Address to the NAACP

Not only did Truman make history by having the first televised Inaugruation, he also was the first president to publicly address the NAACP. Here you can see the actual final copy of the prepared speech. Notice how he made some last-minute modifications to the speech--something he was known to do. Also, notice how wide the spacing between the words and the lines are, and the underlined words. Truman had difficulty seeing, so instead of straining forward to be able to read, the speechwriters experimented on ways to make it easier for him to read. They settled on short, triple spaced lines with a few words underlined for emphasis. Here is a link to an excerpt of a book that explains Truman's motives and intensions for the speech in greater detail. You can listen or read the typed copy here.

1948 Comeback Campaign

Here is a link to the U.S. News article which outlines how Truman's "whistle-stop" speeches and his frank style of speech literally helped catapult him from behind to victory in the final stages of the race. It is really interesting to see how little of time he sometimes had in preparing for speeches and how this train tour really made the people appreciate him.

President Truman's Inaugrual Address

Although having served more than one term, President Truman addressed the nation only once during his inaugurational ceremony. This is because he took office the first time following the mid-term death of FDR. To listen, watch, or read his inuagural address here . It is interesting to note that this was the first televised Presidential Inaugural Address ever televised, which could explain why he speaks not only to the United States, but to the world in promoting the freedoms of democracy and the false hope that communism offers.