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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 .

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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US Independence Day Speech

Ai generator.

A US Independence Day speech is a formal or informal address delivered to commemorate the anniversary of the United States’ Declaration of Independence, which occurred on July 4, 1776. This speech typically highlights the significance of the day, reflects on the history and the struggle for freedom, honors the founding fathers and those who fought for independence, and celebrates the values of liberty, democracy, and patriotism.

What is US Independence Day Speech?

US Independence Day Speech Bundle Download

US Independence Day Speech Format

1. introduction.

Greeting: Address the audience warmly. Significance: Mention the importance of Independence Day.

2. Historical Context

Founding Fathers: Highlight key figures like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. Declaration of Independence: Discuss the signing on July 4, 1776, and its importance.

3. Celebrating Freedom

Sacrifices and Struggles: Acknowledge the hardships faced by those who fought for independence. Achievements: Mention milestones and progress since independence.

4. Patriotism and Unity

National Pride: Encourage pride in American values and achievements. Unity in Diversity: Emphasize the strength derived from America’s diverse population.

5. Civic Responsibility

Role of Citizens: Discuss the responsibilities of being an American citizen. Future Vision: Inspire the audience to contribute to the country’s future.

6. Conclusion

Closing Remarks: Summarize key points. Inspirational Message: End with a hopeful and patriotic message.

US Independence Day Speech Example

Good morning, everyone! Today, we gather to celebrate one of the most significant days in our nation’s history— Independence Day . On this day, 248 years ago, our Founding Fathers declared our freedom from British rule by signing the Declaration of Independence . This bold act marked the birth of the United States of America on July 4, 1776. Historical Context Let us take a moment to remember the incredible journey that led to this historic day. Brave men and women stood up against tyranny and fought tirelessly for the freedom we enjoy today. Figures like George Washington , Thomas Jefferson , and Benjamin Franklin played pivotal roles in shaping our nation’s future. Their courage and vision laid the foundation for the democracy and liberties we hold dear. Celebrating Freedom Today, we celebrate the freedom and independence that define our nation. We honor the sacrifices of those who fought in the Revolutionary War and the countless others who have defended our freedoms since. From the early settlers to the modern-day soldiers, each has contributed to the story of America. Patriotism and Unity Our strength as a nation comes from our unity and diversity. The United States is a melting pot of cultures, ethnicities, and backgrounds. This diversity is not only our strength but also a testament to our nation’s founding principles of equality and justice for all. On this day, we celebrate what it means to be American and the shared values that unite us. Civic Responsibility Independence Day is not only about fireworks and parades; it’s also a reminder of our responsibilities as citizens. We must continue to uphold the values of freedom, justice, and democracy. Each of us has a role to play in shaping the future of our country. Let’s be inspired by the bravery of our ancestors and strive to make our nation even greater. Conclusion As we enjoy the festivities, let us reflect on the significance of this day and remember the sacrifices made for our freedom. Let’s carry forward the spirit of independence and work together towards a brighter future for all Americans. Thank you for being here today, and happy Independence Day!

Short US Independence Day Speech Example

Good morning, everyone! Today, we gather to celebrate the Fourth of July , our Independence Day . On this day in 1776, our Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence , marking the birth of our nation and our freedom from British rule. Historical Context We remember the bravery of heroes like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson , who fought tirelessly for our liberty. Their courage and vision laid the foundation for the United States of America. Celebrating Freedom Today, we honor their sacrifices and celebrate the freedom and democracy that define our country. Let’s remember the countless individuals who have defended these values throughout our history. Patriotism and Unity Our strength lies in our unity and diversity. As a nation of many cultures and backgrounds, we stand together, proud to be Americans. Civic Responsibility Independence Day is also a reminder of our responsibilities as citizens. Let’s uphold the values of freedom, justice, and democracy, and work together to make our country even greater. Conclusion As we enjoy the festivities, let’s reflect on the significance of this day and commit to contributing to a brighter future for all Americans. Thank you, and happy Independence Day!

• US Independence Day Speech for Students

• US Independence Day Speech for School

• US Independence Day Speech for Teachers

More US Independence Day Speech Topics

• US Independence Day Speech for Elementary School
• US Independence Day Speech for Middle School
• The Historical Significance of the Fourth of July
• Founding Fathers and Their Vision for America
• The Declaration of Independence: A Cornerstone of Freedom
• Celebrating American Heroes: Military and Civilian
• The Role of Patriots in the American Revolution
• How the American Flag Became a Symbol of Freedom
• Unity and Diversity: The American Melting Pot
• The Evolution of Independence Day Celebrations
• Patriotism and Civic Responsibility in Modern America
• America’s Journey from 13 Colonies to 50 States
• Land of the Free: The Importance of Individual Liberties
• Reflecting on America’s Achievements and Innovations
• Challenges Overcome Since the Birth of the Nation
• The Future of American Democracy

How to Write US Independence Day Speech

Greeting : Start with a warm welcome to the audience.

Significance : Mention the importance of Independence Day.

Brief History : Summarize the events leading to independence.

Recognition : Honor the sacrifices and contributions of the founding fathers and other key figures.

4. Patriotism

Achievements : Highlight the nation’s achievements since independence.

5. Reflection

Challenges : Acknowledge ongoing challenges and areas for improvement.

6. Call to Action

Inspiration : Encourage the audience to contribute positively to the nation.

7. Conclusion

Summary : Recap the key points.

Closing : End with a motivating and patriotic statement.

Tips for US Independence Day Speech

• Know Your Audience: Tailor your content to the interests and preferences of your audience.
• Start with a Strong Greeting: Use a warm and enthusiastic greeting to engage your audience from the beginning.
• Highlight the Significance: Briefly explain why Independence Day is important and what it commemorates.
• Mention Key Historical Figures: Reference important figures like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to provide historical context.
• Honor Sacrifices: Acknowledge the sacrifices made by those who fought for freedom and those who have defended it since.
• Emphasize Patriotism: Speak about the pride and values of being an American, focusing on unity and diversity.
• Incorporate Personal Stories or Quotes: Add a personal touch with relevant anecdotes or inspirational quotes from American leaders.
• Keep It Concise: Ensure your speech is short and to the point, keeping the audience engaged throughout.
• Use Clear and Simple Language: Avoid jargon and use language that is easy for everyone to understand.
• Inspire Civic Responsibility: Encourage the audience to uphold democratic values and contribute positively to the community.

Uses of US Independence Day Speech

• Commemorating Historical Events : A US Independence Day speech highlights the historical significance of July 4th. It recounts the events leading to independence, the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, and the contributions of the Founding Fathers, reminding citizens of the nation’s roots.
• Promoting National Unity : These speeches emphasize the importance of unity and solidarity among Americans. By reflecting on the collective effort that secured independence, they inspire citizens to work together for the common good, fostering a sense of belonging and community.
• Honoring National Heroes : Independence Day speeches honor the sacrifices and contributions of national heroes and freedom fighters. They acknowledge the individuals who fought for freedom, ensuring their legacy is remembered and respected.
• Inspiring Patriotism : The primary aim of these speeches is to evoke a sense of patriotism and national pride. They highlight the country’s achievements, values, and strengths, encouraging citizens to contribute positively to the nation’s development.
• Addressing Current Issues : Leaders use Independence Day speeches to address current national issues and challenges. By discussing these topics, they can rally support, propose solutions, and inspire collective action to overcome difficulties.
• Setting Future Goals : These speeches often outline the nation’s future goals and aspirations. Leaders use the occasion to present their vision for the country, motivating citizens to strive for progress and prosperity.
• Educational Purpose : Independence Day speeches educate the younger generation about the significance of independence and the values of freedom, democracy, and justice. They serve as a reminder of the importance of preserving and upholding these values.
• Strengthening Cultural Identity : These speeches celebrate the nation’s cultural heritage and identity. They recognize the diverse traditions and customs that contribute to the nation’s uniqueness, promoting cultural pride and inclusivity.
• Encouraging Civic Responsibility : Independence Day speeches emphasize the role of citizens in maintaining and strengthening democracy. They encourage civic responsibility, active participation in governance, and adherence to national laws and principles.
• Fostering International Relations : Leaders may use Independence Day speeches to address the international community, highlighting the country’s diplomatic achievements and its role in global affairs. This fosters goodwill and strengthens international relations.

What is the significance of US Independence Day?

US Independence Day commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, marking America’s independence from British rule.

Why do people give speeches on Independence Day?

People give speeches on Independence Day to celebrate freedom, honor the nation’s history, and inspire patriotism among citizens.

What themes are common in Independence Day speeches?

Common themes include freedom, patriotism, sacrifice, national unity, and the importance of democracy.

How can one start an Independence Day speech?

You can start an Independence Day speech with a powerful quote, historical fact, or personal anecdote related to American independence.

What historical figures are often mentioned in Independence Day speeches?

Speeches often mention figures like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and other Founding Fathers.

Why is the Declaration of Independence important in speeches?

The Declaration of Independence is important because it embodies the principles of freedom and democracy that the day celebrates.

How do you conclude an Independence Day speech?

Conclude with a strong, inspiring statement that reinforces patriotic sentiments and encourages civic participation.

What is the role of veterans in Independence Day speeches?

Veterans are often honored for their service and sacrifice in preserving the nation’s freedom.

How can one incorporate current events into an Independence Day speech?

You can highlight how current events reflect the ongoing struggle for freedom and equality, drawing parallels to the nation’s founding ideals.

Why is public speaking important on Independence Day?

Public speaking is important as it unites people, reinforces national pride, and educates citizens about their history and values.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

10 Examples of Public speaking

20 Examples of Gas lighting

Address to the Nation on Independence Day

July 4, 1986

My fellow Americans:

In a few moments the celebration will begin here in New York Harbor. It's going to be quite a show. I was just looking over the preparations and thinking about a saying that we had back in Hollywood about never doing a scene with kids or animals because they'd steal the scene every time. So, you can rest assured I wouldn't even think about trying to compete with a fireworks display, especially on the Fourth of July.

My remarks tonight will be brief, but it's worth remembering that all the celebration of this day is rooted in history. It's recorded that shortly after the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia celebrations took place throughout the land, and many of the former Colonists -- they were just starting to call themselves Americans -- set off cannons and marched in fife and drum parades.

