War on Terrorism where, at the time, Americans often wondered if we were going soft. Having a fighter pilot president killing aliens was a good escapist alternative history. Also, the White House got blown up over and over again every time I saw the preview; it was very exciting for those of us who worked there.

Roland Emmerich : We made the movie under quite a lot of time pressure because we wanted to beat the Warner movie [ Mars Attacks ] from Tim Burton that we knew about. We wrote the script really fast, optioned it, and then shot the movie in record time.

Devlin : The real trick to these movies and making the big action sequences work—and I’ve forgotten this sometimes and screwed it up—the characters really have to be humanized. Because you can have the greatest special effects in the world, but if you don’t care about the people in those effects, there’s no impact. So Roland and I took a lot of care in this third act to really give each character a big moment before we went into nonstop action so that you were really invested in them.

Vivica A. Fox : The significance of that scene was just generating huge momentum for the big attack, and the speech had to pull together in unity all the survivors. I loved how in that scene, you saw people from all different walks of life standing together and deciding we would not be defeated; that we would stand up and we would declare our Independence Day and fight back.

Devlin : I said to Roland, “It would be great if we could do a kind of a St. Crispin’s Day speech.” You know, where the king basically rallies the troops.

{ "id": 133151630 } “I went into the other room and literally in five minutes I whipped the speech out, put it into the script—we didn’t even read it. It was just a placeholder.” —Dean Devlin

Waldman : The speech is obviously very derivative of Shakespeare’s  Henry V  and his St. Crispin’s Day speech before the Battle of Agincourt, where King Henry leads his outnumbered men into battle. In the  Independence Day  speech the president says, “July Fourth will no longer be known as an American holiday…” Henry the Fifth says, “This day is called the Feast of St. Crispian, he that outlives this day and comes safe home will stand a-tip-toe when this day is named.” Basically, they took that and rewrote it. Shakespeare wasn’t gonna sue.

Devlin : Roland turned to me and said, “Oh great. We only have to write a speech as great as the St. Crispin’s Day speech. How are we going to do that?”

Waldman : The vast majority of presidential speeches are not to rally the troops before attacking aliens, but some statement about policy, about education grants or something like that. The key thing in writing a presidential speech is understanding the policies, the president’s policy approach, and their agenda. Usually we would talk with President Clinton about a week before a speech on what his policy and strategic goals were. Very frequently there was close work with the policy advisors, and then typically it would go to the president. Right before he would give it, there would be a meeting in the Oval Office or wherever where he would go over and grill everybody about what this word means and why this, why that, and in his case, he would add quite a bit.

Devlin : I said, “Let me kind of just vomit out something really fast now and then we’ll spend a lot of time on it later and really rewrite it and make it perfect.” So I went into the other room and literally in five minutes I whipped the speech out, put it into the script—we didn’t even read it. It was just a placeholder.

Emmerich : Dean said, “We can always change it.”

Image via Fox

Waldman : Hollywood over the decades has had this very interesting relationship with presidents, and Hollywood’s often portrayed the presidents it wish it had.

Emmerich : Bill is such a moderate man, and he totally knew in a weird way what he had to play. When we talked at the very beginning of the film, he said, “I am gonna play this a little bit like a John Wayne figure. Maybe a little bit unsure of himself, but at the end he’s very sure of what he has to do.”

Devlin : Earlier in the film, the president’s people are talking about the criticism in the press about how he always has to compromise and everything is kind of a half measure. So for him, this is a chance to go all the way. And not have to play politics.

Waldman : Liberal Hollywood, which liked Bill Clinton and liked his policies, usually felt uncomfortable in some way with him personally. A lot of liberals in Hollywood thought Bill Clinton was a compromiser, and so Bill Pullman got up there and told it like it is and said what he really thought, which everyone dreamed the real president would do.

{ "id": 133151631 } “there’s not a lot of phony baloney or posturing in those circumstances. That comes from some place deep down inside that is looking to calm that collective heart racing.” —bill pullman

Devlin : We always want our leaders to be great leaders. And just this idea that this guy wasn’t just a politician—he went in there. He saw the kids being nervous and he thought, “I’ve gotta rally them.” And really, all that was in my head as we started to work on that scene was, “How can he motivate them? How can he get them on their feet and get ready to fly?”

Bill Pullman : When I first read this scene, I remember thinking that I’d need to think about speeches, and about motivation. I started doing research and had a collection of great speeches from the 20th century. One of them was an amazing speech that Robert Kennedy gave about two minutes after he had been informed that Martin Luther King had been shot.

The recording of the speech just captured the incredible energy in the place. He says, “I regret to inform you that Martin Luther King has been shot.” You hear this horrific gasp from the people in the crowd. And you get the sense that everyone’s collective heart is just beating like a rabbit’s. Then, his ability to frame his thoughts and cite references to Greeks, and of course get over the connection to the fact that he knows something about this—he can speak to the pain because his own brother had been shot.

That was one of those things that always reminded me that there’s not a lot of phony baloney or posturing in those circumstances. That comes from some place deep down inside that is looking to calm that collective heart racing.

Devlin : I remember on the day that we went to shoot it, I had a panic attack. I was like “Oh my god. We never got to rewrite the speech.”

Pullman : Dean reminded me of that just yesterday, and I had forgotten about that part. I don’t think he ever mentioned to me that he planned on editing it. I knew it was really important to him.

Devlin : I came running on the set in a panic thinking, “We had screwed up.” This is a scene we were supposed to spend weeks on and we just never got around to it. And when I got there they were already rehearsing the speech. I was so nervous about it, but when he got to the end of the speech—all of the extras went crazy, applauding and screaming. I looked at Roland and he looked at me and we’re like, “I guess this speech is pretty darn good.”

Pullman : I don’t think we were given a lot of direction. We were shooting nights, and so everyone’s a little bit woozy, but somehow everyone involved in that scene was on the money.

Emmerich : That wasn’t the only thing we shot that day. We shot from the evening until the morning, because we were under so much pressure. I always call it the tragic hour, because there’s a lot of yelling, screaming, and crying because we have such a short amount of time.

Pullman : You’re just trying to do your work, and focus on what you’re concentrating on. There wasn’t a lot of discussion about “Give me more,” or “Do it less.” Really, kind of at the core of Roland, I think at a certain point, he believes that you’re gonna work at it and keep the lines fresh all the way through. Roland was focused on the close-ups and the lighting and the sound. I don’t think anyone was really paying attention to, you know, “Is this great?”

Devlin : Bill Pullman just knocked this one out of the park. None of us were prepared for it until his first rehearsal and then we were just staring in awe and wonder and going, “Man he just owned this thing.”

{ "id": 133151636 } “They just let it stay. Sometimes that’s how moments happen. If Bill Pullman delivers, why take that moment away from him and from the film?” —Vivica A. Fox

Emmerich : We had a good feeling when we shot it. It felt like Bill hit a home run with it, but when we saw it in a cut with the music and everything, we all said, “Oh my God.”

Pullman : The next night, it practically seemed like Dean came into my trailer, we were shooting nights, and we were still on the White House set, and he brought in this VHS and said, “Take a look at this.” It was a quick edit of the speech, and it didn’t change much from that first edit.

Emmerich : It was actually never really re-cut. The only thing which was later added was that one shot I did of Randy Quaid and his kids.

Fox : They just let it stay. Sometimes that’s how moments happen; they can just be so organic in the film. If Bill Pullman delivers, why take that moment away from him and from the film?

Pullman : When I saw it for the first time, I remember feeling like the real genius of it is the cutaways to the people in the crowd, the pilots, the soldiers. It had a Capraesque quality, a Capra kind of engagement with humanity. They were all really honest faces that weren’t straining for anything, but were incredibly present. That’s what was going to make the whole speech work.

Fox : I got chills when he delivered it. And then watching it with an audience; I’ll never forget being at the premiere of what, 20 years ago in Westwood Village, and just when that scene, when he did it it was like you could hear a pin drop; everybody was hanging on every single word that he said, and was proud; when he finished it, it was like “Yes! Let’s go kick some alien butt!”

Waldman : I would say that a lot of times when presidents are given words to speak on the screen, both then and now I would wince, because they are always so off. This was not off; this was pretty good.

Devlin : Have you ever gone on YouTube and searched the speech? People do it at weddings. They break into it at bars. It’s hilarious.

Pullman : We didn’t ever imagine that the speech was gonna explode into something that would be a little set piece within the whole story.

Waldman : I wrote a book that was a collection of great presidential speeches , and if in fact the world had been invaded by aliens, this speech would have made the collection, so that’s high praise, I guess.

Devlin : The only thing we changed was we added at the last minute the line, “Today we celebrate our Independence Day.” And the main reason we did that is ‘cause the studio at the time was threatening to change the title to “Doomsday.” So we thought, let’s get it into the speech.

Pullman : I remember that there suddenly came some interest in pushing up the date in the schedule on when we would shoot the speech, because Fox was considering pushing the title “Doomsday.” That would’ve been a horrible title, and I’ve gone through a couple movies that got stuck with bad titles. So it was urgent to get it in and to have the words, “Today we celebrate our Independence Day” to prove why that had to be the title. I felt the urgency to get it right.

