That is why the history of America is now the central feature of the history of the world for the world has set its face hopefully toward our democracy and, O my fellow citizens, each one of you carries on your shoulders not only the burden of doing well for the sake of your country, but the burden of doing well and of seeing that this nation does well for the sake of mankind. Our country-this great Republic-means nothing unless it means the triumph of a real democracy, the triumph of popular government, and, in the long run, of an economic system under which each man shall be guaranteed the opportunity to show the best that there is in him.

We come here today to commemorate one of the epoch-making events of the long struggle for the rights of man-the long struggle for the uplift of humanity. Read President Obama's speech here and read President Roosevelt's new nationalism speech below. At stake is the very survival of a country where working people can earn enough to raise a family, build a modest savings, own a home, and secure their retirement. In his speech, the President talked about how this is a make-or-break moment for the middle class, and all those who are fighting to get into the middle class. Today President Obama traveled to Osawatomie to talk about some of the very same things.

He stood by fair play under the rules of the game ensuring the rules made opportunity available to everyone. He declared that anyone who worked hard should be able to provide for themselves and their family, and that no one person was more entitled to special privileges than another. In the speech, he called for the end of special protections for businesses in government. On August 31, 1910, President Theodore Roosevelt visited Osawatomie, Kansas and laid out his vision for what he called a 'new nationalism.'

Half life text to speech