A collection of speeches that showcases the voices of those at the reins of power and of those who are not. Read the original words, sometimes abridged and sometimes in their entirety, that have shaped our cultural fabric. Introductions provide historical context and critical insights into the meaning and impact of every speech.

""The time has come for this Nation to fulfill its promise." John F. Kennedy was born one hundred years ago. As America's thirty-fifth president, he often took bold actions: establishing a peace corps and challenging Americans to land on the moon. But on civil rights, it took the urging and the example of other courageous people--leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Jackie Robinson, and even students and children--to help him realize that the...