What a contrast with the sober scene that had taken place a short time earlier in Independence Hall. 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.

For just a moment, let us listen to the words again: ``We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.'' Last night when we rededicated Miss Liberty and relit her torch, we reflected on all the millions who came here in search of the dream of freedom inaugurated in Independence Hall. We reflected, too, on their courage in coming great distances and settling in a foreign land and then passing on to their children and their children's children the hope symbolized in this statue here just behind us: the hope that is America. It is a hope that someday every people and every nation of the world will know the blessings of liberty.

And it's the hope of millions all around the world. In the last few years, I've spoken at Westminster to the mother of Parliaments; at Versailles, where French kings and world leaders have made war and peace. I've been to the Vatican in Rome, the Imperial Palace in Japan, and the ancient city of Beijing. I've seen the beaches of Normandy and stood again with those boys of Pointe du Hoc, who long ago scaled the heights, and with, at that time, Lisa Zanatta Henn, who was at Omaha Beach for the father she loved, the father who had once dreamed of seeing again the place where he and so many brave others had landed on D-day. But he had died before he could make that trip, and she made it for him. ``And, Dad,'' she had said, ``I'll always be proud.''

And I've seen the successors to these brave men, the young Americans in uniform all over the world, young Americans like you here tonight who man the mighty U.S.S. Kennedy and the Iowa and other ships of the line. I can assure you, you out there who are listening, that these young are like their fathers and their grandfathers, just as willing, just as brave. And we can be just as proud. But our prayer tonight is that the call for their courage will never come. And that it's important for us, too, to be brave; not so much the bravery of the battlefield, I mean the bravery of brotherhood.

All through our history, our Presidents and leaders have spoken of national unity and warned us that the real obstacle to moving forward the boundaries of freedom, the only permanent danger to the hope that is America, comes from within. It's easy enough to dismiss this as a kind of familiar exhortation. Yet the truth is that even two of our greatest Founding Fathers, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, once learned this lesson late in life. They'd worked so closely together in Philadelphia for independence. But once that was gained and a government was formed, something called partisan politics began to get in the way. After a bitter and divisive campaign, Jefferson defeated Adams for the Presidency in 1800. And the night before Jefferson's inauguration, Adams slipped away to Boston, disappointed, brokenhearted, and bitter.

For years their estrangement lasted. But then when both had retired, Jefferson at 68 to Monticello and Adams at 76 to Quincy, they began through their letters to speak again to each other. Letters that discussed almost every conceivable subject: gardening, horseback riding, even sneezing as a cure for hiccups; but other subjects as well: the loss of loved ones, the mystery of grief and sorrow, the importance of religion, and of course the last thoughts, the final hopes of two old men, two great patriarchs, for the country that they had helped to found and loved so deeply. ``It carries me back,'' Jefferson wrote about correspondence with his cosigner of the Declaration of Independence, ``to the times when, beset with difficulties and dangers, we were fellow laborers in the same cause, struggling for what is most valuable to man, his right to self-government. Laboring always at the same oar, with some wave ever ahead threatening to overwhelm us and yet passing harmless . . . we rowed through the storm with heart and hand . . . .'' It was their last gift to us, this lesson in brotherhood, in tolerance for each other, this insight into America's strength as a nation. And when both died on the same day within hours of each other, that date was July 4th, 50 years exactly after that first gift to us, the Declaration of Independence.

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\1/2\ 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.

My fellow Americans, we're known around the world as a confident and a happy people. Tonight there's much to celebrate and many blessings to be grateful for. So while it's good to talk about serious things, it's just as important and just as American to have some fun. Now, let's have some fun -- let the celebration begin!

Note: The President spoke at 9:50 p.m. from the U.S.S. ``John F. Kennedy'' in New York Harbor. Earlier, on board the ship, he attended a USO show and a reenlistment and promotion ceremony for members of the crew. Following the fireworks display, the President went to the Rockefeller estate in Pocantico Hills, NY, where he stayed overnight.

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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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Presidential Speeches

July 4, 1821: speech to the u.s. house of representatives on foreign policy, about this speech.

John Quincy Adams

July 04, 1821

While Secretary of State, Adams delivers a speech praising the virtues of America on Independence Day. He stresses that America has been devoted to the principles of freedom, independence and peace. This is an excerpt of the full speech. 

AND NOW, FRIENDS AND COUNTRYMEN, if the wise and learned philosophers of the elder world, the first observers of nutation and aberration, the discoverers of maddening ether and invisible planets, the inventors of Congreve rockets and Shrapnel shells, should find their hearts disposed to enquire what has America done for the benefit of mankind?

Let our answer be this: America, with the same voice which spoke herself into existence as a nation, proclaimed to mankind the inextinguishable rights of human nature, and the only lawful foundations of government. America, in the assembly of nations, since her admission among them, has invariably, though often fruitlessly, held forth to them the hand of honest friendship, of equal freedom, of generous reciprocity.

She has uniformly spoken among them, though often to heedless and often to disdainful ears, the language of equal liberty, of equal justice, and of equal rights.

She has, in the lapse of nearly half a century, without a single exception, respected the independence of other nations while asserting and maintaining her own.

She has abstained from interference in the concerns of others, even when conflict has been for principles to which she clings, as to the last vital drop that visits the heart.

She has seen that probably for centuries to come, all the contests of that Aceldama the European world, will be contests of inveterate power, and emerging right.

Wherever the standard of freedom and Independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be.

But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy.

She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all.

She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.

She will commend the general cause by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her example.

She well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom.

The fundamental maxims of her policy would insensibly change from liberty to force....

She might become the dictatress of the world. She would be no longer the ruler of her own spirit....

[America’s] glory is not dominion, but liberty. Her march is the march of the mind. She has a spear and a shield: but the motto upon her shield is, Freedom, Independence, Peace. This has been her Declaration: this has been, as far as her necessary intercourse with the rest of mankind would permit, her practice.

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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.

Speech on Independence Day

• Political Culture
• Rights and Liberties
• July 04, 1837

No study questions

Why is it, Friends and Fellow Citizens, that you are here assembled? Why is it, that, entering upon the sixty-second year of our national existence, you have honored with an invitation to address you from this place, a fellow citizen of a former age, bearing in the records of his memory, the warm and vivid affections which attached him, at the distance of a full half century, to your town, and to your forefathers, then the cherished associates of his youthful days? Why is it that, next to the birth day of the Savior of the World, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day?—And why is it that, among the swarming myriads of our population, thousands and tens of thousands among us, abstaining, under the dictate of religious principle, from the commemoration of that birth-day of Him, who brought life and immortality to light, yet unite with all their brethren of this community, year after year, in celebrating this the birthday of the nation?

Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer’s mission upon the earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity, and gave to the world the first irrevocable pledge of the fulfilment of the prophecies, announced directly from Heaven at the birth of the Savior and predicted by the greatest of the Hebrew prophets six hundred years before?

Cast your eyes backwards upon the progress of time, sixty-one years from this day; and in the midst of the horrors and desolations of civil war, you behold an assembly of Planters, Shopkeepers and Lawyers, the Representatives of the People of thirteen English Colonies in North America, sitting in the City of Philadelphia. These fifty-five men on that day, unanimously adopt and publish to the world, a state paper under the simple title of ’A Declaration’.

The object of this Declaration was two-fold.

First, to proclaim the People of the thirteen United Colonies, one People, and in their name, and by their authority, to dissolve the political bands which had connected them with another People, that is, the People of Great Britain.

Secondly, to assume, in the name of this one People, of the thirteen United Colonies, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station, to which the Laws of Nature, and of Nature’s God, entitled them.

With regard to the first of these purposes, the Declaration alleges a decent respect to the opinions of mankind, as requiring that the one people, separating themselves from another, should declare the causes, which impel them to the separation.—The specification of these causes, and the conclusion resulting from them, constitute the whole paper.

The Declaration was a manifesto, issued from a decent respect to the opinions of mankind, to justify the People of the North American Union, for their voluntary separation from the People of Great Britain, by alleging the causes which rendered this separation necessary.

The Declaration was, thus far, merely an occasional state paper, issued for a temporary purpose, to justify, in the eyes of the world, a People, in revolt against their acknowledged Sovereign, for renouncing their allegiance to him, and dissolving their political relations with the nation over which he presided.

For the second object of the Declaration, the assumption among the powers of the earth of the separate and equal station, to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitled them, no reason was assigned,—no justification was deemed necessary.

The first and chief purpose of the Declaration of Independence was interesting to those by whom it was issued, to the people, their constituents in whose name it was promulgated, and to the world of mankind to whom it was addressed, only during that period of time, in which the independence of the newly constituted people was contested, by the wager of battle. Six years of War, cruel, unrelenting, merciless War,—War, at once civil and foreign, were waged, testing the firmness and fortitude of the one People, in their inflexible adherence to that separation from the other, which their Representatives in Congress had proclaimed. By the signature of the Preliminary Articles of Peace, on the 30th of November 1782, their warfare was accomplished, and the Spirit of the Lord, with a voice reaching to the latest of future ages, might have exclaimed, like the sublime prophet of Israel,—”Comfort ye, comfort ye my people. saith your God.” (Isaiah 40:1)

But, from that day forth, the separation of the one People from the other was a solitary fact in their common history; a mere incident in the progress of human events, not more deserving of special and annual commemoration by one of the separated parts, than by the other. Still less were the causes of the separation subjects for joyous retrospection by either of the parties.—The causes were acts of misgovenment committed by the King and Parliament of Great Britain. In the exasperation of the moment they were alleged to be acts of personal tyranny and oppression by the King. George the third was held individually responsible for them all. The real and most culpable oppressor, the British Parliament, was not even named, in the bill of pains and penalties brought against the monarch. – They were described only as “others” combined with him; and, after a recapitulation of all the grievances with which the Colonies had been afflicted by usurped British Legislation, the dreary catalogue was closed by the sentence of unqualified condemnation, that a prince, whose character was thus marked by every act which might define a tyrant, was unworthy to be the ruler of a free people.

