100 Greatest American Speeches of the 20th Century

Historical Accolades

Chosen by a panel of 137 scholars

This Category is Ranked. Sort by Ranking Based on Votes by clicking on Vote Ranking. Sort by the Collection's Ranking by clicking on List Ranking.

Vote RankingList Ranking  

68

1

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Advocate

29.61% (106 of 358 votes)

43

2

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

U.S. President

42.17% (132 of 313 votes)

29

3

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

U.S. President

48.53% (346 of 713 votes)

30

4

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

U.S. President

48.53% (346 of 713 votes)

89

5

Barbara Jordan

U.S. Congressman

0% (0 of 2 votes)

14

6

Richard Milhous Nixon

U.S. President

58.51% (275 of 470 votes)

67

7

Malcolm X

Advocate

29.95% (62 of 207 votes)

28

8

Ronald Reagan

U.S. President

48.60% (243 of 500 votes)

42

9

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

U.S. President

42.17% (132 of 313 votes)

39

10

Lyndon Baines Johnson

U.S. President

45.00% (9 of 20 votes)

91

11

Mario Cuomo

U.S. Governor

0% (0 of 0 votes)

54

12

Jesse Jackson

Advocate

35.36% (93 of 263 votes)

90

13

Barbara Jordan

U.S. Congressman

0% (0 of 2 votes)

9

14

Douglas MacArthur

Military Personnel

59.20% (74 of 125 votes)

69

15

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Advocate

29.61% (106 of 358 votes)

16

16

Theodore Roosevelt

U.S. President

58.31% (207 of 355 votes)

60

17

Robert Francis Kennedy

U.S. Attorney General

31.70% (97 of 306 votes)

57

18

Dwight David Eisenhower

U.S. President

33.33% (60 of 180 votes)

53

19

Woodrow Wilson

U.S. President

36.59% (75 of 205 votes)

10

20

Douglas MacArthur

Military Personnel

59.20% (74 of 125 votes)

13

21

Richard Milhous Nixon

U.S. President

58.51% (275 of 470 votes)

44

22

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

U.S. President

42.17% (132 of 313 votes)

92

23

Clarence Darrow

Attorney

0% (0 of 1 votes)

88

24

Russell Conwell

Religious Figure

0% (0 of 0 votes)

25

25

Ronald Reagan

U.S. President

48.60% (243 of 500 votes)

93

26

Huey Long

U.S. Governor

0% (0 of 1 votes)

5

27

Anna Howard Shaw

Advocate

75.00% (3 of 4 votes)

33

28

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

U.S. President

48.53% (346 of 713 votes)

26

29

Ronald Reagan

U.S. President

48.60% (243 of 500 votes)

27

30

Ronald Reagan

U.S. President

48.60% (243 of 500 votes)

31

31

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

U.S. President

48.53% (346 of 713 votes)

38

32

Harry S Truman

U.S. President

45.00% (9 of 20 votes)

94

33

William Faulkner

Author

0% (0 of 0 votes)

95

34

Eugene V. Debs

Politician

0% (0 of 0 votes)

21

35

Hillary Rodham Clinton

First Lady

52.23% (2351 of 4501 votes)

56

36

Dwight David Eisenhower

U.S. President

33.33% (60 of 180 votes)

47

37

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

U.S. President

42.17% (132 of 313 votes)

85

38

Ann Richards

U.S. Governor

0% (0 of 1 votes)

12

39

Richard Milhous Nixon

U.S. President

58.51% (275 of 470 votes)

52

40

Woodrow Wilson

U.S. President

36.59% (75 of 205 votes)

84

41

Margaret Chase Smith

U.S. Senator

0% (0 of 0 votes)

32

42

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

U.S. President

48.53% (346 of 713 votes)

70

43

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Advocate

29.61% (106 of 358 votes)

100

44

Mary Church Terrell

Advocate

0% (0 of 0 votes)

83

45

William Jennings Bryan

Politician

0% (0 of 0 votes)

17

46

Margaret Sanger

Sex Researcher

57.89% (77 of 133 votes)

11

47

Barbara Bush

First Lady

59.01% (95 of 161 votes)

45

48

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

U.S. President

42.17% (132 of 313 votes)

46

49

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

U.S. President

42.17% (132 of 313 votes)