{ "id": 133151635 } “Fox was considering pushing the title ‘Doomsday.’ That would’ve been a horrible title.” —bill pullman

Devlin : There was a concern because we wanted to make sure that this was the moment where it wasn’t about America saving the world. It was about mankind around the world coming together for a common good. And it’s interesting because when the film came out, there was a lot of confusion about that when Roland and I toured the world promoting the movie. People kept thinking, “Well isn’t this just saying that America has to be the world’s policeman?” We would always point back to that speech and say, “No. The whole purpose of that speech is to say, ‘Today we speak with one voice.’”

Waldman : Looking at the scene again, what comes to mind a little bit is George W. Bush’s most memorable moments from his presidency. The staging and iconography of his “Mission Accomplished” moment looks like they borrowed a lot from that movie. I mean, Bush wearing his fake fighter pilot outfit on the deck of the Abraham Lincoln [aircraft carrier] looks so much like this scene. And one of the high points of his presidency was when he jumped up on the fire truck at Ground Zero and spoke into a megaphone to the firefighters and the first responders and said, “I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you.” It is so similar to this scene.

Emmerich : After the speech, when Rob Loggia said to him, “What are you doing?” And he says, “I’m getting in the air. That’s where I belong.” And actually, I always think that George W. Bush stole that, when he was on his aircraft carrier. When I saw that during the Iraq War, I laughed really hard.

Emmerich : This speech was very different from what you’d normally hear from a president.

Waldman : Actually, there was one point that summer when scientists believed they had found some evidence of bacterial life on a meteorite that had come from Mars. It was pretty tenuous, if I recall, but anyway that’s what they thought, and so we wrote a speech for President Clinton and he went out and announced contact with life on Mars. It kind of was quickly forgotten, which is probably a good thing.

Fox : They did a screening at the White House for Bill Clinton, and he loved it. He loved it.  I was working and I couldn’t make it and I was bummed about that, but then later at an event in Washington D.C. I got to introduce myself to Bill Clinton and he was like “I loved you in Independence Day , Vivica!”

Emmerich : When we screened Independence Day in the White House for President Clinton and Hillary Clinton, afterwards Hillary said, “Well, it looks like Bill has to get his pilot license!”

Pullman : There’s a lot that goes into making a speech, and some of it is just the right character at the right time, and you know, I’m fortunate to have been in that position in a movie that has become such a classic.

Devlin : The popularity of this speech blows my mind. It absolutely blows my mind. It’s the thing that I look back in my career and have the most pride about. AFI did a thing recently of the top 10 speeches of all time in movies. And they listed ours at number two behind Patton’s speech.

{ "id": 133151642 } “I finally realized how big this speech was during the making of Independence Day Resurgence. Everyone’s asking, ‘Is there a speech?’” —Roland Emmerich

Pullman : I don’t know it by heart. I think of it as a circumstantial thing, you know, being there at that time, and having the words pour through you. That’s just so much more interesting.

Emmerich : I finally realized how big this speech was during the making of  Independence Day Resurgence . Everyone’s asking, “Is there a speech?”

Pullman : It’d be boring in a sequel to have a big speech to the troops or something again. That was never an option, really. You wouldn’t want to set yourself up for that kind of failure.

Emmerich : These things happen once in a lifetime. You can’t repeat stuff like that. There’s a lot of great emotional moments in  IDR , but there’s no place where a speech like this could fit, so we’re staying away from it. There are some speech-like moments, but I think having a president’s speech would just be like playing with fire.

Devlin : I like to make popcorn movies. It’s my passion. I love the genre. And traditionally, these kinds of movies aren’t celebrated as anything other than movies that make money and are populist. And to have this speech recognized almost separately from the film, it’s a very humbling thing.

Emmerich : Independence Day was so successful and is maybe holding up so well because it has all these very simple human stories. Dean and I met with Steven Spielberg after the film, because he wanted to be involved with the ride, which never happened, but he said to us, “You guys changed something, there’s something different now. Everybody has to see a summer movie differently.” And I knew exactly what he meant, which was combining very big images with very humanized stories. And he meant it; at that time he was shooting Lost World , and he said, “We’re changing the script now.”

Devlin : Spielberg said to Roland and I not long after the movie came out—it was the first time that different genres were combined to try and create a new genre. And that started to become the fashion: taking genres and gene-splicing them together.

Emmerich : In a way we unknowingly invented a new thing, with no plan. I see the influence of Independence Day everywhere: in all the Marvel movies, and all the superheroes of the DC Universe, there’s always an alien invasion, there’s always like a disaster element, but they always try to humanize the characters.

Devlin : The experience of making this movie was unlike anything that ever happened to me before or since. And it was just this odd thing where everything just kept going right every single day. We had no egos from any of the actors. They were all on board and all terrific. There are so many things that go wrong when you make a movie and so many problems and fights with the studio. It’s like every day we kept looking at each other going, “When’s the other shoe gonna drop? When is something gonna go wrong?” And it was kind of just this blessed process of making this film. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen or experienced.

Emmerich : It’s amazing how this speech took off. But hey, it’s out of your control, and I’m very proud that we did it, and we had no idea what impact this would have. We didn’t have any idea how successful the movie would be. Nobody was expecting this.

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‘Independence Day’ gave us the greatest presidential address in recent history

"We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive!"

By James Clark | Published Jul 4, 2021 10:20 AM EDT

Welcome to That One Scene , a semi-regular series in which Marine veteran and pop culture omnivore James Clark waxes nostalgic about “that one scene” from a beloved movie. (Editor’s note: This article was originally published on July 3, 2018.)

Decades ago, director Roland Emmerich and writer Dean Devlin gave American audiences one of the greatest summer blockbusters of the 1990s. Independence Day helped cement Will Smith’s tenure as a top action star of the decade, gave us another excuse to listen to Jeff Goldblum quip and stutter between raised eyebrows, and delivered a perfect mix of camp and gratuitous destruction at a time when we weren’t so queasy about seeing national monuments laid to waste on screen.

Part doomsday sci-fi romp, part patriotic escapist fantasy, Independence Day had all the trappings of an instant summer classic — and that has a lot to do with one scene in the final act of the film. You know which one I’m talking about:

The scene takes place at Area 51, where the survivors of the brutal alien invasion gather to mount a last-ditch offensive to deliver mankind from the threat of annihilation. When President Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman), grabs the mic and addresses the beleaguered troops, he delivers the speech we’ve always wanted to hear from an actual president. In fact, if we were ever attacked by a war fleet of extraterrestrials, that scene would probably be required viewing for White House staff, according to former President Bill Clinton’s speechwriting director Michael Waldman.

“I wrote a book that was a collection of great presidential speeches, and if in fact the world had been invaded by aliens, this speech would have made the collection,” he told Complex in a June 23, 2016 roundtable discussion . “So that’s high praise.”

Surprisingly, the iconic scene — and it is iconic, so much so that people have actually delivered it during weddings — was written in just five minutes and was never meant to make it into the final cut as is, screenwriter Dean Devlin told Complex . But it’s a good thing it did, since the scene ends with Whitmore plugging the movie title when he concludes: “Today we celebrate our independence day!” And it turns out, that was deliberate.

“The main reason we did that is ’cause the studio at the time was threatening to change the title to Doomsday ,” Devlin told Complex. “So we thought, let’s get it into the speech.”

Not only did President Whitmore rally earth’s defenders for one final push against the alien menace, he also helped secure the film’s title, which is great, because… Doomsday? Are you fucking kidding me?

So, we know it’s good, but why is it so goddamn motivating? Well, partly because President Whitmore is the fictional leader we all wish was real. An actual presidential address under these circumstances would amount to a clipped statement followed by an all but-meaningless executive order given that the world is in flames, the military is in disarray, and we just nuked Houston . Sorry, but no carefully crafted statement delivered from a substitute Resolute Desk will cut it.

Instead, we get Whitmore as commander-in-chief in the very literal sense of the constitutional office. An ex-Air Force fighter pilot and Gulf War veteran, he’s more comfortable in a flightsuit and the cockpit of an F-16 (or an F-18 later in the film) than he is wearing a tie and sitting in a boardroom — something he’s criticized for by cable news hosts early on in the movie. But before personally taking to the sky to kick alien ass for America, and all mankind, he’s gotta rally his troops.

Related: ‘Independence Day’ Fails Prove The Aliens Should’ve Won »

“Perhaps it’s fate that today is the 4th of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom, not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution — but from annihilation,” Whitmore says before pivoting to a more unifying message that pays homage to both the St. Crispin’s Day Speech from William Shakespeare’s Henry V, when the titular king rallies his men before leading them into battle, and to the poem, Do not go gentle into that good night , by Dylan Thomas:

“Should we win the day, the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice: We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We’re going to live on! We’re going to survive!”

If your response to the final lines of that speech was anything but “FUCK YEAH!” and a curious sensation of patriotic arousal, then you’re dead inside. (WARNING: If a moto-boner lasts more than four hours, call your local recruiter — that’ll take care of it immediately.)

And with that, Happy 4th of July. Let’s hope no alien invaders drop by, but if they do, then political leaders the world over should brush up on the finest presidential address in movie history.