The King, thus denounced by a portion of his subjects, casting off their allegiance to his crown, has long since gone to his reward. His reign was long, and disastrous to his people, and his life presents a melancholy picture of the wretchedness of all human grandeur; but we may now, with the candour of impartial history, acknowledge that he was not a tyrant. His personal character was endowed with many estimable qualities. His intentions were good; his disposition benevolent; his integrity unsullied; his domestic virtues exemplary; his religious impressions strong and conscientious; his private morals pure; his spirit munificent, in the promotion of the arts, literature and sciences; and his most fervent wishes devoted to the welfare of his people. But he was born to be a hereditary king, and to exemplify in his life and history the irremediable vices of that political institution, which substitutes birth for merit, as the only qualification for attaining the supremacy of power. George the third believed that the Parliament of Great Britain had the right to enact laws for the government of the people of the British Colonies in all cases. An immence majority of the people of the British Islands believed the same. That people were exclusively the constituents of the British House of Commons, where the project of taxing the people of the Colonies for a revenue originated; and where the People of the Colonies were not preresented. The purpose of the project was to alleviate the burden of taxation bearing upon the people of Britain, by levying a portion of it upon the people of the Colonies.—At the root of all this there was a plausible theory of sovereignty, and unlimited power in Parliament, conflicting with the vital principle of English Freedom, that taxation and representation are inseparable, and that taxation without representation is a violation of the right of property. Here was a conflict between two first principles of government, resulting from a defect in the British Constitution: the principle that sovereign power in human Government is in its nature unlimited; and the principle that property can lawfully be taxed only with the consent of its owner. Now these two principles, carried out into practice, are utterly irreconcileable with each other. The lawyers of Great Britain held them both to be essential principles of the British Constitution.—In their practical application, the King and Parliament and people of Great Britain, appealed for the right to tax the Colonies to the unlimited and illimitable sovereignty of the Parliament.—The Colonists appealed to the natural right of property, and the articles of the Great Charter. The collision in the application of these two principles was the primitive cause of the severance of the North American Colonies, from the British Empire. The grievances alleged in the Declaration of Independence were all secondary causes, amply sufficient to justify before God and man the separation itself; and that resolution, to the support of which the fifty-five Representatives of the One People of the United Colonies pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, after passing through the fiery ordeal of a six years war, was sanctioned by the God of Battles, and by the unqualified acknowledgement of the defeated adversary.

This, my countrymen, was the first and immediate purpose of the Declaration of Independence. It was to justify before the tribunal of public opinion, throughout the world, the solemn act of separation of the one people from the other.

But this is not the reason for which you are here assembled. The question of right and wrong involved in the resolution of North American Independence was of transcendant importance to those who were actors in the scene. A question of life, of fortune, of fame, of eternal welfare. To you, it is a question of nothing more than historical interest. The separation itself was a painful and distressing event; a measure resorted to by your forefathers with extreme reluctance, and justified by them, in their own eyes, only as a dictate of necessity.—They had gloried in the name of Britons: It was a passport of honour throughout the civilized world. They were now to discard it forever, with all its tender and all its generous sympathies, for a name obscure and unknown, the honest fame of which was to be achieved by the gallantry of their own exploits and the wisdom of their own counsels.

But, with the separation of the one people from the other, was indissolubly connected another event. They had been British Colonies,—distinct and separate subordinate portions of one great community. In the struggle of resistance against one common oppressor, by a moral centripetal impulse they had spontaneously coalesced into One People. They declare themselves such in express terms by this paper.—The members of the Congress, who signed their names to the Declaration, style themselves the Representatives, not of the separate Colonies, but of the United States of America in Congress. No one Colony is named in the Declaration, nor is there anything on its face, indicating from which of the Colonies, any one of the signers was delegated. They proclaim the separation of one people from another.—They affirm the right of the People, to institute, alter, and abolish their government:—and their final language is, “we do, in the name, and by the authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare that these United Colonies, are and of a right ought to be FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES.” The Declaration was not, that each of the States was separately Free and Independent, but that such was their united condition. And so essential was their union, both in principle and in fact, to their freedom and independence, that, had one of the Colonies seceded from the rest, and undertaken to declare herself free and independent, she could have maintained neither her independence nor her freedom.

And, by this paper, this One People did notify the world of mankind that they thereby did assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station, to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitled them.

This was indeed a great and solemn event. The sublimest of the prophets of antiquity with the voice of inspiration had exclaimed, “Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once?” (Isaiah 66:8) In the two thousand five hundred years, that has elapsed since the days of that prophecy, no such event had occurred. It had never been seen before. In the annals of the human race, then, for the first time, did one People announce themselves as a member of that great community of the powers of the earth, acknowledging the obligations and claiming the rights of the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God. The earth was made to bring forth in one day! A Nation was born at once!

Well, indeed, may such a day be commemorated by such a Nation, from year to year! But whether as a day of festivity and joy, or of humiliation and mourning,—that fellow-citizens,—that, In the various turns of chance below, depends not upon the event itself, but upon its consequences; and after threescore years of existance, not so much upon the responsibilities of those who brought the Nation forth, as upon the moral, political, and intellectual character of the present generation,—of yourselves. In the common intercourse of social life, the birth-day of individuals is often held as a yearly festive day by themselves, and their immediate relatives; yet, as early as the age of Solomon, that wisest of men told the people of Jerusalem, that, as a good name was better than precious ointment, so the day of death was better than the day of one’s birth. (Ecclesiastes 7:1)

Are you then assembled here, my brethren, children of those who declared your National Independence, in sorrow or in joy? In gratitude for blessings enjoyed, or in affliction for blessings lost? In exultation at the energies of your fathers, or in shame and confusion of face at your own degeneracy from their virtues? Forgive the apparent rudeness of these enquiries:—they are not addressed to you under the influence of a doubt what your answer to them will be. You are not here to unite in echoes of mututal gratulation for the separation of your forefathers from their kindred freemen of the British Islands. You are not here even to commorate the mere accidental incident, that, in the annual revolution of the earth in her orbit round the sun, this was the birthday of the Nation. You are here, to pause a moment and take breath, in the ceaseless and rapid race of time;—to look back and forward;—to take your point of departure from the ever memorable transactions of the day of which this is the anniversary, and while offering your tribute of thanksgiving to the Creator of all worlds, for the bounties of his Providence lavished upon your fathers and upon you, by the dispensations of that day, and while recording with filial piety upon your memories, the grateful affections of your hearts to the good name, the sufferings, and the services of that age, to turn your final reflections inward upon yourselves, and to say:—These are the glories of a generation past away,—what are the duties which they devolve upon us?

The Declaration of Independence, in announcing to the world of mankind, that the People comprising the thirteen British Colonies on the continent of North America assumed, from that day, as One People, their separate and equal station among the powers of the earth, explicitly unfolded the principles upon which their national association had, by their unanimous consent, and by the mutual pledges of their faith, been formed. It was an association of mutual covenants. Every intelligent individual member of that self-constituted People did, by his representative in Congress, the majority speaking for the whole, and the husband and parent for the wife and child, bind his and their souls to a promise, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of his intentions, covenanting with all the rest that they would for life and death be faithful members of that community, and bear true allegiance to that Sovereign, upon the principles set forth in that paper. The lives, the fortunes, and the honour, of every free human being forming a part of those Colonies, were pledged, in the face of God and man, to the principles therein promulgated.

My countrymen!—the exposition of these principles will furnish the solution to the question of the purpose for which you are here assembled.

In recurring to those principles, let us remark,

First, that the People of the thirteen Colonies announced themselves to the world, and solemnly bound themselves, with an appeal to God, to be One People. And this One People, by their Representatives, declared the United Colonies free and independent States.

Secondly, they declared the People, and not the States, to be the only legitimate source of power; and that to the people alone belonged the right to institute, to alter, to abolish, and to re-institute government. And hence it follows, that as the People of the separate Colonies or States formed only parts of the One People assuming their station among the powers of the earth, so the People of no one State could separate from the rest, but by a revolution, similar to that by which the whole People had separated themselves from the People of the British Islands, nor without the violation of that solemn covenant, by which they bound themselves to support and maintain the United Colonies, as free and independent States.

An error of the most dangerous character, more than once threatening the dissolution by violence of the Union itself, has occasionally found countenance and encouratement in several of the States, by an inference not only unwarranted by the language and import of the Declaration, but subversive of its fundamental principles. This inference is, that because by this paper the United Colonies were declared free and independent States, therefore each of the States, separately, was free, independent and sovereign. The pernicious and fatal malignity of this doctrine consists, not in the mere attribution of sovereignty to the separate States; for within their appropriate functions and boundaries they are sovereign;—but in adopting that very definition of sovereignty, which had bewildered the senses of the British Parliament, and which rent in twain the Empire;—that principle, the resistance to which was the vital spark of the American revolutionary cause, namely, that sovereignty is identical with unlimited and illimitable power.

The origin of this error was of a very early date after the Declaration of Independence, and the infusion of its spirit into the Articles of Confederation, first formed for the government of the Union, was the seed of dissolution sown in the soil of that compact, which palsied all its energies from the day of its birth, and exhibited it to the would only as a monument of impotence and imbecility.

The Declaration did not proclaim the separate States free and independent; much less did it announce them as sovereign States, or affirm that they separately possessed the war-making or the peace-making power. The fact was directly the reverse.

The Declaration was, that the United Colonies, forming one People, were free and independent States; that they were absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown; that all political connection, between them and the State of Great Britaink, was and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent States, they had full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and do all other acts and things, which independent States may of right do. But all this was affirmed and declared not of the separate, but of the United States. And so far was it from the intention of the Congress, or of the One People whom they represented, to declare that all the powers sovereignty were possessed by the separate States, that the specification of the several powers of levying war, concluding peace, contracting alliances, and establishing commerce, was obviously introduced as the indication of powers exclusively possessed by the one People of the United States, and not appertaining to the People of each of the separate States. This distinction was indeed indispensable to the necessitites of their condition. The Declaration was issued in the midst of a war, commenced by insurrection against their common sovereign, and until then raging as a civil war. Not the insurrection of one of the Colonies; not the insurrection of the organized government of any one of the Colonies; but the insurrection of the People of the whole thirteen. The insurrection was one. The civil war was one. In constituting themselves one People, it could not possibly be their intention to leave the power of concluding the peace to each of the States of which the Union was composed. The war was waged against all. The war itself had united the inhabitants of the thirteen Colonies into one People. The lyre of Orpheus was the standard of the Union. By the representatives of that one People, and by them alone, could the peace be concluded. Had the people of any one of the States pretended to the right of concluding a separate peace, the very fact would have operated as a dismembermant of the Union, and could have been carried into effect only by the return of that portion of the People to the condition of British subjects.

