Quotable Quotes

1. Quotable Quotes

2. “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” • 1858, Abraham Lincoln • Lincoln-Douglas debates • Running for Illinois Senator • His aim was to preserve the Union. • He went on to say “I believe this government cannot endure half slave & half free.” • On the other hand, Douglas supported popular sovereignty in the new territories.

3. “The power to tax involves the power to destroy.” • 1819, McCulloch v. Maryland • Supreme Court ruled Maryland’s tax on the Baltimore branch of the Bank of the U.S. was unconstitutional. • Ruled that a state could not take measures to destroy the Union. • Established the principle that the federal govt. is dominant over states.

4. “It is at the bottom of life we must begin, not at the top.” • 1895, Booker T. Washington • Atlanta Compromise speech • He felt African Americans should seek training in the trades rather than strive immediately for social equality. • Contrasts the beliefs of W.E.B. DuBois.

5. “Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” • 1954, Brown v. Board of Education • Statement read by Earl Warren, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court • Overturned the decision in Plessyv. Ferguson of “separate but equal.” • Court ruled unanimously

6. “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” • 1776, Declaration of Independence • Remained an American standard for judging progress toward equality since 1776.

7. “A war to end all wars.” • 1917, Woodrow Wilson • Wilson’s unrealized goal in the “Great War.”

8. “All we ask is to be left alone.” • 1861, Jefferson Davis • Upon forming the Confederate States of America, Davis was elected as their President. • He made this statement in his inauguration speech. • South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, & Tennessee

9. “December 7, 1941 – a date that will live in infamy.” • 1941, Franklin Roosevelt • Roosevelt’s War Message to Congress • Speaking about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor

10. “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” • 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. • From his speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington where they were trying to gain support for Kennedy’s civil rights bill.

11. “A law repugnant to the Constitution is void.” • 1803, John Marshall in Marburyv. Madison • Established a precedent for judicial review • Defined the role of the Supreme Court in our new govt.

12. “To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers.” • 1788, Article 1 of the Constitution • Gave Congress the authority to use implied powers • Created controversy – Antifederalists claimed it gave the govt. too much power

13. “We… covenant and combine ourselves into a civil body politic.” • 1620, Mayflower Compact • Signed by the adult male Pilgrims on board the Mayflower • Governing document of Plymouth Colony • Became the first document of self-government in the English colonies

14. “Fifty-four forty or fight.” • 1844, James K. Polk • While campaigning, Polk suggested that the country might demand all of the Oregon territory to the southern border of Alaska, but this left him room to negotiate with the British. • 1846 U.S. gained this land south of the 49th parallel in the Oregon Treaty.

15. “Free trade and sailors’ rights.” • 1812 • These were key issues in the American decision to go to war in 1812.

16. “You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.” • 1896, William Jennings Bryan • His “Cross of Gold” speech given at the Democratic nominating convention made a passionate attack on the gold standard.

17. “God made us neighbors. Let justice make us friends.” • Franklin Roosevelt, Good Neighbor Policy • He sought to end the Roosevelt Corollary and establish friendlier relations with Latin America.

18. “And so, my fellow Americans: Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” • 1961, John F. Kennedy • Inaugural address • Sets the theme for a new commitment to America where we tried to solve domestic issues of the time. • Led to his New Frontier.

19. “We must be the great arsenal of democracy.” • Dec. 1940, Franklin Roosevelt • Used this rational in calling for the Lend-Lease Act prior to our involvement in the military aspects of WWII.

20. “With malice toward none, with charity for all…” • March 1865, Abraham Lincoln • Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural Address • He called for a lenient peace & a quick return to the Union.

21. “It is our policy to stay clear of permanent alliances.” • 1796, George Washington • Farewell Address • Even in our infancy, we were concerned with the nature of foreign policy. • He laid out the principles that would guide America for a number of years.

22. “John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it.” • 1832, Andrew Jackson • Made this statement in response to John Marshall’s decision in support of the Cherokee Nation in Worcester v. Georgia. • Decision stated that the Cherokees were a separate, sovereign nation & had the right to stay where they lived.

23. “Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable.” • 1830, Daniel Webster • Responding to South Carolina’s threat to nullify the Tariff of Abominations. • Webster, a MA Senator, suggested this should be the motto of the United States.

24. “Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute.” • 1797 • This became the Federalist rallying cry after the French made demands for a bribe, a loan, & an apology from President John Adams in the XYZ Affair.

25. “My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union.” • 1862, Abraham Lincoln • Letter to New York Tribune editor Horace Greeley • Lincoln’s primary objective in the Civil War was the preservation of the Union. • He goes on to say “and is not either to save or destroy slavery.”

26. “Peace without victory.” • Jan. 1917, Woodrow Wilson • Speech given to Congress • Hoped for an end to the war in Europe; didn’t want to see the continuation of violence

27. “Remember the Alamo.” • 1836 • Rallying cry of Texans in their war for independence from Mexico. • Motivated Sam Houston & his men to fight for victory at the Battle of San Jacinto River.

28. “Remember the Maine.” • 1898 • Rallying cry for those favoring war against Spain. • The Maine had exploded in Havana Harbor, & people blamed Spain.

29. “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” • Theodore Roosevelt • Old African saying used by Roosevelt in his pursuit for a vigorous foreign policy. • He got the Canal Zone in Panama & issued the Roosevelt Corollary in Latin America.

30. “The ideals and traditions of our nations demanded that we come to the aid of Greece and Turkey and that we put the world on notice that it would be our policy to support the cause of freedom wherever it was threatened.” • 1947 • The Truman Doctrine • Example of containment during the Cold War. • Marked a significant break from George Washington’s advice on isolationism in his farewell address.

31. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” • 1933, Franklin Roosevelt • Inaugural speech • Tried to inspire confidence in our nation during the depression.

32. “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” • 1848 • Declaration of Sentiments of Women • Issued at the Seneca Falls Convention

33. “The American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as subject for future colonization by any European powers.” • 1823, James Monroe • State of the Union Address • Issued this warning, now a cornerstone of American foreign policy, against European expansion into the area.

34. “And, by virtue of the power for the purpose of the aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within these said designated States and parts of States are, and henceforward shall be free.” • 1863, Abraham Lincoln • Emancipation Proclamation • Committed the U.S. to freeing the slaves. • Helped gain British support for the Union in the Civil War. • Didn’t free those living in border states.

35. “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union,…” • 1787 • Preamble to the U.S. Constitution • Promised an effort to create a more effective govt. than the state-dominated Articles of Confederation had provided

36. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” • Eleanor Roosevelt • Wrote this reassuring and inspiring statement in a newspaper column. • She was an advocate of human rights.

37. “Surplus wealth is a sacred trust which its possessor is bound to administer in his lifetime for the good of the community.” • 1889, Andrew Carnegie • Gospel of Wealth • He felt that people with great amounts of accumulated wealth should use it to benefit the public.

38. “The advance of the frontier has meant a steady movement away from the influence of Europe, a steady growth of independence on American lines. And to study this advance… is to study the really American part of our history.” • 1890, Frederick Jackson Turner • The Significance of the Frontier in American History • Helped Americans to understand this significant factor in American development.

39. “What hath God wrought!” • 1837 • This first telegraph message introduced a revolution in communication.

40. “Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.” • Ronald Reagan • His philosophy of government in the 1980s was based on this motto. • He favored deregulation.

41. “Women of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your vacuum cleaner.” • 1963, Betty Friedan • The Feminine Mystique • Her booked helped to advance the women’s rights movement. • Women began to express how they wanted more in their lives.