In this annual issue, we look at some of the best, most impactful, and most uplifting speeches from 2025 to 2026. Ranging from politicians to political activists to celebrities, this issue of The Reference Shelf provides a unique record of American culture during the year as seen through the eyes of some of the nation’s most important public figures. With an eye toward encompassing a diversity of perspectives, these speeches help provide a glimpse of American thought and attitudes on the year’s most important stories.