Thirdly, the Declaration of Independence announced the One People, assuming their station among the powers of the earth, as a civilized, religious, and Christian people,—acknowledging themselves bound by the obligations, and claiming the rights to which they were entitled by the laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.

They had formed a subordinate portion of an European Christian nation, in the condition of Colonies. The laws of social intercourse between sovereign communities constitute the laws of nations, all derived from three sources:—the laws of nature, or in other words the dictates of justice; usages, sanctioned by custom; and treaties, or national covenants. Superadded to these the Christian nations, between themselves, admit, with various latitudes of interpretation, and little consistency of practice, the laws of humanity and mutual benevolence taught in the gospel of Christ. The European Colonies in America had all been settled by Christian nations; and the first of them, settled before the reformation of Luther, had sought their justification for taking possession of lands inhabited by men of another race, in a grant of authority from the successor of Saint Peter at Rome, for converting the natives of the country to the Christian code of religion and morals. After the reformation, the kings of England, substituting themselves in the place of the Roman Pontiff, as heads of the Church, granted charters for the same benebolent purposes; and as these colonial establishments successively arose, worldly purposes, the spirit of adventure, and religious persecution took their place, together with the conversion of the heathen, among the motives for the European establishments in this Western Hemisphere. Hence had arisen among the colonizing nations, a customary law, under which the commerce of all colonial settlements was confined exclusively to the metropolis or mother country. The Declaration of Independence cast off all the shackles of this dependency. The United States of America were no longer Colonies. They were an independent Nation of Christians, recognizing the general principles of the European law of nations.

But to justify their separation from the parent State, it became necessary for them to set forth the wrongs which they had endured. Their colonial condition had been instituted by charters from the British kings. These they considered as compacts between the King as their sovereign and them as his subjects. In all these charters, there were stipulations for securing to the colonists the enjoyment of the rights of natural born Englishmen. The attempt to tax them by Act of Parliament was a violation of their charters. And as the Parliament, to sustain the right of taxing the Colonies had appealed to the prerogative of sovereign power, the colonists, to refute that claim, after appealing in vain to their charters, and to the Great Charter of England, were obliged to resort to the natural rights of mankind;—to the laws of nature and of Nature’s God.

And now, my friends and fellow citizens, have we not reached the cause of your assemblage here? Have we not ascended to the source of that deep, intense, and never-fading interest, which, to your fathers, from the day of the issuing of this Declaration,—to you, on this sixty-first anniversary after that event,—and to your children and theirs of the fiftieth generation,—has made and will continue to make it the first and happiest of festive days?

In setting forth the justifying causes of their separation from Great Britain, your fathers opened the fountains of the great deep. For the first time since the creation of the world, the act, which constituted a great people, laid the foundation of their government upon the unalterable and eternal principles of human rights.

They were comprized in a few short sentences, and were delivered with the unqualified confidence of self evident truths.

“We hold,” says the Declaration, “these truths to be self-evident:—that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its foundations on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.”

It is afterwards stated to be the duty of the People, when their governments become incorrigibly oppressive, to throw them off, and to provide new guards for their future security; and it is alleged that such was the condition of the British Colonies at that time, and that they were constrained by necessity to alter their systems of government.

The origin of lawful government among men had formed a subject of profound investigation and of ardent discussion among the philosophers of ancient Greece. The theocratic government of the Hebrews had been founded upon a covenant between God and man; a law, given by the Creator of the world, and solemnly accepted by the people of Israel. It derived all its powers, therefore, from the consent of the governed, and gave the sanction of Heaven itself to the principle, that the consent of the governed is the only legitimate source of authority to man over man.

But the history of mankind had never before furnished an example of a government directly and expressly instituted upon this principle. The association of men, bearing the denomination of the People, had been variously formed, and the term itself was of very indefinite signification. In the most ordinary acceptation of the word, a people, was understood to mean a multitude of human beings united under one supreme government, and one and the same civil polity. But the same term was equally applied to subordinate divisions of the same nation; and the inhabitants of every province, county, city, town, or village, bore the name, as habitually as the whole population of a kingdom or an empire. In the theories of government, it was never imagined that the people of every hamlet or subordinate district of territory should possess the power of constituting themselves an independent State; yet are they justly entitled to the appellation of people, and to exemption from all authority derived from any other source than their own consent, express or implied.

The Declaration of Independence constituted all the inhabitants of European descent in the thirteen English Colonies of North America, one People, with all the attributes of rightful sovereign power. They had, until then, been ruled by thirteen different systems of government; none of them sovereign; but all subordinate to one sovereign, separated from them by the Atlantic Ocean. The Declaration of Independence altered these systems of government, and transformed these dependant Colonies into united, free, and independent States.

The distribution of the sovereign powers of government, between the body representing the whole People, and the municipal authorities substituted for the colonial governments, was left for after consideration. The People of each Colony, absolved by the People of the whole Union from their allegiance to the British crown, became themselves, upon the principles of the Declaration, the sovereigns to institute and organize new systems of government, to take the place of those which had been abolished by the will of the whole People, as proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence.

It will be remembered, that, until that time, the whole movement of resistance against the usurpations of the British government had been revolutionary, and therfore irregular. The colonial governments were still under the organization of their charters, except that of Massachusetts-Bay, which had been formally vacated, and the royal government was administered by a military commander and regiments of soldiers. The country was in a state of civil war. The people were in revolt, claiming only the restoration of their violated rights as subjects of the British king. The members of the Congress had been elected by the Legislative assemblies of the Colonies, or by self-constituted popular conventions or assemblies, in opposition to the Governors. Their original mission had been to petition, to remonstrate; to disclaim all intention or purpose of independence; to seek, with earnest entreaty, the redress of grievances, and reconciliation with the paarent State. They had received no authority, at their first appointment, to declare independence, or to dissolve the political connection between the Colonies and Great Britain. But they had petitioned once and again, and their petitions had been slighted. The had remonstrated, and their remonstrances had been contemned. They had disclaimed all intention of independence, and their disclaimer had been despised. They had finally recommended to the People to look for their redemption to themselves, and they had been answered by voluntary and spontaneous calls for independence. They declarred it, therefore, in the name and by the authority of the People, and their declaration was confirmed from New-Hampshire to Georgia with one universal shout of approbation.

And never, from that to the present day, has ther been one moment of regret, on the part of the People, whom they thus declared independent, at this mighty change of their condition, nor one moment of distrust, of the justice of that declaration. In the mysterious ways of Providence, manifested by the course of human events, the feeble light of reason is often at a loss to discover the coincidence between the laws of eternal justice, and the decrees of fortune or of fate in the affairs of men. In the corrupted currents of this world, not only is the race not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, (Ecclesiastes 9:11) but the heart is often wrung with anguish at the sight of the just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and of the wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness. (Ecclesiastes 7:15) Far different and happier is the retrospect upon the great and memorable transaction. Every individual, whose name was affixed to that paper, has finished his career upon earth; and who, at this day would not dream it a blessing to have had his name recorded on that list? The act of abolishing the government under which they had lived,—of renouncing and abjuring the allegiance by which they had been bound,—of dethroning their sovereign, and of discarding their country herself,—purified and elevated by the principles which they proclaimed, and by the motives which they promulgated as their stimulants to action,—stands recorded in the annals of the human race, as one among the brightest achievements of human virtue: applauded on earth, ratified and confirmed by the fiat of Heaven.

The principles, thus triumphantly proclaimed and established, were the natural and unalienable rights of man, and the supreme authority of the People, as the only legitimate source of power in the institution of civil government. But let us not mistake the extent, nor turn our eyes from the limitations necessary for the application, of the principles themselves. Who were the People, thus invested by the laws of Nature and of Nature’s God, with sovereign powers? And what were the sovereign powers thus vested in the People?

First, the whole free People of the thirteen United British Colonies in North America. The Declaration was their act; prepared by their Representatives; in their name, and by their authority. An act of the most transcendant sovereignty; abolishing the governments of thirteen Colonies; absolving their inhabitants from the bands of their allegiance, and declaring the whole People of the British Islands, theretofore their fellow subjects and countrymen, aliens and foreigners

Secondly, the free People of each of the thirteen Colonies, thus transformed into united, free, and independent States. Each of these formed a constituent protion of the whole People; and it is obvious that the power acknowledged to be in them could neither be co-extensive, nor inconsistent with, that rightfully exercised by the whole People.

In absolving the People of the thirteen United Colonies from the bands of their allegiance to the British crown, the Congress, representing the whole People, neither did nor could absolve them, or any one individual among them, from the obligation of any other contract by which he had been previously bound. They neither did nor could, for example, release any portion of the People from the duties of private and domestic life. They could not dissolve the relations of husband and wife; of parent and child; of guardian and ward; of master and servant; of partners in trade; of debtor and creditor;—nor by the investment of each of the Colonies with sovereign power could they bestow upon them the power of dissolving any of those relations, or of absolving any one of the individual citizens of the Colony from the fulfilment of all the obligations resulting from them.

The sovereign authority, conferred upon the People of the Colonies by the Declaration of Independence, could not dispense them, nor any individual citizen of them, from the fulfilment of all their moral obligations; for to these they were bound by the laws of Nature’s God; nor is there any power upon earth capable of granting absolution from them. The People, who assumed their equal and separate station among the powers of the earth by the laws of Nature’s God, by that very act acknowledged themselves bound to the observance of those laws, and could neither exercise nor confer any power inconsistent with them.

The sovereign authority, conferred by the Declaration of Independence upon the people of each of the Colonies, could not extend to the exercise of any power inconsistant with that Declaration itself. It could not, for example, authorize any one of the United States to conclude a separate peace with Great Britain; to connect itself as a Colony with France, or any other European power; to contract a separate alliance with any other State of the Union; or separately to establish commerce. These are all acts of sovereignty, which the Declaration of Independence affirmed the United States were competent to perform, but which for that very reason were necessarily excluded from the powers of sovereignty conferred upon each of the separate States. The Declaration itself was at once a social compact of the whole People of the Union, embracing thirteen distinct communities united in one, and a manifesto proclaiming themselves to the world of mankind, as one Nation, posessed of all the attributes of sovereign power. But this united sovereignty could not possibly consist with the absolute sovereignty of each of the separate States.

