Throughout recorded history, there have been speeches given by a diverse group of men that stand as a testament to the power of the spoken word. A few that come to mind:

Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address in which he reminded the nation “that these men shall not have died in vain -- that this nation under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Winston Churchill, perhaps the greatest man of the twentieth century, proclaimed to the British House of Commons on June 4th, 1940, that “We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans… we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets... we shall never surrender!”

John F. Kennedy proclaimed to the country to, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Later, standing on the liberated soil of West Berlin, Kennedy told those who would doubt the resolve of freedom-loving people, “Let them come to Berlin.” and “Ich bin ein Berliner.”

In an absolutely remarkable speech, Robert F. Kennedy announced the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to a predominately Black crowd in Indianapolis, Indiana. He told them that he also had a member of his family (JFK) murdered, and he was also killed by a white man. He asked the crowd to set aside their anger, and they did. The riots that swept the nation did not occur in that community.

Ronald Reagan stood in the shadow of the Berlin Wall and demanded of the Soviet leader, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Not long afterward, the wall came down.

I could go on with other memorable speeches, but I believe you get the idea. I believe that this coming Thursday evening, Donald Trump, while accepting his party’s nomination to regain the presidency, will deliver remarks that will go down in history. I believe he will speak of American greatness, past and present, and will voice his desire for future greatness. He will plead for unity and decorum in this and future political campaigns, and he will thank God for prompting him to turn to the right as shots were fired at him this past weekend. Had he turned to the left, as our nation has been doing under Democrat leadership, he would never again be speaking to the American public. Get your popcorn ready, folks. Thursday evening will be a night to remember.

Bill Hansmann is a dentist and dental educator with over fifty years in the profession. He continues to teach and write political blogs and semi-mediocre novels while living with his wife and cats in Georgia.

Image: Gage Skidmore