27th president of the United States (1909-13) and tenth chief justice of the United States (1921-30). Taft was more suited to the legal profession than the Presidency. As a federal judge in cases relating to labor-management disputes, Taft's opinions aroused labor protests because of their emphasis upon the illegality of the secondary boycott and his use of the power of the injunction to restrain violence. Still, he did uphold the legal rights of unions, and he extended the power of the injunction to enforce anti-trust laws. In this 1906 speech, Taft addresses the tension between labor and management by spelling out the rights of workers, including the right to strike peacefully. (Source: History Speaks, Vol. 1. Gotham Records: 933)

26th president of the United States (1901-09), T.R. expanded the powers of the Presidency and the federal government in favor of the public's interest in battles between big business and big labor. After failing to procure the Republican nomination for president in 1912, Roosevelt formed the progressive Bull Moose party and campaigned for the Presidency on his own, garnering over four million popular votes in a losing effort to Democrat Woodrow Wilson. This excerpt is typical of the magic the "Rough Rider" invoked as a worthy third party candidate during that campaign, outlining the marks of good citizenship as "fair play" and a "Square Deal" between all competing interests. (Source: History Speaks, Vol. 1. Gotham Records: 933)

28th president of the United States (1913-21), Wilson was a statesman of high-minded and sometimes inflexible idealism. Given in 1915, this speech excerpt addresses the long, complex history between the Native American population and the settlers of the United States. While Wilson expresses his regrets about the darker moments of this sensitive relationship, he also offers hope by citing specific examples of positive reforms made to improve the ties between the two groups. (Source: Voices of Freedom, 1901-1950, Educational Services: ES-1)

The Marr Sound Archives, a division of the Department of Special Collections at Miller Nichols Library, has numerous additional recordings of presidential speeches and presidential voices.  The Marr Sound Archives also has an extensive collection of recordings of the political speeches of president Harry S. Truman broadcast by CBS and recorded by KMBC Radio in Kansas City.