“That were to make Strange contradiction, which to God himself Impossible is held, as argument Of weakness, not of power.” (Milton. Paradise Lost .)

The position, thus assumed by this one People consisting of thirteen free and independent States, was new in the history of the world. It was complicated and compounded of elements never before believed susceptible of being blended together. The error of the British Parliament, the proximate cause of the Revolution, that sovereignty was in its nature unlimited and illimitable, taught as a fundamental doctrine by all the English lawyers, was too deeply imprinted upon the minds of the lawyers of our own country to be eradicated, even by the civil war, which it had produced. The most celebrated British moralist of the age, Dr. Samuel Johnson, in a controversial tract on the dispute between Britain and her Colonies, had expressly laid down as the basis of his argument, that—”All government is essentially absolute. That in sovereignty there are no gradations. That there may be limited royalty; there may be limited consulship; but there can be no limited government. There must in every society be some power or other from which there is no appeal; which admits no restrictions; which pervades the whole mass of the community; regulates and adjusts all subordination; enacts laws or repeals them; erects or annuls judicatures; extends or contracts privileges; exempts itself from question or control; and bounded only by physical necessity.” (Johnson’s Taxation no Tyranny)

The Declaration of Independence was founded upon the direct reverse of all these propositions. It did not recognize, but implicitly denied, the unlimited nature of sovereignty. By the affirmation that the principal natural rights of mankind are unalienable, it placed them beyond the reach of organized human power; and by affirming that governments are instituted to secure them, and may and ought to be abolished if they become destructive of those ends, they made all government subordinate to the moral supremacy of the People.

The Declaration itself did not even announce the States as sovereign, but as united, free and independent, and having power to do all acts and things which independent States may of right do. It acknowledged, therefore, a rule of right, paramount to the power of independent States itself, and virtually disclaimed all power to do wrong. This was a novelty in the moral philosophy of nations, and it is the essential point of difference between the system of government announced in the Declaration of Independence, and those systems which had until then prevailed among men. A moral Ruler of the universe, the Governor and Controller of all human power is the only unlimited sovereign acknowledged by the Declaration of Independence; and it claims for the United States of America, when assuming their equal station among the nations of the earth, only the power to do all that may be done of right.

Threescore and one years have passed away, since this Declaration was issued, and we may now judge of the tree by its fruit. It was a bold and hazardous step, when considered merely as the act of separation of the Colonies from Great Britain. Had the cause in which it was issued failed, it would have subjected every individual who signed it to the pains and penalties of treason; to a cruel and ignominious death. But, inflexible as were the spirits, and intrepid as were the hearts of the patriots, who by this act set at defiance the colossal power of the British Empire, bolder and more intrepid still were the souls, which, at that crisis in human affairs, dared to proclaim the new and fundamental principles upon which their incipient Republic was to be founded. It was an experiment upon the heart of man. All the legislators of the human race, until that day, had laid the foundations of all government among men in power; and hence it was, that, in the maxims of theory, as well as in the practice of nations, sovereignty was held to be unlimited and illimitable. The Declaration of Independence proclaimed another law. A law of resistance against sovereign power, when wielded for oppression. A law ascending the tribunal of the universal lawgiver and judge. A law of right, binding upon nations as well as individuals, upon sovereigns as well as upon subjects. By that law the colonists had resisted their sovereign. By that law, when that resistance had failed to reclaim him to the rule of right, they renounced him, abjured his allegiance, and assumed the exercise of rightful sovereignty themselves. But, in assuming the attributes of sovereign power, they appealed to the Supreme Judge of the World for the rectitude of their intentions, and neither claimed nor conferred authority to do any thing but of right.

Of the war with Grest Britain, by which the independence thus declared was maintained, and of the peace by which it was acknowledged, it is unnecessary to say more. The war was deeply distressing and calamitous, and its most instructive lesson was to teach the new confederate Republic the inestimable value of the blessings of peace. When the peace came, all controversy with Great Britain, with regard to the principles upon which the Declaration of Independence had been issued, was terminated, and ceased forever. The main purpose for which it had been issued was accomplished. No idle exultation of victory was worthy of the holy cause in which it had been achieved. No ungenerous triumph over the defeat of a generous adversary was consistent with the purity of the principles upon which the strife had been maintained. Had that contest furnished the only motives for the celebration of the day, its anniversary should have ceased to be commerated, and the Fourth of July would thenceforward have passed unnoticed from year to year, scarcely numbered among the dies fasti of the Nation.

But the Declaration of Independence had abolished the government of the thirteen British Colonies in North America. A new government was to be instituted in its stead. A task more trying had developed upon the people of the Union than the defence of their country against foreign armies; a duty more arduous than that of fighting the battles of the Revolution.

The elements and the principles for the formation of the new government were all contained in the Declaration of Independence; but the adjustment of them to the condition of the parties to the compact was a work of time, of reflection, of experience, of calm deliberation, of moral and intellectual exertion; for those elements were far from being homogeneous, and there were circumstances in the condition of the parties, far from conformable to the principles procliamed. The Declaration had laid the foundation of all civil government, in the unalienable natural rights of individual man, of which it had specifically named three:—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,—declaring them to be among others not enumerated. The revolution had been exclusively popular and democratic, and the Declaration had announced that the only object of the institution of governments among men was to secure their unalienable rights, and that they derived their just powers from the consent of the governed. The Declaration proclaimed the parties to the compact as one People, composed of united Colonies, thenceforward free and independent States, constrained by necessity to alter their former systems of government. It would seem necessarily to follow from these elements and these principles, that the government for the whole People should have been instituted by the whole People and the government of each of the independent States by the People of that State. But obvious as that conclusion is, it is nevertheless equally true, that it has not been wholly accomplished even to this day.

On the tenth of May preceding the day of the Declaration, the Congress had adopted a resolution, which may be considered as the herald to that Independence. After its adoption it was considered of such transcendent importance, that a special committee of three members was appointed to prepare a preamble to it. On the fifteenth of May this preamble was reported, adopted, and ordered to be published, with the resolution, which had been adopted on the tenth. The preamble and resolution are in the following words:

“Whereas his Britannic Majesty, in conjunction with the Lords and Commons of Great Britain, has, by a late Act of Parliament, excluded the inhabitants of these United Colonies from the protection of his crown; and whereas no answer whatever to the jumble petitions of the Colonies, for redress of grievances and reconciliation with Great Britain, has been or is likely to be given, but the whole course of that kingdom, aided by foreign mercenaries, is to be exerted for the destruction of the good people of these Colonies; and whereas it appears absolutely irreconcileable to reason and good conscience for the people of these Colonies now to take the oaths and affirmations necessary for the support of any government under the crown of Great Britain, and it is necessary that the exercise of every kind of authority under the said crown should be totally suppressed, and all the powers of government exerted under the authority of the people of the Colonies, for the preservation of internal peace, virtue, and good order, as well as for the defence of their lives, liberties, and properties, against the hostile invasions and cruel depredations of their enemies:—Therefore, Resolved, “That it be recommended to the respective assemblies and conventions of the United Colonies, where no government sufficient to the exigencies of their affairs hath been hitherto established, to adopt such government as shall, in the opinion of the Representatives of the People, best conduce to the happiness and safety of their constituents in particular, and America in general.”

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Independence Day 2023 Speech: Long & Short Speech in English on 15 August Swatantrata Diwas

Speech on independence day 2023: this year marks the 77th  anniversary of the country’s independence. read this article to find some creative samples of short and long speeches for special occasions..

Independence Day Speech 2023: Indian Independence Day is celebrated on August 15 each year to mark the country's freedom from British colonial rule in 1947. It's a momentous occasion filled with patriotic fervour, flag hoisting, cultural events, and speeches by leaders. Citizens come together to remember the sacrifices of freedom fighters and reaffirm their commitment to a united, progressive, and inclusive India.

All kinds of public and private organizations enthusiastically observe Independence Day. Several competitions, including ones for speeches, singing, and dancing, are scheduled for the celebration. Check out the list of independence day speech samples below if you're still looking for ideas.

Independence Day Speech Topics/Ideas

• The Significance of Independence Day: Celebrating Our Journey to Freedom
• Unity in Diversity: How Independence Day Unites Us as a Nation
• Preserving Freedom: The Responsibilities of Citizenship
• From Struggle to Success: Lessons from Our Independence Heroes
• Building a Better Future: The Vision for Our Better India

5 Proven Tips For An Impressive Speech

• Know Your Audience
• Craft a strong opening
• Structure your speech
• Use Stories and Emotions
• Practice and Rehearse

Independence Day 2023: Short Speech

Ladies and gentlemen,

Indian Independence Day is being commemorated today as one of the most important dates in the history of our magnificent country. We celebrate this day with pride as we reflect on the numerous sacrifices made by our ancestors to free our nation from colonial tyranny.

We honour visionary leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, and countless others who led the fight for liberation with unyielding tenacity and bravery on this auspicious day. As we enjoy the priceless gift of independence and sovereignty because of their unceasing labour and sacrifice.

As we hoist the tricolour, we must also pause to consider the ideals and guiding tenets of our independence movement: inclusion, diversity, and unity. To develop a more powerful and affluent India, individuals from all backgrounds, ethnicities, and religions have come together in our nation as it stands today.

While we celebrate our independence, we must be aware of the difficulties that still lie ahead. We must work to end social inequities, poverty, and illiteracy. Let's join to fight communalism, corruption, and any other forces that jeopardise the peace in our country.

As accountable citizens, let us promise to do everything in our power to advance and build our cherished nation. Let's defend the values of democracy, equality, and justice in remembrance of the sacrifices made by our freedom warriors.

Let's celebrate our freedom on this Independence Day, but let's also keep in mind our obligations and responsibilities to India's future. Together, we can make India a nation that excels internationally and continues to inspire the rest of the globe.

Jai Hind! Happy Independence Day!

Good morning to all of you, including the vice president, instructors, principal, and my dear students. To celebrate the 77th anniversary of our country's independence, we have all assembled here. We shall honour all the freedom fighters who dedicated their lives to preserve the nation's freedom on this important occasion.