James Clark is the former Deputy Editor of Task & Purpose. He is an Afghanistan War veteran and served in the Marine Corps as a combat correspondent. Contact the author here.

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Frederick Douglass' Take on Independence Day

155 years ago this week, Frederick Douglass delivered a famous speech harshly criticizing Independence Day celebrations in a time of slavery. Douglass scholar David Blight, a professor of American history at Yale University, explains its significance.

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FARAI CHIDEYA, host:

What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July? Frederick Douglass asked that famous question 155 years ago this week in his speech "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro."

The 34-year-old former slave was, by then, a successful writer and an orator of international fame.

In this speech, which he gave in New York to a crowd of 600, Douglass delivered a scathing rebuke of America. Douglass said the existence of slavery voided all the ideas of democracy and freedom this nation holds so high, especially on Independence Day.

Here to talk about Douglass' speech is David Blight. He's a professor of American history at Yale University. Welcome, Professor.

Professor DAVID BLIGHT (Faculty member, Yale University): Thank you very much. Glad to be with you.

CHIDEYA: So, first, I want to get some more context on Douglass. It's the summer of 1852, where was he in his life and what was happening in the country that he might have been responding to?

Prof. BLIGHT: Well, in 1852, Douglass was 34 years old. He had just moved from Massachusetts out to Rochester, New York. In his personal life, he was struggling to make ends meet. He had a young family with three children. He was publishing his own newspaper out of Rochester, which barely could stay afloat.

But the nation, at large, was now in a deep crisis over the expansion of slavery and, particularly, over the hated fugitive slave arcaded at least by many northerners, and certainly by abolitionists.

CHIDEYA: Well, let's hear a little bit of the speech, featuring the line that I mentioned a bit earlier.

(Soundbite of recording)

TONY COX: (Reading) What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July? I answer, a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham, your boasted liberty and unholy license, your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to mim, mere bombast, a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.

CHIDEYA: So, Professor Blight, this is pretty strong language. And throughout the speech, Douglass doesn't hesitate to go after some sacred institutions, including the church and the government. How was he, a black man living in America during slavery, able to get away with saying things like that?

Prof. BLIGHT: He pulls no punches, you're absolutely right. Note the use of the pronouns - you, your, you, your. It was Douglass deciding at that moment to confront his largely anti-slavery audience that day and then the broader nation he hoped would read this speech with the depths of American hypocrisy.

He was invited by the Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society of Rochester, New York. And in the beginning, they must have felt quite comfortable because he pays quite a tribute to the United States, to Jefferson, to the Founders, to the Declaration of Independence. He calls the Declaration the ringbolt of American history. But about a third of the way into the speech, he then turns it into a litany of description, sometimes brutal, stark description of the slave trade, of auction blocks, of the most vicious of punishments of slaves and he does not let up.

CHIDEYA: Well, Professor, we have a little bit of that section. Let's take a listen.

COX: (Reading) Fellow citizens, above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are, today, rendered more intolerable by the jubilee shouts that reach them. I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slave's point of view, standing there identified with the American bondman, making his wrongs mine. I do not hesitate to declare with all my soul that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this Fourth of July.

CHIDEYA: So when he talks about the American bondman or the slave, he, as a free man, is taking on the burden of the slave in America. Why do you think that he, who could have sort of passed on to a much more comfortable life, took on that burden?

Prof. BLIGHT: Well, Douglass, in many ways, could not pass on to that more comfortable life, certainly not yet. He had been, of course, a fugitive slave from the day he escaped in 1838. At the time he gives this speech, he's only been out of slavery since he was 20 years old. For 14 years, he was still a fugitive slave until 1847, '48. And Douglass was always and everywhere for the rest of his life, however famous he became, the former slave.

CHIDEYA: In the final section, he makes an appeal that is part carrot and part stick. Let's take a listen.

COX: (Reading) The existence of slavery in this country brands your Republicanism as a sham, your humanity as a base pretense, and your Christianity as a lie. It makes your name a hissing and a byword to a mocking Earth. It is the antagonistic force in your government and yet you cling to it as if it were the sheet anchor of all your hopes.

Oh, be warned. Be warned. The horrible reptile is coiled up in your nation's bosom. For the love of God, tear away and fling from you the hideous monster, and let the weight of 20 millions crush and destroy it forever.

CHIDEYA: Just leave us with a couple of words about how iconic he is today. I can't help but think of the portrait of him later in life with his mane of white hair. And there are probably people in this country who know his name and have seen that picture who don't really know very much about what he has done and yet, he is an icon of freedom, of humanity. Why has he stuck with us over time?

Prof. BLIGHT: It's a great question. Douglass has become iconic in American classrooms and textbooks to a certain degree. He and Harriet Tubman, I think, are the principal images that are used, at least from the 19th century.

But it's equally true that most Americans know very little about him. They may have seen a quotation on a placemat now. They have seen him as a kind of classroom cardboard cutout.

But I think that has something to do with our continuing need in American society to believe that we have overcome slavery and racism and its aftermath. We want to believe we solved this problem. But, of course, a closer look at a Douglass, a closer look at his own writing and his own speech just shows us that to the day he died, he never believed we had overcome this at all.

CHIDEYA: And yet, his words live. Professor Blight…

Prof. BLIGHT: They surely do.

CHIDEYA: …thank you so much.

Prof. BLIGHT: Thank you.

CHIDEYA: David Blight is a professor of American history at Yale University.

Copyright © 2007 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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Frederick Douglass delivered ‘best Fourth of July speech in American history’ in Rochester

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On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass gave a speech at an Independence Day celebration organized by the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society. Though a biting critique of the federal government’s support of slavery and the recently passed Fugitive Slave Act, the 500 to 600 people in attendance at Corinthian Hall heartily supported Douglass’s message.

What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in 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 sound of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants brass fronted impudence; your shout of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanks-givings, 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 on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour.

• Slate.com: The Best Fourth of July Speech in American History (July 2, 2015)

Douglass printed the speech in his newspaper,  Frederick Douglass’ Paper , and published 700 copies of it in pamphlet form.  The River Campus Libraries Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation’s holdings includes a manuscript collection of Douglass’s letters, photographs, and ephemera.  Part of the collection has been digitized, including a readable copy of the July 5th oration .

• Read the July 5th oration
• Visit the Frederick Douglass Project

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Speech on Independence Day 2023 in English for School Students and Children

Independence day speech 2023 in english: india is ready to celebrate its 77th independence day on august 15th, 2023. find easy independence day english speeches in 200 words and 400 words here. also get some independence day slogans in english to use along with your speech. kids from classes 1, 2, and middle school can use these for their school assemblies, speech competitions, independence day programs, assignments, etc..

Independence Day Speech in English: On August 15, 2023, India will celebrate its 77th Independence Day, honouring the sacrifices of its freedom fighters who fought for its freedom from British rule. 15th August in India is marked with nationwide flag hoisting in schools, offices, and government offices to showcase national pride. Independence Day celebrations reflect immense enthusiasm and patriotism, re-affirming India's dedication to building an inclusive and strong nation for future generations. Under the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative, the government encourages citizens to bring the Indian flag home through the "Har Ghar Tiranga" campaign. Various activities, including speech contests, are held in schools and workplaces to celebrate the nation's freedom. Delivering a speech on Independence Day in your school is a matter of pride. The 76th Independence Day speech should highlight the significance of unity, diversity, and progress, emphasising the country's commitment to democratic values and principles. In this article, we have brought you an Independence Day Speech in English for students. These short as well as long speeches can be used in school assemblies, speech competitions, etc. 

We hope this article proves to be useful for you. The speeches presented above impart national pride, patriotism, and emotional values attached to a person for his/her country. We hope these speeches will fill the eyes of your listeners with joyful tears and swell their chests with pride. Let's make this Independence Day a memorable one with such engaging and emotional speeches. 

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• How to write 10 lines about Independence Day? + The freedom struggle of India was more than a century long but you can easily capture the essence of India's freedom struggle against the British using the easy speeches on Indian Independence Day given in this article, You can also refer to the slogans given in this article for reference and help.
• Which edition of Independence Day in 2023? + August 15, 2023 is the 77th Independence Day of India. However, one must note that on 15th August 2023, India will complete its 76 years of independence.
• How to write an Independence Day speech in English? + To write Independence Day Speech in English, you must have an attractive beginning and end to the speech draft. The body of your speech should have details about India’s Independence struggle. In this article, we have provided Independence day speech in English for school students and children in short and easy language, quick to learn.
• What is an Independence Day speech? + Independence Day speech is a small address delivered to an audience speaking about India’s freedom struggle against British colonial rule. Usually, Independence Day speeches are delivered in schools in front of the principal, guests, teachers and students.
• How to start a speech on 15 August in English? + You should always start the 15th August English speech by addressing the audience in a respectful manner. You can also add a quote or slogan to attract the attention of the listeners. 
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Independence Day Speech - Happy Birthday America

Independence Day Speech - be prepared! You may be called upon to say a few words at your Independence Day Celebration !

Independence Day - today of all days, you need to find the right words to "say it right" as we celebrate our independence from Britain and the birth of our democracy .

A celebratory speech to honor our forefathers - succinct, yet meaningful. 

Happy celebrations to one and all!

