Brave Little State of Vermont speech
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The Brave Little State of Vermont speech is a name given to remarks delivered by Vermont native and U.S. President Calvin Coolidge at Bennington on September 21, 1928. Coolidge was touring his home state by train to assess progress of recovery following the devastating 1927 flood. Considered taciturn and nicknamed "Silent Cal," Coolidge demonstrated unusual emotion in delivering his extemporaneous response to the human suffering and loss he had witnessed.
Text of Coolidge's remarks follow:
My fellow Vermonters:
Vermont is a state I love.
I could not look upon the peaks of Ascutney,
Killington, Mansfield and Equinox
Without being moved in a way that no other scene could move me.
It was here that I first saw the light of day;
Here I received my bride;
Here my dead lie,
pillowed on the loving breast of our everlasting hills.
I love Vermont because of her hills and valleys,
Her scenery and invigorating climate,
but most of all because of her indomitable people.
They are a race of pioneers who have almost beggared themselves
to serve others.
If the spirit of liberty should vanish in other parts of the Union
and support of our institutions should languish,
It could all be replenished from the generous store held by the people
Of this brave little state of Vermont
Coolidge's remarks were well received at Bennington and in the following days as his remarks were published in Vermont newspapers. The last line, "this brave little state of Vermont," received the most notice, and became a popular moniker for the state, showing up in speeches and toasts by Democrats and Republicans alike. The last four lines of the speech can be found incised in marble in the Hall of Inscriptions at the Vermont State House.
