9 of the Most Iconic Speeches Throughout History

There have been many great orators throughout history, from Demosthenes to Mahatma Gandhi. However, it takes a special combination of charisma, word choice, and outside circumstances to produce a speech that defines a generation.The speeches that continue to be remembered today tend to speak directly to the audience in a meaningful way. Whether people needed to feel hope during crisis or celebrate peace after years of war, here are nine famous speeches and the people who delivered them.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech was a cultural touchstone that occurred during the American civil rights movement. Delivered during the March on Washington in 1963, King spoke to an audience of 250,00 people, calling for racial equality and an end to discrimination.

In June of 1940, Winston Churchill was called to share some bad news with the British public while remaining optimistic about the outcome of WWII. The result was his famous "We Shall Fight on the Beaches" speech, delivered to the House of Commons after the Dunkirk evacuation. With stirring resolve, Churchill promised British resistance against Nazi Germany, and his words were so moving that "several Labour members cried," according to Parliament member Chris Cannon.

After the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, which is widely accepted to be the turning point of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln gave the famous Gettysburg Address to honor fallen Union soldiers and reaffirm the nation's commitment to freedom. Consisting of just 271 words, the speech is renowned for its brevity and has been memorized by multiple generations of children in American schools.

In 1987, Ronald Reagan publicly petitioned Soviet leader Gorbachev to dismantle the Berlin Wall, which separated East and West Berlin. Reagan's address highlighted the importance of personal freedoms in the quest for world peace, but it's forever remembered for a single sentence in the middle of the speech when he proclaimed, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

Aimed at reassuring the public after France conceded to an armistice with Germany, Churchill delivered "Their Finest Hour" to the House of Commons just two weeks after "Fight on the Beaches." With this new speech, Churchill called for continued unity and promised eventual victory.

With 1964's "The Ballot or the Bullet," Malcolm X addressed African American civil rights, urging his audience to pursue equality through political engagement or, if necessary, self-defense. While he acknowledged the power of the democratic vote, he also expressed his disillusionment with the U.S. government. These sentiments are central to the core beliefs of the Black nationalist movement, which Malcolm X actively supported. 

Richard Nixon's 1952 Checkers speech was his televised defense against corruption allegations that arose while he was running for vice president. Although he denied misusing funds related to his campaign, he did admit to receiving Checkers, a cocker spaniel, as a gift, which he intended to keep for the sake of his children. This anecdote resonated with millions of viewers, helping to secure his vice presidency and eventual two-term stint as the Commander in Chief.

In 1872, Susan B. Anthony cast her vote for the presidential election, an act that got her arrested, put on trial, and fined $100. Prior to her trial in 1873, she delivered the famous "Is It a Crime to Vote?" speech, arguing that women also deserved access to the inalienable rights promised by the Constitution and Declaration of Independence.

The most famous passage from Theodore Roosevelt's 1910 "Citizenship in a Republic" speech highlights the efforts of the "Man in the Arena," or the people who actively fight for what they believe in. Rather than criticizing from the sidelines, Roosevelt extolled the virtues of political engagement.