A warm word of welcome to everyone here on Independence Day,

Today, the Fourth of July , we commemorate and celebrate our independence from Britain. It is a time to pay our respects to our pioneering forefathers for their strength of spirit, their unfailing courage and their indomitable commitment to their vision - a vision that culminated in "the land of the free and the home of the brave" being born.

Independence Day is not only a day of reflection. It is also a day to pay tribute and to express our gratitude for our freedom still upheld today . It is a day to look forward to tomorrows that are bright with opportunities still to be explored and attained.

As you celebrate Independence Day with your loved ones, your colleagues, your neighbors or even acquaintances - take the time to quietly acknowledge the vision of a dynamic nation united in freedom and independence.

Whether you are celebrating: surrounded by the "red, white and blue" , listening to the salute to the union , fired at noon today - one gun for each state in the United Nations, sharing family picnics, fireworks, parades or family gatherings - we wish you a magical Independence Day and a year ahead lit by hope, grace, freedom and integrity.

Happy Birthday America!

Independence Day Speech - Fourth of July celebrations - words of wisdom and a free written speech as a salute to a special day.

Return from Independence Day Speech to Words of Wisdom Celebrating Your Fabulous Father

The Truth About The President's Speech In 'Independence Day'

The idea was that they could always change it... But it remained virtually untouched until the day they shot it with Bill Pullman.

We're always looking to our leaders for a great speech. Every time they open their mouths we expect something inspirational, moving, and unifying to come out of their mouths. Most of the time, these speeches fall short of greatness. Even if they are half-decent and intelligent, they're still mostly dull or just good for Saturday Night Live to spoof . Presidential speeches really thrive in film and television. This is because screenwriters can make their presidential characters say precisely what they want without worrying about appeasing special interests, being politically correct, or even being realistic. While the president's speech before the climax of Independence Day was stirring and powerful, we can't say it's something a real president would do. But it's utterly iconic and we just love it. Without a doubt, it contributed to the fact that Independence Day is one of the best alien movies of all time, aside from maybe Ridley Scott's movies .

While there are many things to know about the making of Independence Day , the behind-the-scenes of President Whitmore's speech is truly fascinating. Not only how Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin wrote it, or how Bill Pullman masterfully delivered it, but also the last-minute change which arguably saved the entire movie... Seriously...

Let's take a look...

It Was Originally Just A Place-Holder Scene

Thanks to a  fascinating article by We Minored In Film as well as a detailed oral interview by Complex , we now know the truth about the president's speech in Independence Day. After German director, Roland Emmerich pitched his idea for the film to his co-writer and producer Dean Devlin, the two of them wrote the script in three weeks.

"We didn’t do a whole lot of rewriting after that," Dean Devlin said to Complex. "I mean things like that just never happen."

The script was soon caught up in a bidding war.

"We wrote the script really fast, optioned it, and then shot the movie in record time," Roland Emmerich said.

Related: Diddy Posts Powerful Retelling Of John Lewis’ Speech ‘It’s Not Time To Be Patient Anymore’

"The real trick to these movies and making the big action sequences work—and I’ve forgotten this sometimes and screwed it up—the characters really have to be humanized," Dean Devlin said. "Because you can have the greatest special effects in the world, but if you don’t care about the people in those effects, there’s no impact. So Roland and I took a lot of care in this third act to really give each character a big moment before we went into nonstop action so that you were really invested in them."

Of course, the significance of President Whitmore's speech is massive. It went far beyond giving the character a big moment. It was about unifying the survivors to take down a common enemy... a theme that is everlasting and something we can certainly relate to today.

In short, the speech was about SO MUCH MORE than Bill Pullman's character.

"The speech is obviously very derivative of Shakespeare’s Henry V and his St. Crispin’s Day speech before the Battle of Agincourt, where King Henry leads his outnumbered men into battle. In the Independence Day speech the president says, 'July Fourth will no longer be known as an American holiday…' Henry the Fifth says, 'This day is called the Feast of St. Crispian, he that outlives this day and comes safe home will stand a-tip-toe when this day is named.' Basically, they took that and rewrote it. Shakespeare wasn’t gonna sue," Michael Waldman, the president of the Brennan Center for Justice and the director of speech writing for President Bill Clinton, said.

Related: Billie Eilish Strips Naked In A Powerful Body-Shaming Speech

"Roland turned to me and said, 'Oh great. We only have to write a speech as great as the St. Crispin’s Day speech. How are we going to do that?" Dean Devlin explained. "I said, 'Let me kind of just vomit out something really fast now and then we’ll spend a lot of time on it later and really rewrite it and make it perfect.' So I went into the other room and literally in five minutes I whipped the speech out, put it into the script—we didn’t even read it. It was just a placeholder."

The idea was that they could always change it... But it remained virtually untouched until the day they shot it with Bill Pullman. And, on that day, a small change was made that ended up saving the entire film...

Fox Didn't Want The Movie To Be Called "Independence Day"... The Speech Forced Them To Keep The Title

"Doomsday" was the name that Fox wanted for Roland and Dean's movie, even though they were well into production on a movie they thought they knew the title to. At the time, Warner Brothers' owned the title "Independence Day" so Fox would have to shell out some money just for those two words.

Another reason why Fox didn't want to call the film "Independence Day" was because they didn't want to pigeon-hole themselves to a movie centered around one holiday. After all, the movie was set to release two days before America's actual Independence Day. Instead, they wanted to move the movie to Memorial Day... But they couldn't do that when a reference to Independence Day was added at the last minute...

"We fought this very hard. And in fact, the president’s speech [in the movie] never said ‘today we celebrate our Independence Day.’ I literally ran onto the set that morning and added that line because we were in this fight with the studio over the release date," Dean described. "I didn’t want to lose that date. I wanted to put our flag in the sand and say don’t come near us!"

This meant that there was an added pressure on actor Bill Pullman to pull off the scene.

"I remember that there suddenly came some interest in pushing up the date in the schedule on when we would shoot the speech, because Fox was considering pushing the title 'Doomsday.' That would’ve been a horrible title, and I’ve gone through a couple movies that got stuck with bad titles," Bill Pullman admitted. "So it was urgent to get it in and to have the words, 'Today we celebrate our Independence Day' to prove why that had to be the title. I felt the urgency to get it right."

And boy did he ever!

Next: 15 Former Presidents And Their Daily Drivers

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• India Independence Day Speech in English: Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav 2023

77th Independence Day Speech for Kids

We celebrate Indian Independence Day every year on 15 August as a national holiday in India to commemorate the independence of the nation from the British on 15 August 1947. This was the day when the Indian Independence Act of 1947 came into effect, which transferred the legislative sovereignty to the Indian Constituent Assembly. This year, India is celebrating its 77th  Independence Day 2023 as ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav 2023.’

Students can also find Independence Day Long and Short Speech in English here.

Long and Short Independence Day Speech in English for Students

Long independence day speech for students in english.

Good Morning Everyone!

Greetings on this momentous occasion of India's Independence Day! Today, we gather to celebrate the remarkable journey of our nation towards freedom and sovereignty. This year, the 77th Indian Independence Day 2023 is being celebrated as ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, It's a day that echoes with the sacrifices of countless heroes who fought tirelessly for our liberty. 

As we look back, August 15, 1947, marked the end of British colonial rule, and India emerged as a sovereign nation. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Indian Prime Minister to raise the National Flag at the Red Fort near Delhi's Lahore Gate. Our struggle for independence was not just a political movement; it was a testament to the indomitable spirit of our people. From the non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi to the bravery of countless others, we stood united in our quest for self-determination.

On this auspicious day, let us remember and pay homage to those who laid down their lives for the cause of freedom. Their sacrifices have paved the way for the India we know today – diverse, vibrant, and resilient.

Independence Day is not just about the past; it's also a time to reflect on the present and envision our future. As citizens of this great nation, we bear the responsibility of upholding the principles of justice, equality, and fraternity. Let us work together to build a society where every individual has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their background.

In the face of challenges, let us draw inspiration from the unity that defined our struggle for independence. Our diversity is our strength, and by embracing it, we can overcome any obstacle that comes our way.

As we hoist our national flag today, let it be a symbol of our shared aspirations and commitment to a better tomorrow. Just like the color of our flag represents:

Saffron signifying courage and sacrifice

White signifies peace and truth

Green signifies faith and chivalry

Happy Independence Day to one and all! Jai Hind!

Short Speech on Independence Day for Kids

10 Lines Independence Day Short Speech in English

India gained independence on August 15th, 1947.

After independence, Indians acquired all their fundamental rights.

People celebrate Independence Day by hoisting the National Flag and reciting the National Anthem.

We should all be proud to be Indian, and we should admire our fortune to have been born in the land of Independent India.

From 1857 to 1947, the lives of many freedom fighters and several decades of struggle were sacrificed.

For the independence of India, an Indian soldier (Mangal Pandey) in the British force first raised his voice against the British.

Several great freedom fighters later struggled and dedicated their entire lives to India’s freedom. 

The sacrifices of all the freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh, Khudi Ram Bose, and Chandra Sekhar Azad, who lost their lives at an early age just to fight for their country, can never be forgotten.

Gandhiji was a great Indian figure who gave the world a great lesson in non-violence.

