Freedom Calendar 11/01/08 - 11/08/08

November 1, 1879, Death of U.S. Senator Zachariah Chandler (R-MI), Underground Railroad conductor and co-founder of the Republican Party. November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan makes Martin Luther King’s birthday a national holiday.

November 3, 1868, Republican Ulysses Grant defeats Democrat Horatio Seymour in presidential election; Seymour had denounced Emancipation Proclamation.

November 4, 1986, Republican Kay Orr of Nebraska elected as state’s first woman governor; also first woman to defeat another woman in a gubernatorial race.

November 5, 2002, Michael Steele, former Chairman of Maryland Republican Party, elected as first African-American Lt. Governor in state history.

November 6, 1956, African-American civil rights leaders Martin Luther King and Ralph Abernathy vote for Republican Dwight Eisenhower for President.

November 7, 1916, Jeannette Rankin, Republican from Montana, becomes first woman elected to U.S. House of Representatives.

November 8, 1840, Birth of Judith Ellen Foster; addressing the 1892 Republican National Convention, she declared: “We are here to help you, and we have come to stay.

"We believe that everyone deserves a chance, that everyone has value, that no insignificant person was ever born. We believe that all are diminished when any are hopeless. We are one people, committed to building a single nation of justice and opportunity.”

George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States

Tags: President Bush and Freedom Calendar or Booker T. Washington and Republicans or African-Americans and Brown v. Board of Education or Ronald Reagan and Michael Steele or Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass or 40 acres and a mule or Martin Luther King and Voting Rights Act of 1965 or Dred Scott

Bush radio address 11/01/08 PODCAST TEXT TRANSCRIPT

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bush radio address 11/01/08 full audio, text transcript. President's Radio Address

Subscribe to Our Podcast feed or online podnova Podcast Channel and receive the weekly Presidential Radio Address in English and Spanish with select State Department Briefings. Featuring real audio and full text transcripts, More content Sources added often so stay tuned.

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This Tuesday is Election Day. After months of spirited debate and vigorous campaigning, the time has come for Americans to make important decisions about our Nation's future. I encourage all Americans to go to the polls and vote.

Election season brings out the spirit of competition between our political parties, and that competition is an essential part of a healthy democracy. But as the campaigns come to a close, Republicans, Democrats, and independents can find common ground on at least one point: Our system of representative democracy is one of America's greatest strengths.

The United States was founded on the belief that all men are created equal. Every Election Day, millions of Americans of all races, religions, and backgrounds step into voting booths throughout the Nation. Whether they are rich or poor, old or young, each of them has an equal share in choosing the path that our country will take. And every ballot they cast is a reminder that our founding principles are alive and well.

Voting is one of the great privileges of American citizenship, and it has always required brave defenders. As you head to the polls next week, remember the sacrifices that have been made by generations of Americans in uniform to preserve our way of life. From Bunker Hill to Baghdad, the men and women of American Armed Forces have been devoted guardians of our democracy. All of us owe them and their families a special debt of gratitude on Election Day.

Americans should also remember the important example that our elections set throughout the world. Young democracies from Georgia and Ukraine to Afghanistan and Iraq can look to the United States for proof that self-government can endure. And nations that still live under tyranny and oppression can find hope and inspiration in our commitment to liberty.

For more than two centuries, Americans have demonstrated the ability of free people to choose their own leaders. Our Nation has flourished because of its commitment to trusting the wisdom of our citizenry. In this year's election, we will see this tradition continue. And we will be reminded once again that we are blessed to live in a free nation guided by the will of the people.

Thank you for listening. # # #

For Immediate Release November 1, 2008

Tags: President Bush and White House radio address