Tippecanoe and Tyler Too
Famous Slogans and Catchphrases in American History
- Contents
- Review Quotes

Introduction
We Shall Be as a City upon a Hill (1630)
No Taxation Without Representation (1763)
Don’t Fire Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes (1775)
Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death (1775)
We Must All Hang Together, or Most Assuredly We Shall All Hang Separately (1776)
I Only Regret That I Have But One Life to Lose for My Country (1776)
These Are the Times That Try Men’s Souls (1776)
Millions for Defense, but Not a Cent for Tribute (1798)
First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen (1799)
Remember the Alamo (1836)
I’d Rather Be Right Than Be President (1839)
Tippecanoe and Tyler Too (1840)
Fifty-four Forty, or Fight! (1844)
Go West, Young Man (1851)
A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand (1858)
Damn the Torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead (1864)
With Malice toward None, with Charity for All (1865)
War Is Hell (1880)
Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor (1883)
If Nominated I Will Not Run; If Elected I Will Not Serve (1884)
You Shall Not Crucify Mankind upon a Cross of Gold (1896)
Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus (1897)
Remember the Maine! (1898)
Fire When Ready, Gridley (1898)
Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick (1901)
Hit ’em Where They Ain’t (1902)
There’s Honest Graft and There’s Dishonest Graft (1903)
We Stand at Armageddon, and We Battle for the Lord (1912)
He Kept Us Out of War (1916)
Make the World Safe for Democracy (1917)
LaFayette, We Are Here (1917)
Say It Ain’t So, Joe (1919)
The Business of America Is Business (1925)
Prosperity Is Just around the Corner (1930)
The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself (1933)
Who Knows What Evil Lurks in the Hearts of Men? (1936)
Frankly, My Dear, I Don’t Give a Damn (1939)
Tomorrow Is Another Day (1939)
Wait Till Next Year (1941)
Kilroy Was Here (1942)
I Shall Return (1942)
Nuts! (1945)
The Buck Stops Here (1945)
Give ’em Hell, Harry! (1948)
Nice Guys Finish Last (1947)
Spahn, Sain, and Pray for Rain (1948)
Duck and Cover (1951)
Old Soldiers Never Die; They Just Fade Away (1951)
Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust (1957)
Ich Bin ein Berliner (1963)
I Have a Dream (1963)
Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee (1964)
Burn, Baby, Burn (1965)
Hell No, We Won’t Go (1966)
America: Love It or Leave It (1966)
You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby (1972)
Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall! (1987)
Notes
Recommended Reading
Index
“As the great philosopher George Santayana would have said, ‘those who cannot remember the past . . . should simply read Jan Van Meter’s Tippecanoe and Tyler Too.’ Van Meter’s greatest hits collection of slogans is the catchiest ever retelling of American history. It’s like the greatest minds of Madison Avenue sat down to write a history book. They don’t make sound bites like they used to!”
“Van Meter’s book is a delightful, richly informative, deeply researched, and fully contextualized work. It is also significant because so many of these slogans permeate American discourse and illuminate national values. Moreover, it’s also fascinating! Who knew that ‘duck and cover’ came from cold war security concerns?”
“I read Tippecanoe and Tyler Too with immense enjoyment. Van Meter has selected the most interesting and important phrases in American history and written wonderful essays explaining the origins, significance, and context of each. These essays not only illuminate but also entertain as they present the fascinating background of the slogans that have played such a crucial role in our political and cultural life, ranging from ‘I have a dream’ to ‘Say it ain’t so, Joe.’ I eagerly compared the information about origins with that in my now-standard volume, The Yale Book of Quotations, and was impressed to find that in a number of instances Van Meter has unearthed earlier evidence than that in the YBQ.”
“Van Meter writes a brief essay setting each quote in historical context, and his compositions are concise, lucid and factual. Together, they make up an excellent refresher summary of American history. . . . This is a pick-and-choose book, both entertaining and informative. And if you can master all fifty-seven quotes, one might safely say, ‘You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby.’ ”
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