We are so lucky to have been given a land of peace and happiness by our forefathers, where we can sleep all night without fear and enjoy the whole day at school or home.

Independence Day Freedom Fighters Speech

Here are some of the Independence Day Freedom Fighters Speeches that every student should hear or read once and know the struggle involved during the independence of the country.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak's “Swaraj is my Birthright”.  

In 1917, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, who had spent six times in prison, gave this speech in Nashik. In the ongoing public battle for self-government and eventually full independence, the expression" Swaraj is my birthright" played a significant part. 

Mahatma Gandhi's “Address to Leave India”. 

On August 8, 1942, in Bombay, Mahatma Gandhi gave the "Quit India" address. Also, August Kranti Maidan has been used to relate to the position of Mahatma Gandhi's address at the Gowalia Tank Maidan. 

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's “Give Me Blood, and I'll Give You Freedom”. 

This is arguably one of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's most well-known addresses. In 1944, he gave the Indian National Army members in Burma this speech. 

Mahatma Gandhi's Speech from the Dandi March.  

In this speech, Mahatma Gandhi understood the part of a boycott of British significance and the turndown to pay taxes to the British government at the dusk of the significant Dandi March.

Importance of Independence Day Speech for Children

Following are the points that tell the importance of Independence Day Speech for Children.

It explains to them how our nation freed itself from British rule, and about the sacrifices our freedom fighters made on behalf of the nation. We also do it to teach our kids about our nation's past.

Additionally, it helps kids understand the recent changes that have occurred. Consequently, to encourage them to take their careers and commitment to improve our nation's future seriously.

India is a free nation that attained independence on August 15, 1947. Making the next generation aware of the sacrifices we have made to make this country a better place for them is one of the key goals of celebrating Independence Day. Celebrating Independence Day makes everyone feel proud of the freedom fighters who fought with the Britishers to give freedom to us. It makes everyone happy, and people show respect towards them and the country by hoisting the Indian flag.

FAQs on India Independence Day Speech in English: Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav 2023

1. How can you write a good speech on Independence Day?

The best method to write a speech is to gather the points you want to mention regarding the topic and follow a standard format. Every speech writing attempt must carry a message to the reader. For instance, the ideal message for this topic is to increase the patriotic feeling among the readers and remind them how much sacrifice our forefathers have done to give us freedom from colonial rule.

2. Is it necessary to mention the historic dates in this topic?

It is necessary to remember and mention the historic dates chronologically to make your speech better. Your speech compilation will become more admirable among the judges or teachers, and you will be able to score well. 

3. Why is this year 77th Independence Day?

India gained independence on 15 August 1947. This year is 2023, which is 76 years after 1947. Therefore, this year is the 77th Independence Day.

4. Who is the No 1 freedom fighter?

There isn't a singular "No 1" freedom fighter, as many people made significant contributions to the Indian independence movement. However, some of the most notable freedom fighters include Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, and Bhagat Singh.

5. What are some key points to include in India's Independence Day speech?

Briefly share the historical context of the struggle for independence.

Highlight the contributions of prominent freedom fighters.

Reflect on the challenges and achievements of independent India.

Offer a vision for the future of the nation.

Emphasize the importance of individual responsibility and collective action in building a better India.

6. What are some significant events in the journey to independence? 

Some major milestones include the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, the rise of the Indian National Congress, the Non-cooperation Movement, the Civil Disobedience Movement, and Quit India Movement.

7. What are the challenges and achievements of independent India? 

Challenges included: poverty, inequality, corruption, environmental issues, and social conflicts. Achievements could encompass economic growth, technological advancements, democratic institutions, and cultural diversity.

8. What is the appropriate length for the speech?  

This depends on the audience and setting. For schools, 3-5 minutes might be suitable, while a public speech could be longer (10-15 minutes).

9. How can I make the speech engaging? 

Use anecdotes, historical references, quotes, and personal stories to connect with the audience. Vary your voice and pace, and use appropriate gestures and expressions.

Independence Day Speech for Students, Celebrating 77th Years of Freedom

Table of Contents

Independence Day Speech: Independence Day is a momentous occasion that holds great significance in the history of India. It’s a day when the entire nation comes together to celebrate the freedom and sovereignty of our country. For students, Independence Day is not just a public holiday but a valuable opportunity to reflect on our nation’s journey to independence, honor our leaders and heroes, and express their love for India through speeches. As we celebrate the 77th Independence Day , it’s an opportune moment for students to reflect, honor the legacy of our freedom fighters, and commemorate the journey towards a sovereign India. In this article, we’ll explore the art of delivering inspiring Independence Day speeches, providing students with tips, ideas, and sample speeches to make their presentations memorable and impactful. Whether you’re a student preparing for a school assembly or a teacher guiding young orators, this guide aims to help you celebrate Independence Day with eloquence and patriotism.

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Speech on Independence Day celebration means a lot to the person who is interested in expressing his/her thoughts in front of people about the country, history of freedom, Patriotism , Nationalism , Indian National Flag , National Festivals of India, Importance of Independence Day or other topics related to the Indian independence. Here we have provided various speech on Independence day of India for the school going kids, children and students. The speeches have been meticulously written, keeping in mind the requirements of students as well as office going professionals.

The historic day of August 15th, 1947 , stands as a testament to the culmination of years of resilience and the triumph of the Indian spirit against colonial rule. One can easily remember the speeches and reiterate in front of audience to gain applause and appreciation. The speeches are also bound to enthrall the audiences, infusing in them the feelings of Nationalism and Patriotism. Professionals can also use these speeches to prepare and deliver a best speech in the offices or other places they need to deliver an Independence Day speech. Using these simple speeches, students can actively participate in the India’s Independence Day celebration in the schools/colleges/institutes.

Indian Independence Day isn’t just about celebration. It’s a day to honor our brave freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives across generations to win our freedom. So, it’s also a day to remember and pay tribute to those who made India’s independence possible.

Long and Short Speech on Independence Day of India in English

We have provided below short and long speech on Independence Day of India, in a simple and easy to grasp language.

Following heart touching speech on independence day contain important points/facts about the Independence Day which will sure enhance your knowledge and expertise in the subject.

Care has been taken to make sure that no vital information on India’s Independence Day is left out.

These speeches will be useful on several occasions like on Independence Day celebrations in schools and colleges, speech presentation or debate competitions on national holidays.

Inspiring Starting Lines: Setting the Tone

As students prepare to address the significance of Independence Day, the commencement of a speech holds immense importance. Engaging and impactful opening lines captivate the audience’s attention, fostering a connection that resonates throughout the discourse. Phrases like “Today, as we celebrate our 77th year of freedom…” or “In the pages of history, this day etches our resilience and unity…” serve as potent introductions, setting the tone for a compelling address.

Also Read: Speech on Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in English

Independence Day Speech – Short Speech on 15 August – Sample 1

Good Morning Principal Sir/Madam, teachers and friends. Today I am going to give a short speech on Independence Day.

It is our 77th Independence Day, today. We must take part in the events with devotion. It is very important to honor the flag and sing national anthem. We must remember our brave freedom fighters on this day.

We should be dressed like Bapu, Chacha Nehru, and Bhagat Singh in order to remember them. Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs must celebrate the day together. It is also a national holiday today.

It was very pleasing to address you all. Thank You! Happy Independence Day!

Independence Day Speech 2 – Short Speech on 15 August – Sample 2

Dear Principal Sir/Madam, teachers and friends. Today, we have come here to celebrate the 77th Independence Day of India.

On 15 th August in 1947 we got independence from Britishers. First Prime Minister of India, Chacha Nehru, raised the Indian flag at Red Fort in New Delhi. He also gave his famous speech that day. It was called “ Tryst with Destiny ”.

India became a free nation on this day. Freedom was not easy to get. Many brave freedom fighters had died. They had died to make the country free. We should remember their courage and fight.

They bravely fought for 200 years. We must remember them and honor them. Raise the flag high and sing national songs. Do not put the flag down. Do not tear the flag. Freedom is very important, so keep it safe. With this I end my speech.

Thank you and Happy Independence Day to all!

Independence Day Speech 3 – Short Speech on 15 August – Sample 3

Respected; Principal, teachers, staff members and all my dear friends. I welcome you all from the bottom of my heart on this day of national reverence, when we celebrate the country’s 77th Independence Day, today.

I feel immensely honoured to having been given an opportunity to address you all on such a significant occasion and express my own views.

As we all know that India gained independence on August 15, 1947. It was on this day that the British departed from Indian soil, transferring the legislative powers to the Indian Constituent Assembly. In other words, India was now to be ruled by its own people and not by foreign invaders.

It was the most joyous moment in the history of India as it came following nearly two centuries of struggle and revolutions against British sovereignty. The day reminds us of the valour and sacrifices of our fellow countrymen, who were the torchbearers of the freedom struggle.

Let us celebrate this Independence Day to commemorate the indomitable spirit of our freedom fighters and political patrons of that time. It is because of them that we enjoy the fruits of freedom today.

Also Read: Gandhi Jayanti Speech in English

Independence Day Speech 4 – Short Speech on 15 August – Sample 3

Respected Principal Sir, teachers, guests and my dear friends. It’s an honour for me to address you all on our 73th Independence Day, today.

