- Sir Winston Churchill inspired millions with the line, "...[T]his was their finest hour." True or false: He was referring to World War II veterans who died for their countries.
- One of the most famous speeches ever given in Mexico is known as the grito de Dolores (cry from Dolores). This 1810 speech was:
- A. Pancho Villa's cry of defiance toward the United States
- B. A sermon for Mexican independence
- C. The last words of rebel Emiliano Zapata
- In 1860, an Italian patriot warned, "Women, cast away all the cowards from your embraces; they will give you only cowards for children ... " True or false: This dictum came from Italian general Giuseppe Garibaldi.
- "The great questions of the time are not decided by speeches and majority decisions ... but by iron and blood." Which of the following men spoke these famous words?
- A. German chancellor Otto von Bismarck
- B. Statesman Klemens von Metternich
- C. Wilhelm I, King of Germany
- French revolutionist Maximilien Robespierre urged people to "be generous toward the good, compassionate with the unfortunate..." True or false: Robespierre himself was judged leniently when he was later arrested.
- "Deign to grant to Venezuela a government preeminently popular, preeminently just, permanently moral." What South American patriot made this speech in 1819?
- A. Simón Bolívar
- B. Bernardo O'Higgins
- C. José de San Martín
- The term "New World Order" is not new. True or false: In 1947, Brazilian diplomat Oswaldo Aranha proclaimed, "The United Nations stands for the new order..."
- During World War I, Cardinal Désiré Joseph Mercier lamented to his countrymen, "Today the hymn of joy dies on our lips." What country was he from?
- A. Austria
- B. Belgium
- C. The Netherlands
- Sir John Macdonald gave many speeches supporting the Canadian federation. True or false: Macdonald became the first prime minister of Canada.
- While on trial in 1964, Nelson Mandela gave a four-hour speech in his defense. Which of the following points were included?
- A. That he was not a Communist
- B. That he had fought against both white and black domination
- C. That many of his people were forced to live like serfs
- D. All of the above
Answers
- False. He was referring to the British people, rallying them to support the war effort in 1940.
- B. The sermon was given by Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the parish priest of Dolores, Mexico, in 1810.
- True.
- A. Bismarck gave this speech in 1862 to a group of King Wilhelm's ministers. He became known as the Iron Chancellor.
- False. Robespierre was executed by guillotine.
- A. Bolívar gave this address in the town of Angostura, which has been renamed Ciudad Bolívar.
- True. Aranha was a president of the United Nations General Assembly.
- B. This line was from a sermon he delivered in occupied Brussels in 1916.
- True.
- D. Mandela spent more than twenty-seven years in prison. He quoted from this defense speech in another speech after his release in 1990.