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Primary sourceSpeech23 February 1934

Share Our Wealth

Huey Long · 23 February 1934

Huey Long's February 1934 nationwide radio broadcast launching the Share Our Wealth plan to cap fortunes and guarantee every family a basic income.

Long delivered this speech himself, making it the founding text of his national political movement.

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Front cover of an orange pamphlet titled "Share Our Wealth, Every Man A King" by Huey P. Long, United States Senator, Washington D.C. Includes a quotation from the Bible and a verse excerpt at the top and bottom.
Huey Long, Share Our Wealth (Every Man A King), pamphlet of 1934 radio address, 1935.

About this source

What it is

This is the pamphlet version of a national radio address given by Senator Huey Long in February 1934, titled "Every Man A King." In the speech, Long laid out his "Share Our Wealth" plan to cap personal fortunes, incomes, and inheritances, and use the proceeds to guarantee every family a basic grant and income.

Why it matters

The speech launched the Share Our Wealth Society, which grew to millions of members across thousands of local clubs. It represented a radical populist challenge to President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal from within the Democratic Party, and some of its ideas influenced later New Deal reforms. Economists at the time disputed Long's numbers, arguing the real payouts would be far smaller than promised.

Look closer

  • Why might Long have chosen radio, rather than print, to spread this message?
  • What does the pamphlet's biblical quotation suggest about who Long was trying to reach?
  • How might supporters and critics have read the same numbers differently?

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

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