73

50

Spiro Agnew

U.S. Vice President

16.22% (6 of 37 votes)

55

51

Jesse Jackson

Advocate

35.36% (93 of 263 votes)

71

52

Mary Fisher

Advocate

28.10% (43 of 153 votes)

37

53

Lyndon Baines Johnson

U.S. President

45.00% (9 of 20 votes)

82

54

George Marshall

Military Personnel

0% (0 of 1 votes)

61

55

Ted Kennedy

U.S. Senator

31.65% (213 of 673 votes)

1

56

Adlai E. Stevenson

Politician

100% (1 of 1 votes)

36

57

Eleanor Roosevelt

First Lady

48.12% (141 of 293 votes)

72

58

Geraldine Ferraro

U.S. Congressman

16.67% (1 of 6 votes)

80

59

Robert LaFollette

U.S. Senator

0% (0 of 1 votes)

24

60

Ronald Reagan

U.S. President

48.60% (243 of 500 votes)

81

61

Mario Cuomo

U.S. Governor

0% (0 of 0 votes)

62

62

Ted Kennedy

U.S. Senator

31.65% (213 of 673 votes)

79

63

John L. Lewis

Advocate

0% (0 of 0 votes)

7

64

Barry Goldwater

U.S. Senator

66.67% (2 of 3 votes)

65

65

Stokely Carmichael

Advocate

30.34% (44 of 145 votes)

74

66

Hubert H. Humphrey

U.S. Vice President

5.88% (1 of 17 votes)

78

67

Emma Goldman

Anarchist

0% (0 of 1 votes)

2

68

Carrie Chapman Catt

Advocate

100% (1 of 1 votes)

77

69

Newton Minow

Bureaucrat

0% (0 of 0 votes)

63

70

Ted Kennedy

U.S. Senator

31.65% (213 of 673 votes)

76

71

Anita Hill

Educator

5.71% (2 of 35 votes)

49

72

Woodrow Wilson

U.S. President

36.59% (75 of 205 votes)

48

73

Lou Gehrig

Baseball Player

39.53% (34 of 86 votes)

15

74

Richard Milhous Nixon

U.S. President

58.51% (275 of 470 votes)

3

75

Carrie Chapman Catt

Advocate

100% (1 of 1 votes)

64

76

Ted Kennedy

U.S. Senator

31.65% (213 of 673 votes)

41

77

Lyndon Baines Johnson

U.S. President

45.00% (9 of 20 votes)

34

78

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

U.S. President

48.53% (346 of 713 votes)

50

79

Woodrow Wilson

U.S. President

36.59% (75 of 205 votes)

86

80

Mario Savio

Advocate

0% (0 of 0 votes)

75

81

Elizabeth Glaser

Advocate

5.88% (1 of 17 votes)

96

82

Eugene V. Debs

Politician

0% (0 of 0 votes)

18

83

Margaret Sanger

Sex Researcher

57.89% (77 of 133 votes)

98

84

Ursula K. Le Guin

Author

0% (0 of 1 votes)

87

85

Crystal Eastman

Advocate

0% (0 of 0 votes)

99

86

Huey Long

U.S. Governor

0% (0 of 1 votes)

19

87

Gerald Ford

U.S. President

56.80% (71 of 125 votes)

97

88

Cesar Chavez

Advocate

0% (0 of 23 votes)

6

89

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn

Advocate

66.67% (2 of 3 votes)

8

90

James Earl Carter

U.S. President

60.11% (315 of 524 votes)

66

91

Malcolm X

Advocate

29.95% (62 of 207 votes)

59

92

Bill Clinton

U.S. President

32.00% (656 of 2050 votes)

58

93

Shirley Chisholm

U.S. Congressman

33.33% (1 of 3 votes)

23

94

Ronald Reagan

U.S. President

48.60% (243 of 500 votes)

22

95

Elie Wiesel

Author

50.0% (1 of 2 votes)

20

96

Gerald Ford

U.S. President

56.80% (71 of 125 votes)

51

97

Woodrow Wilson

U.S. President

36.59% (75 of 205 votes)

40

98

Lyndon Baines Johnson

U.S. President

45.00% (9 of 20 votes)

4

99

Joseph Welch

Attorney

100% (1 of 1 votes)

35

100

Eleanor Roosevelt

First Lady

48.12% (141 of 293 votes)