My Fellow Americans: The Most Important Speeches of Americas Presidents, from George Washington to Barack Obama

ISBN: 1402243677

Author: Waldman, Michael

Condition: New

THE STORIES BEHIND the WORDS THAT MAKE HISTORY"Four Score and Seven Years Ago"The Gettysburg Address as told by an eyewitness of the event"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself"Franklin Delano Roosevelts stirring call to courage"Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You"John F. Kennedys unforgettable inaugural address"Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall"Ronald Reagans demand for freedom for the people behind the Iron CurtainPlus Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton on the speeches that influenced them mostAlso hear?The voices of every U.S. president since Benjamin Harrison in 1889 A reading of the first presidential speech ever, George Washingtons "American Experiment" address A reenactment of Abraham Lincolns incendiary "House Divided" speech Campaign recordings of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson FDRs assertion that Americans have a "Rendezvous with Destiny" Dwight D. Eisenhowers warning against the "Military-Industrial Complex" JFK proclaiming "Ich Bin Ein Berliner" Lyndon Johnson adopting the civil rights hymn "We Shall Overcome" Gerald Ford promising that "Our Long National Nightmare Is Over" Ronald Reagan consoling the nation after the space shuttle Challenger explosion George H. W. Bushs call for a "Kinder and Gentler Nation" Bill Clinton speaking from the pulpit where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his final sermon George W. Bushs ultimatum to Iraq and his promise to its people that "The Day of Your Liberation Is Near""All students of American history, indeed, all civic-minded Americans, will find a place on their bookshelves for My Fellow Americans."-Senator JOHN MCCAIN"My Fellow Americans makes the voice of American presidents ring in our ears and makes us understand in a new way the nature of political leadership in this country."-ELENA KAGAN, Supreme Court Justice"The best of presidential speeches, compiled by one of the finest presidential speechwriters."-DAVID FRUM, George W. Bush speechwriter, author of The Right ManThe history of the United States lives in the words of its presidents-words that heal, inspire, and sometimes divide a nation and the world. My Fellow Americans brings to life two centuries of American history as you read and hear the presidential speeches that defined our nations most dramatic moments.My Fellow Americans presents, in text and on two audio CDs, more than forty of the greatest speeches from American presidents. Former White House chief speechwriter Michael Waldman introduces them, telling their dramatic stories and explaining their impact. In original essays, presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton describe the talks that influenced them the most. Youll also find captivating photographs, illustrations, and handwritten manuscripts, including: Never-before-seen handwritten speech notes used by President Clinton The speech, announcing an attack on Cuba, that President Kennedy did not have to give during the Cuban Missile Crisis An actual photo of Lincoln at Gettysburg And much more?he accompanying audio CDs let you hear these great speeches as they happened-some recordings are more than one hundred years old-and reenacted speeches from before the dawn of recorded audio. We hear the voices of every president since Benjamin Harrison. Experience some of our greatest moments, such as "The Only Thing We Have to Fear is Fear Itself "; "Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You"; and "Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down this Wall." Hear Lyndon Johnson adopt "We Shall Overcome" for all Americans; John F. Kennedy proclaim "Ich Bin Ein Berliner" at the Berlin Wall; and a fascinating account by a man who saw and heard President Lincoln deliver the Gettysburg Address.My Fellow Americans presents a fascinating journey through American history that can be shared with your family and friends, whether youre reliving the event or hearing it together for the first time."Reading [these speeches] and listening to those available from the late 1800s onward re