Washington at Newburgh
A late reply to Claire's request for nominations for the 25 greatest speeches, but I propose Washington at Newburgh.
By the winter of 1783, hostilities between the British and Americans had ended, but no terms had yet been worked out. The British continued to occupy New York. Most of the Continental Army was encamped some 60 miles away, in Newburgh, New York. Forced to serve without pay for months, American soldiers and officers alike had grown restive, and certain officers had conspired with members of Congress who wanted to strengthen the new central government, agreeing to force Congress to impose a new tariff or impost. The plan -- known now as "the Newburgh Conspiracy" -- would have solved the problem of back pay -- the proceeds from the new tariff would have been devoted to the army -- but overturned, at the very moment the new nation was coming into being, the principle of civilian control of the military.
George Washington called a meeting of his officers to discuss the matter, arranging beforehand for Gen. Horatio Gates to preside. The meeting took place on March 15, 1783 in a small wooden building at the army encampment. After the meeting had begun, Washington himself entered, completely unexpected. Gen. Gates gave Washington the floor. Washington then delivered a carefully written address, expressing sympathy for his officers' demands but rejecting the plan to use the army to threaten Congress. At the end of his balanced, dispassionate remarks, the officers appeared unmoved. Washington removed from his pocket a letter from a member of Congress explaining the difficulties Congress faced in raising funds. For a moment, Washington fumbled with the document. He reached into his pocket again, this time removing reading glasses, which few had ever seen him wear. "Gentlemen," Washington said, "you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in the service of my country."
With that remark, witnesses reported, Washington brought tears to eyes of officers--by now hardened veterans--throughout the room. The conspiracy collapsed.
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Jul '10
Re: Washington at Newburgh
I'll nominate President Reagan's First Inaugral Address. This is the speech that famously stated that "government is not the solution; government is the problem." It is still one of my favorites, particularly after a week like this one. I typically share his D-Day 40th Anniversary speech with students in my speech classes, but this is the one that gets me. More recently, I'm a fan of Tony Blair's speech to Congress from 2003. Seriously.
Re: Washington at Newburgh
Chris: you know, I had forgotten about that speech. So I Googled it -- it's here -- and reread it. So true: it's excellent.
Amazing, isn't it? We're all nostalgic for Tony Blair! That's how tiny and small our current crop of leaders is.
May '10
Re: Washington at Newburgh
Rob Long: Chris: you know, I had forgotten about that speech. So I Googled it -- it's here -- and reread it. So true: it's excellent.
Amazing, isn't it? We're all nostalgic for Tony Blair! That's how tiny and small our current crop of leaders is. · Jul 18 at 2:36pm
You can, if you like, watch the speech thanks to Youtube and C-SPAN.
I'd like to nominate a speech that isn't political. It is the speech Herb Brooks gave to the 1980 Olympic Hockey Team in its game against the Soviet Union (here by Kurt Russell). Sure, it's dramatized, but members of the team have attested that this is what he said. I say if it doesn't give you goosebumps, if it doesn't get you cranked up a bit, well...
May '10
Re: Washington at Newburgh
I nominate a sort-of speech. It's a one-minute riff by Dinesh D'Souza on the moral superiority of America, and it comes at the expense of Gore Vidal! It's at the 23:00 mark of his appearance on Uncommon Knowledge in 2002. (That info's from memory--95% sure it's accurate.) Dinesh has the rare ability (Steyn has it, too) to speak off-the-cuff in such perfectly formed prose that a skilled editor could not improve the transcript. This particular monologue gives me chills every time I see it.
Jul '10
Re: Washington at Newburgh
Several years ago the Cato Institute sent me a promotional CD of speeches and Dinesh D'Souza had one on there that was terrific. It was about why America, or the idea of it, is subversive to other world cultures. This was about the time that his book What's So Great About America came out and I believe the speech echoed the same themes.
May '10
Re: Washington at Newburgh
Here's another sort-of speech: "Steyn on Multiculturalism" on youtube. It's Mark on a brilliant 10 min rant. Classic Steyn: at the start, the culture-shocked audience is hesitant to embrace such a master of political incorrectness, but by the end Mark has them rolling in the aisles.
Re: Washington at Newburgh
Jimmy Bise Jr., many thanks for the link to Reagan's first inaugural. I just watched again for the first time since seeing it live as a college senior. Wow, how far we've come. Imagine hearing any one of the following from our current president: "Constitution . . . freedom . . . government is the problem . . .We the People . . . nation that has a government, not the other way around . . .entrepreneurs . . . you the citizens of this blessed land . . .removing the roadblocks . . . lighten our punitive tax burden . . . the will and moral courage of free men and women . . .prayer meetings. . . God intended for us to be free."
And so He did. So He did.
Re: Washington at Newburgh
Peter, do I understand correctly that you're saying the speech itself was not especially stirring, but Washington's unscripted remark suddenly changed the emotional climate all the same? If so, why do you think this speech should be included?
May '10
Re: Washington at Newburgh
Well we have heard it from the likes of Obama and Clinton, but unfortunately each of these items would then be tempered--or even dismissed--with a following "but-on-the-other-hand" comment. This technique, by the way, is the mark of a really bad speech--the "this-but-also-that" speech, which our current crop of politicians have turned into an art form. with Clinton as Yoda.
May '10
Re: Washington at Newburgh
......Kind of like if Peter had written, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!...But, then, we too have walls. Take Arizona for example...."
May '10
Re: Washington at Newburgh
I took it to mean that, while the words and message of a speech matter, the source of of a speech also matters. Leadership by example is perhaps the strongest means of communication.
May '10
Re: Washington at Newburgh
This is basically why I recommended Flannery O'Connor as a source of inspiration. While she is not known for speeches, her writing involves many qualities which make speeches great. She is honest but considerate. She is eloquent, but simply and humbly so. She is demanding but encouraging.
All speeches are dependent on trust in the orator.
Jul '10
Re: Washington at Newburgh
I think that Washington at Newburgh was a great moment, but not his greatest speech. I would nominate for greatest, as both speech and moment, Washington's resignation speech to Congress on December 23, 1783. It is, for one thing, characteristically Washingtonian in its prose and sensibility; the Old Man definitely wrote it himself. Moreover, it is almost world-historic in its importance. When he exited the chamber, Washington knew that he had done something that Julius Caesar and Oliver Cromwell, to name but two generals, could not bring themselves to do.
Jul '10
Re: Washington at Newburgh
We should include "I Have a Dream" for its meritocratic message alone. It is an important speech in American history. Though Martin Luther King, Jr.'s name is invoked in some matters many disagree with, the model of society the speech lays out is something that most, if not all, of us can agree with.