As we all know that it was on this fateful day in 1947, that we gained independence, thanks to the freedom fighters and political visionaries of that time. They had envisioned a free and united India, and fought courageously against British invaders to make their dream true.

Finally, their dream was realized on 15 th August 1947; though, the nation had to pay heavy price for it. With the joy of independence, came the sorrow of partition.

The celebration of Independence was marred by the formation of Dominion of Pakistan on 14 th August, 1947 and battered by the communal violence following it.

When half of India was rejoicing its independence, half of it was burning from communal riots. This wasn’t something that our freedom fighters and political leaders could have imagined, while struggling for independence.

Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Chandrasekhar Azad, didn’t sacrifice their lives to see fellow Indians slitting each other’s throat on communal grounds. They envisioned an India having communal, religious and cultural harmony.

It is impossible to change history, but we can always change the future and make new history. Independence Day was indeed one of the most significant days in the history of India, but we must also remember those who have sacrificed their lives to make us live this day. Also, we must not forget that any kind of demographic division on the basis of religion, caste or creed will only hamper our progress.

Let us end the speech with a pledge to maintain the sovereignty and equality of the nation and to remember those who lost their lives to give us independence. Jai Hind!!

Independence Day Speech 5 – Long Speech on 15 August – Sample 4

Good morning to all my respected teachers, parents and dear friends. Today we have gathered here to celebrate this great national event. As we all know that Independence day is an auspicious occasion for all of us. India’s Independence Day is the most important day to all the Indian citizens and has been mentioned forever in the history.

It is the day when we got freedom from the British rule after many years of hard struggle by the great freedom fighters of India. We celebrate independence day every year on 15 th of August to remember the first day of freedom of India as well as remember all the sacrifices of the great leaders who have sacrificed their lives in getting freedom for India.

India got independence on 15 th of August in 1947 from the British rule. After independence we got our all the fundamental rights in our own Nation, our Motherland. We all should feel proud to be an Indian and admire our fortune that we took birth on the land of an Independent India. History of slave India reveals everything that how our ancestors and forefathers had worked hard and suffered all the brutal behavior of Britishers.

We cannot imagine by sitting here that how hard the independence was for India from the British rule. It took sacrifices of lives of many freedom fighters and several decades of struggle from 1857 to 1947. An Indian soldier (Mangal Pandey) in the British force had first raised his voice against Britishers for the independence of India.

Later several great freedom fighters had struggled and spent their whole life only for getting freedom. We can never forget the sacrifices of the Bhagat Singh, Khudi Ram Bose and Chandra Sekhar Azad who had lost their lives in their early age just for fighting for their country. How can we ignore all the struggles of Netaji and Gandhiji. Gandhiji was a great Indian personalities who taught Indians a big lesson of non-violence. He was the one and only who lead India to get freedom with the help of non-violence. Finally the result of long years of struggle came in front on 15 th of August 1947 when India got freedom.

We are so lucky that our forefathers have given us a land of peace and happy where we can sleep whole night without fear and enjoy whole day in our school or home. Our country is developing very fast in the field of technology, education, sports, finance and various other fields which were almost impossible before freedom. India is one of the countries rich in nuclear power. We are going ahead by actively participating in the sports like Olympics, Commonwealth games and Asian games.

We have full rights to chose our government and enjoy largest democracy in the world. Yes, we are free and have complete freedom however we should not understand ourselves free of responsibilities towards our country. As being responsible citizens of the country, we should be always ready to handle any emergency condition in our country.

Jai Hind, Jai Bharat.

Also Read: Republic Day Speech 2023 for Students

Independence Day Speech 6 – Long Speech on 15 August – Sample 4

A very warm good morning to the respected teachers and my dear friends gathered here. Today we are gathered here to celebrate this auspicious occasion of Independence day on 15 th of August. We celebrate this day with lots of enthusiasm and joy every year because our country got freedom at this day in 1947 from the British rule. We are here to celebrate nth number of independence day. It is great and most significant day for all Indians. People of India had suffered cruel behavior of Britishers for many years.

Today we have freedom in almost all fields such as education, sports, transportation, business, etc just because of the years of struggle of our forefathers. Before 1947, people were not so free even they were restricted to have rights on their own body and mind. They were slave of Britishers and forced to follow all the orders of them. Today we are free to do anything because of the great Indian leaders who struggled hard for many years to get freedom against British rule.

Independence day is celebrated all over India with much pleasure. This day is of great importance to all Indian citizens as it gives us opportunity to remember all those freedom fighters who had sacrificed their lives just for giving us a beautiful and peaceful life. Earlier to the independence, people were not allowed to get education, eat healthy food and live normal life like us. We should be grateful to those events responsible for the freedom in India. Indians were treated more badly than slaves by the Britishers just to fulfill their meaningless orders.

Some of the great freedom fighters of India are Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhiji, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpath Ray, Bhagat Singh, Khudi Ram Bose and Chandra Sekhar Azad. They were famous patriots who struggled hard for the freedom of India till the end of their life. We cannot imagine that horrible moment struggled by our forefathers.

Now, after many years of independence our country is on the right track of development. Today our country is a well established democratic country all over the world. Gandhiji was great leader who taught us about effective way of freedom like ahimsa and sathyagraha methods. Gandhi dreamed of an independent India with the non violence and peace.

India is our mother country and we are its citizens. We should always be ready to save it from the bad people. It is our responsibility to lead our country ahead and make it a best country of the world.

Also Read: Speech on Mahatma Gandhi for Students

Independence Day Speech 7 – Long Speech on 15 August – Sample 5

Very good morning to the honorable Chief Guest of the day, respected teachers, parents and my all dear friends. I wish you all a very Happy Independence Day. We all know the reason of get together here in such a big crowd. We all are excited celebrating this great day in such an excellent manner. We are gathered here to celebrate 77th independence day of our nation.

First of all we hoist our honorable national flag then give a salute to all the heroic deeds of the freedom fighters. I am feeling so proud to be an Indian citizen. I have such a great chance to give a speech on the Independence Day in front of you all. I would like to say thanks to my respected class teacher that she has given me an opportunity to share my views with you all about the freedom of India.

We celebrate Independence day every year on 15 th of August because India got freedom on the night of 14 th of August in 1947. Just after the independence of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had given a speech on the Independence day in New Delhi. When people all over the world were sleeping, people in India were waking to get freedom and life from the British rule. Now, after the independence, India has been a largest democratic country in the world. Our country is a most famous country for the saying of unity in diversity. It face many incidents testing its secularism however Indian people become always ready to answer with their unity.

Because of the hard struggles of our forefathers we are now able to enjoy the freedom and breathe fresh air according to our wish. Getting freedom from the Britishers was really an impossible task our forefathers did with their continuous efforts. We can never forget their works and always remember them through the history. We cannot remember all the deeds of all the freedom fighters in a day only however can give them a heartily salute. They would always be in our memories and way of inspiration to us whole life.

Today is the very significant day for all Indians which we celebrate remembering sacrifices of great Indian leaders who had given their lives for the freedom and prosperity of the country. Freedom of India was possible because of the cooperation, sacrifice and involvement of all the Indians. We should value and salute all the Indian citizens because they are the real national heroes. We should keep faith in the secularism and never be separate to maintain the unity so that no one can break and rule again.

We should take an oath today of being highly responsible and well-educated citizens of the tomorrow India. We should sincerely perform our duty and do work hard to get the goal and successfully lead this democratic nation.

Independence Day Speech 8 – Long Speech on 15 August – Sample 6

A very good morning to the excellencies, respected teachers and my dear colleagues. We are gathered here to celebrate nth Independence day. I am very happy to speech here on this great occasion. I am very grateful to my class teacher to give me such a special opportunity to say my views on the independence day of my country. At this special occasion of independence day I would like to speech on the India’s struggle for getting freedom from the British rule.

Long years ago, great Indian leaders were made a tryst with the destiny to give us a free and peaceful country by sacrificing their comfort of life. Today we are gathered here to celebrate independence day without any fear and having happy face just because of our brave forefathers.

We cannot imagine that how the moment was critical at that time. We have nothing to give our forefathers in return for their precious hard works and sacrifices. I can only remember them and their deeds and make a heartily salute while celebrating the national events. They would always be in our hearts. After the independence India get new birth with happy face of all Indian citizens.

India got independence on 15 th of August in 1947 from the clutches of British rule. Indian people all over the country celebrate this national festival annually with lots of joy and enthusiasm. It was great day for all the Indian citizens when India’s tricolor flag was unfolded by the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, at the Red Fort, Delhi.

A huge celebration takes place in New Delhi at Rajpath every year where national anthem is sung after the flag hoisting by prime minster. Together with the national anthem a salute through 21 guns firing and showering of flowers through helicopter is given to the national flag. Independence day is a national holiday however everyone celebrate this from their own places by hosting the flags in schools, offices or society. We should feel proud to be an Indian and try our best to save the honor of our country.

Long Speech on Independence Day of India 9 – Speech on 15 August – Sample 7

Hon’ble Guests of Honor, Senior Managers, Managers, other Staff Members and My Dear Friends – Warm Greetings to all of you!