British sovereignty over India ended on August 15, 1947. All of our fundamental rights were granted to us in our nation, our home. The British were brutal to our ancestors while they were in power. We can't imagine how difficult it must have been for India to live within the British Empire from where we are sitting. To achieve independence, countless millions of sacrifices were made over many years.

Numerous freedom fighters fought for independence throughout their entire lives. We can never forget the sacrifices of Lala Lajpat Rai, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Rani Lakshmibai, Khudiram Bose, Sukhdev Thapar, Vallabhbhai Patel, Mangal Pandey, Tatya Tope, Ram Prasad Bismil, Udham Singh, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, and many more who lost their lives just fighting for a better future.

We are incredibly grateful that our forebears battled to free us from British rule. They have contributed to our tremendous growth in the areas of technology, education, sports, and finance. With participation in competitions like the Asian, Commonwealth, and Olympic Games, the Indians are making progress. 

On this significant day, it is now our responsibility to maintain the nation's honour, promote the nation, and enhance the nation. I wish everyone a Happy Independence Day and good luck for the future. 

Thank You and Happy Independence Day to all of you!

Good Morning to all dignitaries and fellow mates who are present here. 

On the eve of Independence Day, we honour the bravery and sacrifices of our Indian freedom heroes. When India became independent, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, our first Prime Minister, raised the tricolour flag at Delhi's Red Fort and Lahori Gate. This day has been observed as a separate holiday ever since. Numerous programs are dedicated in honour of the solemn occasion of the day during our Indian warriors' Red Fort-like march past, and schoolchildren fire 21 gunshots to signal the start of events and cultural performances. The Independence Day celebration also includes kite flying, which fills the sky with a variety of kites in all sizes, shapes, and colours. Later, starting in 1974, all of the various chief ministers unfurl the national flag.

The anniversary of the division of the subcontinent into India and Pakistan is another contemporary relevance of Independence Day. We are known for having the biggest democracy in the world. The UK Parliament approved the Indian Independence Act of 1947 on this day, granting the Indian country legislative authority.

Hope my words are enough to elate your happiness and patriotism. Happy Independence Day!

77th Independence Day 2023: Long Speech

Respected dignitaries, esteemed teachers, dear fellow students, and fellow citizens,

Today, as we gather here to commemorate the 76th Indian Independence Day, our hearts swell with pride and gratitude for the countless brave souls who fought relentlessly to liberate our beloved motherland from the clutches of British colonial rule.

The end of foreign rule and the start of a new era in Indian history are both marked by this day. It stands for the triumph of bravery, teamwork, and the tenacious spirit of the Indian people. Our fight for independence was more than just a political movement; it was a battle for our right to self-determination, fairness, and human decency.

We respectfully recall the inspirational leaders who guided us on this difficult road. The way of non-violence and civil disobedience, which became the pillar of our struggle, was demonstrated to us by Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our country. Our first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, laid the groundwork for the development of our country by envisioning a modern, forward-thinking India.

The key to realising our country's potential is education. Let's work to ensure that every child, regardless of circumstance, has access to an education. Not only is knowledge liberating, but it also lays the groundwork for a successful future.

Rural development must be given top priority in order to provide residents with access to necessities like clean water, healthcare, and sanitary facilities. By empowering our villages, we can achieve sustainable, balanced growth that benefits all of our citizens.

One of our biggest assets is our variety. Let's celebrate our variety and embrace our rich cultural heritage on this Independence Day. Together, we are stronger, and India stands out on the international stage because of its variety.

Lastly, let us never forget how difficult and costly it was to achieve our independence. As proud Indians, it is our responsibility to uphold the democratic, secular, and socially just ideals that our forefathers envisioned. Let's promise to be law-abiding, caring, and environmentally conscientious citizens who help our amazing country flourish and prosper.

Also Check - Independence Day 2023 History Quiz

Good Morning to one and all present here! We are here on this 77th Independence Day to educate the next generation about colonial rule, our proud liberation fighters, and their courage. On this day, we put aside our cultural differences and came together as true Indians. Young people need to be aware because they have the power to alter their country and the future of the country rests on them. Therefore, it is our responsibility to serve the country and work as hard as we can to improve society.

Nationalism and patriotism are present across the nation as a result of this day's commemoration. On this day, we also sense our pride and solidarity in the nation's diversity. India is a nation of people who practise several religions alongside one another, and a diversified society with a rich culture and heritage applauds this wonderful occasion with tremendous enthusiasm. We are happy, and it gives us greater motivation to defend our motherland against any assault on its sovereignty and integrity.

We the people can't miss taking some prominent freedom fighters without whom the dream of our independence was not possible including Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Dr Rajendra Prasad, Moulana Abdul Kalam Azad, Sukhdev, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Chandra Shekhar Azad, etc. Because of his sacrifice and labour, our nation is free from British rule. This is the day when every individual pays tribute to our freedom fighters and leaders.

Independence Day is celebrated differently around the world, but its value is universal. It serves as both a poignant reminder of the difficulties and sacrifices made in pursuit of freedom as well as a celebration of the advancements gained over the years. Therefore, remember to carry out your responsibilities to the country.

Happy Independence Day 2023!

Also Read - Independence Day 2023 Slogans and Captions

On this Indian Independence Day, team Jagran Josh for a nation that continues to prosper and grow, upholding its diversity and unity. May the spirit of freedom inspire us to work towards a more inclusive and harmonious society. Let's honour the sacrifices of our heroes by contributing to India's progress and well-being. Happy Independence Day! Jai Hind!

Get here current GK and GK quiz questions in English and Hindi for India , World, Sports and Competitive exam preparation. Download the Jagran Josh Current Affairs App .

• Which Independence is in 2023? + 77th Independence Day will be celebrated in 2023.
• Which topic is best for speech on Independence Day? + The topic for Independence Day speech can be, 'Indian and its People', Indian Freedom Struggle, India the nation of Unity in Diversity and more.
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• Speech Writing /

Speech on Independence Day

• Updated on  
• Jan 3, 2024

Independence Day is a day of profound importance, a day that marks the freedom and sovereignty that we, as a united people, have fought and strived for. Independence Day is not just a date on the calendar; it is a symbol of the strength of our unity, the resilience of our spirit, and the unwavering commitment to the ideals upon which our nation was founded. Many students prepare speeches on Independence Day as we commemorate this day to remember our path of liberation and to consider the advancements our country has accomplished thus far. Continue reading to find out the samples of short and long speeches on Independence Day. 

Table of Contents

• 1 Famous Independence Speech by Jawaharlal Nehru
• 2 Short Speech on Independence Day 
• 3 2 Minutes Speech on Independence Day 
• 4 1 Minute Speech on Independence Day 
• 5 Speech on Independence Day in 100 Words
• 6 5 famous Songs By Freedom Fighters 

Also Read: India’s Journey to Independence from 1857 to 1947

Famous Independence Speech by Jawaharlal Nehru

Here is the most famous speech by Jawaharlal Nehru on Independence Day 

Also Read: Essay on Indian Freedom Struggle

Must Read: Significance of Independence Day

Short Speech on Independence Day 

Greetings to everybody in the audience!

I am honored to be here today to speak to you on the occasion of our 77th Independence Day. This is a day of great joy and pride for all of us as we celebrate the freedom that our freedom fighters fought so hard to achieve.

Independence Day falls annually on August 15. The day is marked with so much pomp across the country as the National flag of our country is hoisted by the Prime Minister hoists from the Red Fort which is then followed by his address to the nation. The whole country gets submerged in patriotic feelings and enthusiasm as people celebrate Independence Day by, flying kites, organising events and wearing tricolour clothes, and more. Schools and colleges also celebrate the day by holding events. The students give speeches, prepare dance performances on patriotic songs, participate in fancy dress competitions that is inspired by freedom fighters and more.

We owe a debt of gratitude to the countless men and women who sacrificed their lives, their liberty, and their very future for our independence. They were inspired by the ideals of freedom, equality, and justice, and they never gave up hope, even in the face of great adversity.

We are now living in an independent, free India. Although we have come a long way in the last 77 years, there is still more to be done. On the foundation that the freedom fighters created for us, we must keep constructing buildings. To build a more just and equitable society for all Indians, we must cooperate. Additionally, we must defend our freedom and democracy from those who would seek to Break us into different parts.

On this Independence Day, recommitting oneself to the principles of our freedom fighters is necessary. Together, let’s commit to creating a brighter future for our nation. Let us never take our freedom for granted and let us never forget the price that was paid for it.

Also Read: Indian Freedom Fighters

2 Minutes Speech on Independence Day 

Respected Head of the School and all my dear friends. We have gathered here to commemorate India’s 77th anniversary of independence. Our hearts are overflowing with a range of feelings on this historic day, including appreciation for the sacrifices made by our gallant freedom fighters and respect for our border guards. 

On August 15, 1947, India was freed from 200 years of brutal British colonial rule. Let us remember our obligations to Bharat Mata as we commemorate this day of patriotism. 

Our independence is not just about political freedom in the connected world of today; it is also about the ability to control our own destiny, choose our own path, and defend the values that make us who we are. It serves as a reminder that we must continue to be watchful in preserving our national security and advancing our society. We must work to build a country where every person may reap the benefits of progress, where justice and equality are upheld, and where all people’s opinions are valued and appreciated. Let’s all pledge to support the development of all Indians. 

Jai Hind! Jai Bharat! 

Also Read: Indian National Movement

1 Minute Speech on Independence Day 

“Namaskar Mere Pyare Bharat Vasiyo,

I’d like to wish you all a happy 77th Independence Day. To commemorate India’s 77th Independence Day, we are all assembled at this location. On this day, we should remember the freedom fighters who worked together with the British people to achieve independence. 

We have come a long way since we were under British rule, and we should be happy that our nation is now among the world’s top three economies

We should be pleased that Indian scientists, engineers, and physicians are respected around the world for their accomplishments and contributions. Now is the time to take advantage of our independence and drive India forward at a rapid pace. Happy Independence Day 

“Bharat Mata Ki Jai” “Jai Hind”

Speech on Independence Day in 100 Words

Ladies and gentlemen, today we celebrate the essence of freedom and unity on Independence Day. Our history is marked by courage and sacrifice. Indian Independence Day is celebrated on August 15 each year to mark the country’s freedom from British colonial rule in 1947. It’s a momentous occasion filled with patriotic fervour, flag hoisting, cultural events, and speeches by leaders. Citizens come together to remember the sacrifices of freedom fighters and reaffirm their commitment to a united, progressive, and inclusive India. Let’s uphold the values of liberty, diversity, and progress. Together, let’s continue shaping a better future for our nation. Jai Hind!

