Harpine's Thoughts about Public Speaking: Ronald Reagan Called for Unity on the Fourth of July

Ronald and Nancy Reagan speaking in front of the Statue of Liberty

Ronald and Nancy Reagan, 1986

The United States of America stands for liberty, justice and equality for all. That is a values statement: a simple statement, radical in 1776, still radical today. On Independence Day, July 4, 1986, 40 years ago today, standing before the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, President Ronald Reagan praised America’s values. Recalling the signers of the Declaration of Independence, he remarked on “On the proposition that every man, woman, and child had a right to a future of freedom.” He reminded the audience that the Declaration of Independence affirmed that everyone is “endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Those values, he insisted, must guide our nation.

Thus, Reagan’s stirring speech reminded the United States that we all stand equal, in our diversity, and that immigrants from far and wide came past Liberty’s torch to seek the United States of America, the homeland of liberty:

“Last night, when we rededicated Ms. Liberty and lit her torch, we reflected on all the millions who came here in search of a dream of freedom, inaugurated in Independence Hall. We reflected, too, on their courage and coming great distances and settling in a foreign land, and then passing onto their children and their children's children. The hope symbolized in this statue here just behind us, the hope that is America.”

This led Reagan, brimming with hope, to affirm that neither religion, nor race, nor political affiliation could ever divide us:

“And so tonight we are for reaffirm, that Jew and Gentile, we are one nation under God. That black and white, we are one nation indivisible. That Republican and Democrat, we are all Americans.”

Ceremonial (or epideictic) speeches like this one are about praise and blame. Reagan excelled in ceremonies Praising America, he cited historical values for us to live by, values that can guide our great nation's policies. It is no accident that Reagan spoke with the Statue of Liberty his backdrop. That great statue had welcomed millions of immigrants. The torch signaled the safe harbor of liberty. The setting became part of the message. Reagan expressed a simple theme, a theme that hearkens back to the nation’s origins, to that great day when we proclaimed our independence and dedicated ourselves to values of freedom, equality, and justice. Those values were even more radical in 1776 than they are today. Holding to the vision, Reagan remembered that our nation was built on a foundation of great ideas. Reagan’s wise words should remind us of who we are, while inspiring us to support our American virtues. For, after all, those virtues are eternal. To forsake those values is to forsake our sacred flag.

Happy 250th birthday, United States of America! Let freedom ring!

by William D. Harpine

Mark Twain's 1886 Fourth of July Speech

Frederick Douglass’ 1852 Fourth of July Speech

Ronald Reagan Spoke about Freedom, Friendship, and Hope at Moscow State University

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S.S. Pretoria, which took my grandfather to Ellis Island
Personal Note: More than a century ago, my maternal grandparents sailed past that same Statue of Liberty and landed at nearby Ellis Island (in an era when the United States welcomed immigrants with open arms), settled in the United States, found work, and raised a family of patriots. My grandmother was only 16 years old, traveling alone, desperately hoping to escape famine and conflict in her native land. They raised an extended family of engineers, nurses, physicians, lawyers, homemakers, professors, and war heroes. My grandmother became a Gold Star mother. Please, America, let us not smash the good things our forebears built. To be a patriot means to honor our values, our heritage, and our honor. May it ever be so.