I am feeling extremely glad to have been standing in front of you and hosting this invigorating day on the eve of Independence Day. We as Indians very well realize the importance of Independence Day and should be filled with utmost pride to have finally won back our freedom from the shackles of British rule. It gives me a sense of immense joy which is indescribable in words when I see our national flag soaring in the wind high up.

I am sure you can relate with my emotions. Needless to say, Independence Day is celebrated on 15 th of August every year and it is in the year 1947 that India emerged as a free nation. Since this is a day of great historical importance for all the Indians, national holiday is being declared in India and all of us celebrate Independence Day with great warmth and show.

This is just a brief about Independence Day, but does anyone here know about the period of British Raj? Well, let me share with you all that it was between 1858 until 1947 that the Britishers colonized our Indian subcontinent. This time period is called the British Raj period.

Now, it becomes even more interesting to know how the British colonial rule began in our country. When the East India Company arrived in India, they were stripped of the goods and land of Indian citizens by conspiracy and Queen Victoria making it all the property of the monarchy.

The East India Company was founded in 1600 under Royal Charter during the monarchical reign of Elizabeth I. Though apparently its chief aim was to trade, it eventually became an indomitable force of colonization controlling the most part of our Indian subcontinent. The people living in the Indian subcontinent during that time became the subjects of the British colonial rule under Queen Victoria and subsequently other monarchs who came after her.

I am sure we all can gauge that gaining independence under such challenging situation was not an easy task, but required long and persistent efforts. One of the most prominent personalities who chiefly contributed towards gaining independence was Mahatma Gandhi or what we usually address him as Bapu .

What makes him even a greater personality is the fact that he achieved independence by not following the path of violence or bloodshed, but through his policy of non-violence wherein he did not oppose the rule of Britishers through armed fighting rather he with his followers started the non-violence campaign which comprised hunger strikes and civil disobedience. Their concerted efforts ultimately brought an end to the British Raj in our country. British rule was given an official garb under the name of “British administration of India” and under that garb Indians had to undergo a lot of pain and trauma.

We should salute those heroic spirits and pay our homage to them by remembering their brave deeds and sacrifice for our mother land and never forget that it is because of their efforts that we stand today and breathe in an Independent India.

But the seeds of self-governance in our country were laid down much before India won its independence. In the 19 th century, several Indian councilors were appointed on various advisory roles. They were hired for the advisory support of the British viceroys who continued to rule across the major parts of India. In the year 1892, a law known as the Indian Councils Act came into being with a view to empower these councilors as well as other Indian officials. But they remained under the higher British authority and had to put up with the prejudices of the white men to be able to reach the pinnacle of success in their jobs.

It was somewhat in the midnight between 14 th August and daytime of 15 th August 1947 that the treaty of Indian sovereignty was signed. This was a time when George VI was ruling as the king in Britain and Clement Attlee was their prime minister. In India Jawaharlal Nehru became the prime minister of independent India and Britain renounced his rule over India. The Britishers no longer had anything to do with the Indian affairs.

Even though we do not bear witness to those times, but we can understand very well the intensity of that crucial time when our country actually gained independence. We cannot help but feel proud of it. However, the declaration of freedom came in written in the year 1929, which is much earlier. This declaration happened along with the great freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi and other known figures, who hoisted the Indian Flag.

It was indeed a big moment for all the Indians. The day of declaration of Indian independence is called as Purna Swaraj . It is quite significant to understand that even though India gained independence in the year 1947, it was only in the 1950s that India’s official constitution as an independent nation came into effect. The period in between was a transition phase in the form of 3 intervening years.

So how can we Indians let go off this momentous day in normalcy and not celebrate this historic day with great pomp and show. So on this day of great historical importance, our prime minister visits Red Fort and hoists the Indian National Flag or our Tricolor (Tiranga). Post that the national anthem is being sung. It is then followed by a stirring speech delivered by our prime minister to the people of its country. Now, the 73rd Independence Day will be celebrated on August 15 th , 2018. The whole sight looks so spectacular and mesmerizing that we can’t help but remain in awe while witnessing the whole ceremony.

In the end, all that can be said is freedom is priceless and our soldiers are so brave that they are continuously fighting on borders in order to protect our country from any militant or terrorist group. So we should never fail to value this freedom and preserve it wholeheartedly.

This is all I can say, Jai Hind!

Independence Day Speech for Students FAQs

What is the best speech for independence day.

The best Independence Day speech usually includes heartfelt words about freedom, unity, and the nation's progress. It may also touch on historical significance and patriotic values.

How to start a speech?

To start a speech, grab your audience's attention with a strong opening, like a quote, story, or interesting fact related to your topic.

How to give a good speech?

To give a good speech, be well-prepared, organized, and confident. Practice your speech, maintain eye contact, speak clearly, and engage with your audience.

What are the 5 lines of 15 August?

The 5 lines for 15 August, India's Independence Day, often include celebrating freedom, remembering sacrifices, honoring leaders, expressing patriotism, and looking towards a brighter future.

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Jul 4, 2019

Independence Day Bill Pullman Speech Transcript: Great Movie Transcripts

Today at Rev on the 4th of July we’d like to honor one of the greatest fake presidents of all time, who gave one of the greatest fake presidential speeches of all time, on the greatest fake Independence Day of all time. Happy 4th of July Bill Pullman, aka President Thomas J. Whitmore!

President Whitmore: ( 00:00 ) Good morning. Good morning. In less than an hour aircrafts from here will join others from around the world and you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind.

President Whitmore: ( 00:22 ) Mankind, that word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can’t be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. Perhaps it’s fate that today is the 4th of July and you will once again be fighting for our freedom not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution but from annihilation.

President Whitmore: ( 00:56 ) We’re fighting for our right to live, to exist, and should we win today the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday but as the day when the world declared in one voice,

President Whitmore: ( 01:14 ) “We will not go quietly into the night. We will not vanish without a fight. We’re going to live on. We’re going to survive. Today we celebrate our Independence Day!”

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Independence Day Speech in English for Students

Independence day speech in english.

Independence Day Speech – We celebrate Independence Day as the national festival of India. The Day marks the anniversary of national independence from the British Empire on 15th august 1947.

Furthermore, it is the most auspicious day for the people of India because India becomes independent after lots of hardships and sacrifices of the brave Indian freedom fighters.

From that day onwards 15th August become a very important day in Indian history and in the hearts of every Indian. Also, the entire nation celebrates this day with the full spirit of patriotism.

After the independence, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was chosen as the first Prime Minister of India. Moreover, he unfurled our tricolor flag at the Red Fort in the national capital, New Delhi for the first time.

From there onwards, every year we celebrate Independence Day at Red Fort New Delhi. In addition, the army performs many tasks that also include a march past cultural programs by school students.

In addition, we celebrate Independence Day to remember the lives that we sacrificed to gain this freedom. As they are the ones who struggled for our country. Furthermore, on his day we forget our differences and unites as one true nation should.

Importance of Independence Day Celebration

We celebrate Independence Day on a vast scale in our country. Also, every government building is decorated with tricolor lights that orange, white, and green just like the national flag.

Furthermore, every official and office staff whether private or government has to be present in the office for the flag hoisting ceremony and singing our National Anthem. Besides, there is a lot of other reasons to celebrate our independence day.

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Honor the Memory of our Freedom Fighters

Freedom fighters struggled to make our country free from the Britishers. In addition, they were the ones who sacrificed their lives for the country. On this day every citizen of our country pays tribute to them.

Furthermore, the schools and colleges organize various functions to celebrate our independence and to pay tribute to these freedom fighters. Also, students perform in these programs that depict the struggle of our freedom fighters.

In schools and colleges, students give solo and duet performances of patriotic songs. These songs fill our hearts with a feeling of patriotism and love for our country. Usually, in offices, it is a non-working day but all the staff and officials gather to express their patriotism for the country.

In addition, at various offices, employees deliver speeches to enlighten people about the freedom struggle. Also, about the efforts of our freedom fighters to make this country an independent nation.

To spark the spirit of patriotism in youth

The youth of our country has the power to change the nation. By means, someone rightly said that the future hinge on to the young generation. Hence it becomes our duty to serve the nation and make every possible effort to make our county better.

One of the main motives for celebrating Independence Day is to make the young generation aware of the sacrifices we have made to make this country a better place for them.

Most noteworthy, it tells them how our country got independence from the grasps of the Britishers. And about the sacrifices, our freedom fighter has made for the country. Also, we do it to make our children aware of the history of our country.

Furthermore, it makes them aware of the development that took place in the past years. Consequently, to make them serious about our future and careers which they put forth to make our country better.

To sum it up, gaining independence from Britishers was not easy. And it’s because of the struggle and hardship of our freedom fighter that we now live in a free country. On Independence Day we remember the long battle that our freedom fighters fought and sacrifices that they have made.

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• Speech Writing /

Speech on the Journey of Independence Day for School Students

• Updated on  
• Jan 15, 2024

The Journey of Independence Day Speech: India’s path to freedom was not easy. The country gained independence because of our freedom fighters who exhibited immense courage and determination. This journey began somewhere around the 1800’s and ended in 1947. From the 1st war of Independence in 1857 to the Quit India Movement in 1942, India lost many lives to achieve freedom. 