Also Read: Popular Struggles and Movements

5 famous Songs By Freedom Fighters 

• Bombs and pistols don’t make a revolution. The sword of revolution is sharpened on the whetting stone of idea.  By Bhagat Singh 
• “Do o Die?” By Mahatma Gandhi 
• I declare that the blows struck at me today will be the last nails in the coffin of British rule in India. By Lala Lajpat Rai 
• There is no dream, and if there is, there is only one to see my children struggling for the same and for which I am expected to be finished. By Ashfaqullah Khan.
• Who lives if India dies? By Jawaharlal Nehru 

Related Reads:-

Ans: The ideal subjects for writing an Independence Day speech include things like the significance of Independence Day, why it is celebrated, the Journey of Freedom, Unity in Diversity, and Towards A Better India.

Ans: The phrase “Namaskar Bharatiyo” is encouraged citizens to begin their speeches, followed by the phrase “Happy Independence Day 2023.” Start with the various freedom fighters’ contributions to the war for independence, and then wrap it up in two minutes.

Ans: This year, the theme of the 77th Independence Day would be ‘Nation First, Always First. This year the Olympians who won medals at the Tokyo Olympics would get special invites to the event.

With this, we come to the end of our blog on Speech on independence Day. If you are studying for your exams and need quick notes for revision, check out other study blogs on Leverage Edu and subscribe to our newsletter to get regular updates. Follow us on Facebook , Instagram and LinkedIn .

Aditya Saini

Aditya Saini is a content writer with over a year and a half of experience helping national and international students navigate their journey to work abroad. His expertise lies in “jobs abroad”, all things practical, from writing articles on different topics such as part-time and full-time jobs to understanding salaries for different and highest-paying professions and securing internship programs in different countries. Aditya's passion is ensuring students have all the information they need to make the right decision about their career journeys overseas.

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Independence Day Speech

Transcribe Your Own Content Try Rev and save time transcribing, captioning, and subtitling.

Speaker 1: ( 00:01 ) Major, I’ll borrow that.

Speaker 2: ( 00:04 ) Sir.

Speaker 1: ( 00:06 ) Good morning. Good morning.

Speaker 1: ( 00:13 ) 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 interest. 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. We’re fighting for our right to live, to exist. And 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. Today, we celebrate our independence day.

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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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Target Exam ---

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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Welcome Speech for Independence Day for Students and Children

Welcome speech for independence day.

Hello Everyone, I am here to present a welcome speech for Independence Day. Today it’s our 72 nd Independence Day and we should feel proud to be a part of an Independent nation that has freedom of speech, freedom to live life in our own way. We do not have to follow anybody’s slavery. But this was not the case 72 years ago when we were a slave to the British Government. India has been ruled by Britishers for almost 200 years and after a continuous struggle by our freedom fighters, we achieved independence on 15 th august 1947. On this day, the national flag was hoisted on red fort Delhi by Prime Minister Shri Jawaharlal Nehru. Since then we are celebrating Independence Day in every government department, school, and college. This is a day of pride and joy for every citizen of the country.

How we achieved Independence

India was once called “Sone ki chidiya” which means that we had abundant resources. Our land was productive, we have ample of minerals and rocks. We were home to the largest spice market. We also have a productive human workforce. This made the British government capture our country and use it for our own benefits.

They conspired against us through the “Divide and Rule policy” and slowly gained control over the country. The people of our country being illiterate and ignorant were easily deceived by Britishers and they gained control of our kingdoms. We became cheap slaves to the British government and thus they ruled us for many years.

Later on, some eminent personalities such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Bhagat Singh and many more realized that we should fight for our rights. Later on, many freedom struggles took place and everybody participated in it. After years of fight, struggles, and hard work we finally gained freedom on 15 th August 1947 and became a free and independent nation.

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Value of Independence

Being independent means freedom to speech and freedom to fundamental rights to each and every citizen of the country. Independence is important to lead a life of freedom. In the absence of independence, we would become a slave.  All the people should value the independence which we have achieved and should never forget our freedom fighters.

Independence and Responsibility of Citizens

The citizens of an independent nation also hold responsibility towards it. All the citizens of the country should realize their responsibility to build a nation of pride. One should fulfill their responsibility by doing simple deeds such as keeping the roads and surroundings clean, plant more trees, help poor people in need, following traffic rules, etc. A responsible citizen is a valuable citizen.

Activities  on Independence Day

Independence Day is also a day to show to the world the history of courage and bravery which our country has achieved. On this day our security forces do the parade and march past on red fort, we also show our fighting equipment to the world thus making India a superpower on the global platform. Various schools and colleges also arrange many no.of dance competitions, fancy dress, cultural events to celebrate independence day.

The independence which we have received is the result of fights and sacrifices of our freedom fighters. We should never forget this. Patriotism is above everything and we should inculcate a feeling of patriotism in our children since early childhood.

We should also teach our younger generations to respect our soldiers and also encourage them to have a career in national security. At last, I again wish you all happy independence day and hope together we can build a wonderful nation.

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The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500

Remarks by President   Biden at the 156th National Memorial Day Observance | Arlington,   VA

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, Virginia

11:24 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you, thank you, thank you. Please be seated.

One hundred and sixty years ago this month, in the midst of the Civil War, the first American soldier was laid to rest at these hallowed grounds. Private William Christman, a farmworker from Pennsylvania, had enlisted just seven weeks before. There was no formal ceremony to consecrate this new sanctuary, no fanfore — fanfare.

It came at a turning point in the war. As fighting shifted east, the casualties quickly mounted in the bloody, grinding campaign.

Over the next year, William would be joined in death, as he was in life, by his brother-in-arms in this final resting place. And these hills around us would be transformed from a former slave plantation into a national strine — shine for those American heroes who died for freedom, who died for us.

My fellow Americans, Jill, Vice President Harris, the Second Gentleman Emhoff, Secretary Austin, General Brown; most importantly, the veterans and service members, families, and survivors — we gather at this sacred place at this solemn moment to remember, to honor — honor the sacrifice of the hundreds of thousands of women and men who’ve given their lives for this nation.

Each one, literally, a chain in the link — a link in the chain of honor stretching back to our founding days. Each one bound by common commitment — not to a place, not to a person, not to a President, but to an idea unlike any idea in human history: the idea of the United States of America.

Today, we bear witness to the price they paid. Every white stone across these hills, in every military cemetery and churchyard across America: a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother, a sister, a spouse, a neighbor — an American.

To everyone who has lost and loved someone in the service of our country, to everyone with a loved one still missing or unaccounted for, I know how hard it can be. It can reopen that black hole in the middle of your chest, bringing you back to the exact moment you got that phone call, heard that knock on the door, or held the hand when the last breath was taken. I know it hurts. The hurt is still real, still raw.

This week marks nine years since I lost my son, Beau. Our losses are not the same. He didn’t perish on the battlefield. He was a cancer victim from a consequence of being in the Army in Iraq for a year next to a burn pit — a major in the U.S. National — Army National Guard, living and working, like too many, besides that toxic burn pit.

And as it is for so many of you, the pain of his loss is with me every day, as it is with you — still sharp, still clear. But so is the pride I feel in his service, as if I can still hear him saying, “It’s my duty, Dad. It’s my duty.”

Duty. That was the code of — my son lived by and the creed all of you live by, the creed that generations of service members have followed into battle.

On the grounds around us lie fallen heroes from every major conflict in history to defend our independence, to preserve our Union, to defeat fascism; built powerful alliances, forged in fires of two world wars.

Members of the Greatest Generation, who 80 years ago next week, took to the beaches of Normandy and liberated a continent and literally saved the world.

Others who stood against communism in Korea and Vietnam.

And not far from here, in Section 60, lie over a thousand — a thousand — 7,054 women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan and Iraq, who signed up to defeat terrorists, protect our homeland after 9/11.

Decade after decade, tour after tour, these warriors fought for our freedom and the freedom of others, because freedom has never been guaranteed. Every generation has to earn it; fight for it; defend it in battle between autocracy and democracy, between the greed of a few and the rights of many. It matters.

Our democracy is more than just a system of government. It’s the very soul of America. It’s how we’ve been able to constantly adapt through the centuries. It’s why we’ve always emerged from every challenge stronger than we went in. And it’s how we come together as one nation united.

And just as our fallen heroes have kept the ultimate faith with our country and our democracy, we must keep faith with them.

I’ve long said we have many obligations as a nation. But we only have one truly sacred obligation: to prepare those we send into battle and to pr- — take care of them and their families when they come home and when they don’t.

Since I took office, I’ve signed over 30 bipartisan laws supporting servicemen, veterans and their families and caregivers, and survivors.

Last year, the VA delivered more benefits and processed more claims than ever in our history. And the PACT Act, which I was proud to have signed, has already guaranteed one million claims helping veterans exposed to toxic materials during their service — one million.

For too long, after fighting for our nation, these veterans had to fight to get the right healthcare, to get the benefits they had earned. Not anymore.

Our nation came together to ensure the burden is no longer on them to prove their illness was service-related, whether it was Agent Orange or toxic waste, to ensure they protected them — they just have to protect the United States — because it’s assumed that their death was a consequence of the exposure.

On this day, we came together again to reflect, to remember, but above all, to recommit to the future they fought for — a future grounded in freedom, democracy, opportunity, and equality. Not just for some, but for all.

America is the only country in the world founded on an idea — an idea that all people are created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout their lives.

We’ve never fully lived up to that, but we’ve never, ever, ever walked away from it. Every generation, our fallen heroes have brought us closer.

Today, we’re not just fortunate heirs of their legacy. We have a responsibility to be the keepers of their mission. That — that truest memorial of their lives: the actions we take every day to ensure that our democracy endures, the very idea of America endures.

Ladies and gentlemen, 160 years ago, the first American solider was laid to rest on these hallowed grounds. There were no big ceremonies, no big speeches, no family mour- — family members to mourn their loss, just the quiet grief of the rolling green hills surrounding them.

