JFK and Controversy? Say it ain't so!!

Here's some trivia for you history buffs.

Remember one of the most famous line in JFK's inaugural speech: "And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country".

I always thought this phrase was "his line"....I figured a speech writer wrote it...or even maybe JFK thought of it...I was not aware of any controversy surrounding this.

I read last night (in my new most favorite book) that Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. in 1884 wrote and delivered this speech on Memorial Day:

"It is now the moment when by common consent we pause to become conscious of our national life and to rejoice in it, to recall what our country has done for each of us, and to ask ourselves what we can do for our country in return". I thought this was interesting and sounded much like a speech that was given in the sixties!

I started researching this on the Internet and apparently JFK takes full credit for this statement. Warren G. Harding used this phrase in 1923 and takes full credit for it also! There are many web sites, articles, & sites dedicated to this statement.

I know that most presidential speeches are taken from other speeches...but I thought this one was interesting. I will end with this...no matter who thought of the statement it is an amazing use of words and I believe it inspired America at the time.

SIDE NOTE:

My new favorite book that I stayed up until 2am reading is "American Patriot's Bible" - the Word of God and the Shaping of America. This book is so interesting! I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes American history and the bible!