Thereafter, with the conclusion of the Quit India Movement in 1945 and the implementation of the Lord Mountbatten Plan on 3 June 1947, India achieved its independence on 15 August 1947. 

Also Read: Essay On Kalpana Chawla In 500 Words

Speech on the Journey of Independence Day

Hello everyone, and I welcome you all to an independent and warm sunshine. Today, we are all gathered here to celebrate India’s journey til 15 August 1947. This journey is a celebration of the human spirit and the power of hope. This journey of independence begins with a desire for freedom that later burns in the hearts of our forefathers, who dared to dream of and achieve as a sovereign nation.

India’s quest for independence started with the Revolt of 1857 which is considered as the 1st War of Independence. The revolt was fueled by the discontent among Indian soldiers in the British East India Company’s army. Mangal Pandey, an Indian soldier ignited the spark in the army and made a courageous attempt to reclaim our rights and dignity. Later on, General Bakht Khan (Delhi), Begum Hazrat Mahal (Lucknow), Rani Lakshmibai (Jhansi), Nana Saheb (Kanpur), Kunwar Singh (Bihar) and many more joined the revolt. Though we did not succeed, the seed of resistance was sown into the hearts of people and helped pave the way for future struggles.  

The Lucknow Pact of 1916 was another landmark moment in the history of India’s journey to Independence Day. As a landmark moment, the pact showcased the unity among Hindus and Muslims against British rule. Indian leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Muhammad Ali Jinnah worked together for constitutional reforms. Moreover, this pact helped lay the foundation for a united front against colonial oppression.

Also, the massacre of Jallianwala Bagh in 1919 can never be forgotten in India’s journey to independence. The merciless act of General Dyer claimed hundreds of innocent lives. This ruthless act sparked outrage in our people who wanted to break the chains of colonialism.

This chain of revolutions in the journey of independence started scaring the British. Another landmark event in the freedom struggle was the Mahatma Gandhi-led Non-Cooperation Movement. In this movement, he urged his fellow Indians to boycott British goods and institutions. The mass protest was successful and saw millions of people participating in the movement. The mass participation highlighted not only the unity but also reflected the yearning for freedom among the Indian population. 

Later on, the Quit India Movement on August 8, 1942, saw a huge crowd rallying behind Mahatma Gandhi with a call for an immediate end to British rule. During this uprising, famous freedom fighter leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Chakravarti Rajgopalachari, and others were imprisoned. But as it is said, the torch of freedom never extinguished, and the spirit of resistance remained unbroken.

After years of struggles by freedom fighters, India saw a bittersweet moment in the history of freedom on August 14 and 15, 1947, which marked the end of colonial rule and also led to the creation of India and Pakistan as two separate nations. As India celebrated its freedom on 15 August 1947, the country faced communal tensions, mass migration, and the division of properties and financial assets. 

As a student, we should never forget the struggles and sacrifices made by the freedom fighters of India. To make the journey of Independence more memorable and meaningful, all these incidents can be included in the curriculum of the syllabus students so that they can know more about them comprehensively. Also, students can depict scenes of freedom struggle through various activities, such as dramas, skits, dance, and songs.  

In conclusion, the journey to independence has shown the world that our country is a land of sacrifice, dedication, and the value of honor. The struggles and fights will inspire future generations to celebrate the freedom that was hard fought. Though we enjoy and celebrate Independence with pomp and show, the journey was still more memorable than one might think.

Also Read: NCERT Class 8 Making of National Movement Notes

10 Lines on Speech on the Journey of Independence Day 

Here are simple 10 lines that you can include in your Speech on the Journey of Independence Day:

1. Independence Day is celebrated on August 15 every year magnificently.

2. The colonized rule of Britishers not only tortured the people of India but also took every right that was required of every human.

3. The year 1857 blew the trumpet of independence with the revolt in India.

4. Mangal Pandey, an Indian soldier, ignited the spark in the army and made a courageous attempt to reclaim our rights and dignity in the revolt for independence. Later on, General Bakht Khan (Delhi), Begum Hazrat Mahal (Lucknow), Rani Lakshmibai (Jhansi), Nana Saheb (Kanpur), Kunwar Singh (Bihar), and many more.

4. The Lucknow Pact of 1916 was another incredible moment in the history of India’s journey to Independence Day.

5. It has strengthened Hindu-Muslim unity in the national political history of India.

6. The Amritsar massacre, or Jallianwala Bagh massacre, which took place in 1919 filled the people with range.

7. To fuel the journey to independence, Mahatma Gandhi led the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1922 and urged Indians to boycott British goods and institutions.

8. The Quit India Movement of 1942 to 1945 was the nail in the coffin of British rule. 

9. The struggles and fights will inspire future generations to celebrate the freedom that was hard fought. 

10. Though we enjoy and celebrate Independence with pomp and show, the journey was still more memorable than one might think.

Also Read: Essay on Indian Army in 500+ Words

Ans : To start a speech on Independence Day, greet the present gathered people and fellow people, and then start with an introduction to the history of Independence, the struggles of freedom fighters, and their journey.

Ans: Some of the best slogans for Independence Day are: Violent means will give violent freedom. That would be a menace to the world and to India herself, according to Mahatma Gandhi and If your blood does not rage, then it is water that flows in your veins. For what is the flush of youth if it is not of service to the motherland by Chandra Shekhar Azad?

Ans: The format of the introduction while writing an Independence Day speech can be Hello everyone, and I welcome you all to the independent and warm sunshine. Today, we are all gathered here to celebrate the journey of independence that rises above time and echoes the resilience of a nation. This journey of independence begins with a desire for freedom and later burns in the hearts of our forefathers, who dared to dream of a sovereign nation.

Ans: The Indian Prime Minister delivers a speech on Independence Day to address the nation with his speech to motivate the spirit of independence and keep reminding the people about the struggles as well as the determination of the freedom fighters.

Ans: Independence Day is celebrated on August 15 every year. Many freedom fighters sacrificed their lives, fought courageously, and showed determination to achieve independence. From the colonial rule of Britishers, we emerged as a nation that did not turn down. The Journey of Independence Day believed in the inherent right to self-determination.

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Deepika Joshi

Deepika Joshi is an experienced content writer with expertise in creating educational and informative content. She has a year of experience writing content for speeches, essays, NCERT, study abroad and EdTech SaaS. Her strengths lie in conducting thorough research and ananlysis to provide accurate and up-to-date information to readers. She enjoys staying updated on new skills and knowledge, particulary in education domain. In her free time, she loves to read articles, and blogs with related to her field to further expand her expertise. In personal life, she loves creative writing and aspire to connect with innovative people who have fresh ideas to offer.

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The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500

A Proclamation on Transgender Day of Visibility,   2024

On Transgender Day of Visibility, we honor the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans and reaffirm our Nation’s commitment to forming a more perfect Union — where all people are created equal and treated equally throughout their lives.  

I am proud that my Administration has stood for justice from the start, working to ensure that the LGBTQI+ community can live openly, in safety, with dignity and respect.  I am proud to have appointed transgender leaders to my Administration and to have ended the ban on transgender Americans serving openly in our military.  I am proud to have signed historic Executive Orders that strengthen civil rights protections in housing, employment, health care, education, the justice system, and more.  I am proud to have signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law, ensuring that every American can marry the person they love. 

Transgender Americans are part of the fabric of our Nation.  Whether serving their communities or in the military, raising families or running businesses, they help America thrive.  They deserve, and are entitled to, the same rights and freedoms as every other American, including the most fundamental freedom to be their true selves.  But extremists are proposing hundreds of hateful laws that target and terrify transgender kids and their families — silencing teachers; banning books; and even threatening parents, doctors, and nurses with prison for helping parents get care for their children.  These bills attack our most basic American values:  the freedom to be yourself, the freedom to make your own health care decisions, and even the right to raise your own child.  It is no surprise that the bullying and discrimination that transgender Americans face is worsening our Nation’s mental health crisis, leading half of transgender youth to consider suicide in the past year.  At the same time, an epidemic of violence against transgender women and girls, especially women and girls of color, continues to take too many lives.  Let me be clear:  All of these attacks are un-American and must end.  No one should have to be brave just to be themselves.  

At the same time, my Administration is working to stop the bullying and harassment of transgender children and their families.  The Department of Justice has taken action to push back against extreme and un-American State laws targeting transgender youth and their families and the Department of Justice is partnering with law enforcement and community groups to combat hate and violence.  My Administration is also providing dedicated emergency mental health support through our nationwide suicide and crisis lifeline — any LGBTQI+ young person in need can call “988” and press “3” to speak with a counselor trained to support them.  We are making public services more accessible for transgender Americans, including with more inclusive passports and easier access to Social Security benefits.  There is much more to do.  I continue to call on the Congress to pass the Equality Act, to codify civil rights protections for all LGBTQI+ Americans.

Today, we send a message to all transgender Americans:  You are loved.  You are heard.  You are understood.  You belong.  You are America, and my entire Administration and I have your back.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility.  I call upon all Americans to join us in lifting up the lives and voices of transgender people throughout our Nation and to work toward eliminating violence and discrimination based on gender identity.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.

                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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