Today, we join that grief with gratitude: gratitude to our fallen heroes, gratitude to the families left behind, and gratitude to the brave souls who continue to uphold the flame of liberty all across our country and around the world.

Because of them, all of them, that we stand here today. We will never forget that. We will never, ever, ever stop working for — to make a more perfect Union, which they lived and which they died for.

That was their promise. That’s our promise — our promise today to them. That’s our promise always.

God bless the fallen. May God bless their families. And may God protect our troops.

Thank you. (Applause.)

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Israel's Netanyahu to address U.S. Congress soon, Johnson says

By Matt Spetalnick and Humeyra Pamuk

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Thursday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would soon address a joint meeting of Congress amid heightened tension with President Joe Biden over the Israeli leader's handling of the war in Gaza.

Delivering a keynote speech at the Israeli embassy's annual Independence Day reception, Johnson, the top congressional Republican and a critic of the Democratic president’s Israel policy, said it would be “a strong show of support for the Israeli government in their time of greatest need.”

Such a speech is sure to further anger progressive Democrats critical of Israel's military campaign in Gaza and Biden's support for it. Netanyahu has closely aligned himself with Republicans.

The diplomatic gathering in Washington comes amid strains between Biden and Netanyahu over a U.S. push for Israel to do more to protect Palestinian civilians in the war against Hamas militants in Gaza.

The embassy gave equal billing to Democratic U.S. Representative Pete Aguilar, who shared the high-profile platform with Johnson at a more subdued event under the shadow of the Gaza war. "As Americans, we reaffirm our commitment to Israel's sovereignty," he said.

Speaking first, Johnson said to applause: "Tonight I'm happy to announce ... we will soon be hosting Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Capitol for a joint session of Congress."

Successive U.S. administration have usually sent a high-level official to the Independence Day receptions.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who in recent months has called the situation in Gaza a "humanitarian catastrophe" and has urged a ceasefire, delivered last year's keynote, mostly extolling U.S. backing for Israel.

An Israeli official said this year the embassy wanted to honor lawmakers in a bipartisan way in appreciation for congressional approval of billions of dollars in new U.S. military aid.

The reception took place on the same night as a White House state dinner for Kenyan President William Ruto, which the Israeli official said created a scheduling conflict for cabinet members.

Several less senior Biden aides were in attendance, including Derek Chollet, Secretary of State Antony Blinken's counselor.

The White House declined comment when asked whether it was consulted about the invitation to Netanyahu or whether Biden, who has denied an Oval Office meeting to the Israeli leader, might see him in Washington.

JOHNSON'S VEILED SWIPE AT BIDEN

Johnson and Aguilar both condemned the International Criminal Court prosecutor's decision this week to seek arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his defense chief, Yoav Gallant. The prosecutor also asked for warrants to capture Hamas leaders responsible for the deadly Oct. 7 cross-border attack on Israel, which triggered the Gaza war.

Johnson took a veiled swipe at Biden, saying "some leaders" have sought to withhold "vital weapons" from Israel. Biden has paused one shipment of bombs and warned he could delay others if Netanyahu carries out an all-out ground offensive in the refugee-packed city of Rafah in southern Gaza. But the flow of weapons has mostly continued.

Security was tight around the National Building Museum where the reception was held. A small group of pro-Palestinian protesters shouted "shame on you" at guests exiting the event. One person held an Israeli flag stained red to simulate blood. Another on a megaphone accused Israel of war crimes.

On Tuesday, Johnson said he was close to inviting Netanyahu, a right-wing leader who had warm relations with former President Donald Trump.

Johnson, a Trump ally, had issued Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer an ultimatum to sign a letter inviting Netanyahu or else he would only speak to the House of Representatives.

Schumer had signaled he was open to Congress hosting Netanyahu, despite declaring in March that the Israeli leader had “lost his way” and calling for new elections in Israel.

Johnson did not specify a date for Netanyahu's speech.

Addresses to Congress are a rare honor generally reserved for the closest U.S. allies.

Netanyahu has already given three speeches, most recently in 2015. That year, Republican leaders invited him without consulting Democratic then-President Barack Obama, as Netanyahu joined them in an unsuccessful bid to derail Obama's international nuclear deal with Iran.

Dozens of Democrats boycotted Netanyahu's last speech, raising the prospect that some could stay away this time.

Johnson, struggling to keep his fractious Republican House majority intact, has been a prominent voice in the U.S. political divide over Israeli policy. Politicization of the issue has intensified ahead of the November election in which Biden is running against Trump.

In contrast to past years’ gala celebrations, this year’s reception, marking the 76th anniversary of Israel’s founding, was billed as a “solidarity event.”

Israel is fighting to wipe out Hamas militants who attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Palestinian authorities say more than 35,000 people have been killed during Israel's campaign in Gaza.

(Reporting by Matt Spetalnick and Humeyra Pamuk; editing by Costas Pitas, Leslie Adler, Lincoln Feast and Michael Perry.)

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• Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-biden-delivers-memorial-day-address-at-arlington-national-cemetery-2

WATCH: In Memorial Day address, Biden says each generation has to ‘earn’ freedom

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden marked Memorial Day with a pledge that the country would continue the work of the nation’s fallen toward creating a more perfect union, “for which they lived, and for which they died.”

Watch Biden’s remarks in the player above.

Delivering remarks at a solemn remembrance ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery , Biden said each generation must ensure the sacrifice of the country’s service members is not in vain.

“Freedom has never been guaranteed,” Biden said under gray skies in the memorial amphitheater. “Every generation has to earn it, fight for it, defend it in the battle between autocracy and democracy, between the greed of a few, and the rights of many.”

He added: “On this day, we came together again to reflect, to remember, and above all, to recommit to the future they fought for, a future grounded in freedom, democracy, opportunity and equality. Not just for some, but for all.”

Before the ceremony began, Biden, joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

WATCH: Biden delivers commencement address to graduating West Point cadets

In his remarks, Biden invoked the anniversary this week of the death of his son Beau, who served in Iraq and later died from brain cancer that the president attributes to his time stationed near toxic burn pits , to highlight the importance of honoring the service of those who came home with injuries, in addition to the dead.

“Last year, the VA delivered more benefits and processed more claims than ever in our history,” Biden said, crediting the PACT Act which grants automatic coverage for certain health conditions suffered by veterans by presuming they result from their military service. “For too long after fighting for our nation, these veterans had to fight to get the right health care, to get the benefits they had earned, not anymore.”

Biden began the day hosting a breakfast at the White House for administration officials, military leaders, veterans, and Gold Star family members.

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Student says school withheld his diploma after he ‘went off-script’ during graduation speech

ALEXANDRIA, Ky. ( WXIX /Gray News) - A recent graduate in Kentucky says his high school withheld his diploma for days after he went off-script while giving a speech during a graduation ceremony.

Micah Price said he ultimately received his diploma, but it was five days after the ceremony was held.

According to Price, he submitted eight drafts of his speech to the school and was told to take out portions that focused heavily on religion.

Price said he took parts out of the final draft, but when the opportunity presented, he “went off-script” while giving the commencement speech.

One of his goals, since fifth grade, was to deliver a speech on his graduation day. But he said he also wanted to honor God.

“I prayed about it a lot,” Price said.

In eighth grade, he became a devoted Baptist.

“My lord and savior is your answer,” Price said in his speech. “He will give you the truth, the way, and the light. I must give the honor, the praise, and the glory to Jesus Christ.”

Price said he went to get the envelope with his diploma after the ceremony when a principal tapped him on the shoulder and told him he would have to talk to the school board.

“I knew it was going to be held,” Price said. “Before you do anything they tell us if you go up there and do a cartwheel or something stupid, it will get your diploma held.”

Despite knowing the consequences, Price said he had to speak from the heart.

“I simply cannot hold back what Christ has done in my life,” Price said. “He’s everything to me.”

Price said he’s joining the Air Force in July. He said the controversy over his speech and his diploma has him considering ministry work.

Representatives with the Campbell County Local School District did not immediately comment regarding the situation.

“I went against the rules. It’s my fault. I should be in trouble. I never wanted to bring hate to them or tear down the school,” Price said.

Copyright 2024 WXIX via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Biden says each generation has to ‘earn’ freedom, in solemn Memorial Day remarks

U.S. President Joe Biden marked Memorial Day with a pledge that the country would continue the work of the nation’s fallen toward creating a more perfect union.

President Joe Biden, left, joined by, from left, Vice President Kamala Harris, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army Major Gen. Trevor Bradenkamp, pause during an Armed Forces Full Honors Wreath Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris arrive for an Armed Forces Full Honors Wreath Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Joe Biden, left, joined by, from left, Vice President Kamala Harris, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army Major Gen. Trevor Bradenkamp, listen to the playing of Taps during an Armed Forces Full Honors Wreath Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Joe Biden delivers the Memorial Day Address at the 156th National Memorial Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Monday, May 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden marked Memorial Day with a pledge that the country would continue the work of the nation’s fallen toward a more perfect union, “for which they lived, and for which they died.”

Delivering remarks at a solemn remembrance ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Biden said each generation must ensure the sacrifice of the country’s service members is not in vain.

“Freedom has never been guaranteed,” Biden said under gray skies in the memorial amphitheater. “Every generation has to earn it, fight for it, defend it in the battle between autocracy and democracy, between the greed of a few, and the rights of many.”

He added: “On this day, we came together again to reflect, to remember, and above all, to recommit to the future they fought for, a future grounded in freedom, democracy, opportunity and equality. Not just for some, but for all.”

Before the ceremony began, Biden, joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

In his remarks, Biden invoked the anniversary this week of the death of his son Beau, who served in Iraq and later died from brain cancer that the president attributes to his time stationed near toxic burn pits, to highlight the importance of honoring the service of those who came home with injuries, in addition to the dead.

“Last year, the VA delivered more benefits and processed more claims than ever in our history,” Biden said, crediting the PACT Act which grants automatic coverage for certain health conditions suffered by veterans by presuming they result from their military service. “For too long after fighting for our nation, these veterans had to fight to get the right health care, to get the benefits they had earned, not anymore.”

Biden began the day hosting a breakfast at the White House for administration officials, military leaders, veterans, and Gold Star family members.