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Primary sourceSpeech12 June 1936

Remarks at the Robert E. Lee Memorial Statue Unveiling

Franklin Delano Roosevelt · 12 June 1936

Roosevelt's own spoken remarks at the 1936 unveiling of a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee in Dallas, Texas.

These are Roosevelt's own spoken remarks, showing how he publicly discussed Confederate memory as president.

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Scanned typed page titled 'Informal Extemporaneous Remarks of the President on the Occasion of the Unveiling of the Robert E. Lee Memorial Statue, Dallas, Texas, June 12, 1936'. Body text begins 'I am very happy to take part in this unveiling of the statue of General Robert E. Lee.' and continues in two more paragraphs. Page has two-hole punch marks on the left edge.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Remarks at the Unveiling of the Robert E. Lee Memorial Statue, Dallas, Texas, 12 June 1936.

About this source

What it is

This is a typed transcript of informal remarks given by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 12 June 1936 at the unveiling of a statue of Robert E. Lee in Dallas, Texas. The page shows two-hole punch marks typical of archival filing.

Why it matters

In these remarks, Roosevelt praised Lee as a leader and gentleman. The speech reflects how national memory of the Civil War and Confederate figures was shaped in the 1930s, and shows the complicated ways American leaders of the era spoke about the Confederacy.

Look closer

  • Why might Roosevelt have chosen to praise Lee in these specific terms?
  • What does this speech leave out about Lee's role in the Civil War?
  • How might audiences today respond differently to these words than audiences in 1936?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Franklin D. Roosevelt on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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