Historic Speeches: Who Said What? Quiz

Answer: Charles I

On January 30, 1649, this speech was given before his own execution. Many events led to the King's execution. In his first year as king, Charles married Henrietta Maria, who was Catholic. This deeply hurt many of England's Protestants. Charles and his father, James I, both believed that as kings, they were above the law and chosen by God. When he faced opposition from Parliament, Charles would dissolve them, thus ruling alone a number of times. In his first four years of reign, Charles dissolved Parliament three times. The only reason he would ever reassemble it was to raise money to pay for expensive wars.

England and the Parliament were so angered by the actions of their king that, after trial, he was sentenced to execution on January 30, 1649. The part of his speech quoted in our question "I go from a corruptible to an incorruptible crown" meant that in the next world, after death, nobody could control him and corrupt him anymore.

After the execution, crowds of people fought to dip their handkerchiefs in Charles's blood dripping from his severed head as a souvenir. His supporters wanted his blood as a relic of his martyrdom, and his haters wanted his blood as a tribute to his villainy.

Answer: Emmeline Pankhurst

It was the title of a speech delivered on March 24, 1908, by Emmeline Pankhurst, the leader of the British suffragettes. After being convinced by her daughter, she founded the more militant Women's Social and Political Union. Whether she chose the title for this speech herself is unclear.

This speech talked about how men wrote all of the laws, including laws involving women, and how unfair it was. The speech also talked a lot about marriage and having children.

A big part of Ms. Pankhurst's speech focused on the idea that the mother didn't get any say in her child's life, while the father had all the say. Ms. Pankhurst said that the father, not the mother, was able to decide the child's schooling, lifestyle, future spouse, and job.

Answer: Duke William of Normandy (William the Conqueror)

Duke William of Normandy believed that Edward the Confessor left England to him. Bringing 7,000 troops with him, William went to confront the new king, Harold II. Before heading off to battle, he addressed his troops as quoted above on October 14, 1066. By the end of the day, William of Normandy emerged victorious and was crowned William the Conqueror, King of England.

Answer: Oliver Cromwell

On February 23, 1657, Oliver Cromwell was offered the position of King of England. He asked for some time to think it over. On May 8, 1657, some officers opposed to Cromwell accepting the crown presented to Parliament a petition against reviving the monarchy. The same day, Cromwell definitely refused the crown. Both his supporters and enemies were astonished because Cromwell had turned down the chance at so much power.

On May 25, 1657, Cromwell was offered the position again, with the title of Lord Protector instead of King. He accepted it this time. On June 26, 1657, he was proclaimed Lord Protector. Unlike a normal monarch, he obtained the right to command the forces, nominate his own successor, and, with the approval of Parliament, appoint new members to the Council. The people opposed to the Protectorate attacked Cromwell's authority and demanded the supremacy of Parliament. For an answer, Cromwell dissolved Parliament on February 4, 1658, then dismissing them with the words "Let God be the judge between me and you."

Answer: Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill became Prime Minister on May 10, 1940. On May 13, 1940, he gave his first speech (quoted above) to his cabinet as Prime Minister. Here, Churchill says he will offer up his "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" in order for there to be "victory at all costs." This phrase has become famous as the first of a lot of inspiring speeches made by Churchill to encourage the British people to continue fighting against their enemy, Nazi Germany, during World War II.

Answer: Martin Luther King Jr.

This is perhaps one of the most famous and enduring speeches in history. As a child, I respected and admired Dr. King's work, believing him to be a very good person.

Slavery was now illegal in America, but black people were still being treated unfairly. They were considered inferior to white people, and everything was separate for both races. For example, some shops and places allowed white people, but not black people. In the places that allowed both, there were usually separate bathrooms, seating areas, etc. The things designated for black people were often of poorer quality than the things for white people. Martin Luther King Jr. had been puzzled by these things ever since he was a young boy. Upon becoming an adult, he bravely decided to take action. Dr. King's wife, Coretta (nee Scott), was very supportive throughout the course of his work. Organizing protests and strikes, Dr. King wouldn't give up, even when the KKK bombed his house. On August 28, 1963, Dr. King made his most famous speech (quoted in the question text) at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act, and in 1965, the Voting Rights Act, were both brought to force.

On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray. The world lost a great man that day, but thousands of people worldwide still remain grateful to him.

Answer: Nelson Mandela

The Rivonia Trial opened on 9th October 1963, with Nelson Mandela named as accused number one and facing the death penalty. The defense case opened the following April. Mandela's speech on April 20, 1964, lasted four hours and he didn't get the death penalty. Instead, he was imprisoned for 27 years. He was released on February 11, 1990.

The Rivonia Trial took place because Mandela was charged with having arranged an illegal strike and also with exiting the country without valid passports, documents, information, etc. On the trip that the trial focused on, he had gone to Addis Ababa to be present at the Pan-African Freedom Movement of East and Central Africa conference, February 1962, to gain support for uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), which was part of the African National Congress.

Answer: Jesus

When his disciples came to him on the mountain c. 33 AD, Jesus of Nazareth delivered the most famous and enduring speech in Christendom. Nearly 2,000 years later, the moral code contained in the Sermon on the Mount of Beatitudes remains the foundation of Western morality. This sermon is recorded in Matthew 5:3-12.

'Poor in spirit' is a strange phrase to modern ears, especially to those not part of a religion. The traditional explanation is that it means people who recognise their own spiritual poverty, their need for God. They were blessed with "the kingdom of Heaven". The moral code is that you should always be looking for ways to get closer to God, and recognize when you are deficient in faith.

Answer: Mahatma Gandhi

While supporting the Satyagraha, Gandhi traveled all around India, speaking at meetings with more than 100,000 Indians present. He was always under the suspicions of the police but wasn't arrested until 1922, being charged with sedition for three articles in his magazine 'Young India'. Thus followed the great trial at Ahmadabad, where Gandhi pleaded guilty.

After his speech (part of which is quoted in the question) at the trial on March 23, 1922, Gandhi was sentenced to imprisonment for six years, and he even thanked the judge for his courtesy. In 1930, 1930, and 1942, Gandhi was imprisoned again when he went on a hunger strike for his campaign of civil disobedience. He negotiated with the English to claim independence for India, which was granted twenty-five years later. Gandhi was considered a saint by many Hindu people. He was assassinated in 1948.

Answer: Socrates

Socrates had been arrested and put on trial by the citizens of Athens for his "crimes" related to philosophy. Two of the charges included failure to acknowledge the gods that most others believed in, and corruption of the youth. His prosecutor was Meletus, but this speech was addressed to both Meletus and his jury, which consisted of hundreds of his fellow Athenians.

His sentence was death, and having said so (quoted above), drank the poisonous hemlock, and died in 399 BC.