Mark Twain's 1886 Fourth of July Speech

Happy birthday, United States of America! It is once again time for us to talk about ceremonial speeches.

Samuel Clemens (also known as Mark Twain) gave a Fourth of July speech in Keokuk, Iowa in 1886. Well, the actual celebration in Keokuk was on July 3, but who's being picky?

Unfortunately, since President Donald Trump's Fourth of July speech this year was a disappointing partisan screed, we need to look to the past. Samuel Clemens is on record for a couple of interesting Fourth of July speeches. They were both witty, inspiring, and a tiny bit whimsical. But they were not cynical in the nasty way that people get cynical today. (Ironically, the nation was actually much more polarized in 1886 – only 13 years after the Civil War – but people seemed to be able to put this aside on Independence Day.)

Samuel Clemens

Clemens made the short trip from Missouri to Keokuk to visit relatives. The celebration began with ringing bells and a 13-gun salute at sunrise. A parade marched across town just before noon. Fireworks went off at about lunchtime. A local Union Army veteran, Congressional Representative Thomas Hedge, Jr., delivered the main address, which lasted about 30 minutes. Clemens then gave his short presentation. He spoke in his usual tongue-in-cheek style: "I little thought that when the boys woke me with their noise this morning that I should be called upon to add to their noise." I assume that the noise came from the bells and cannon. Clemens praised the Declaration of Independence "with its majestic ending, which is worthy to live forever."

Clemens' praise of our nation's founding did not conclude his praise of the nation. Unlike many patriots, who only look to the past, Clemens also praised the nation's magnificent progress: "I have not heard much mention made of the progress of these last few years – of the telegraph, telephone, phonograph, and other great inventions." Indeed, Clemens said, "There is more done in one year now than Methuselah ever saw in all his life." 

Clemens being Clemens, he included a bit of humor, mentioning that "old King George the III" was "a fossilized monarch . . . Who has been dead these many years." He praised Hedge's speech for his "eloquent language" and commented that the celebration marked "a successful day." It was worth everybody's while to take a full day to celebrate the nation and remember its virtues. That made for a "successful day."

After Clemens' speech, the Keokuk Military band played a final selection. Good for them! We need more live music today! The newspaper account says that the audience received Clemens' speech with laughter and applause.

What was wonderful about Clemens' speech? The event was a celebration. The nation's values were reinforced. The speaker looked to the future. Everybody was optimistic. They had less to be optimistic about than we do today in our richer but more cynical times, but optimism prevailed above all.

In the past – not too long in the past – everybody expected to hear a Fourth of July speech during  patriotic celebrations. When my family went to see fireworks in Fairfax, Virginia in the 1960s, we always heard a Fourth of July speech, given by the mayor or a local war hero who talked about the nation's founding values, the importance of self-sacrifice. They always quoted Thomas Jefferson (we were in Virginia, after all!). Today, our patriotic celebrations go directly from barbecue to the fireworks, omitting the substance. What is the holiday really about? That is pretty much forgotten, or lost in partisanship. What a shame.

Declaration of Independence

Ceremonial speeches are not fluff. Ceremonial speeches like the one that Clemens gave in Keokuk reinforce our common values and remind us how we should live our personal and political lives. Ceremonial speeches help to create and preserve our common heritage.


PS: Clemens mentioned the Declaration of Independence's "majestic ending." Just to be reminded, here is that majestic ending, which pledged group loyalty toward a common goal: "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."


Image of Samuel Clemens via Wikimedia. Image of Declaration of Independence from National Archives.