Silent Calvin Coolidge's Farewell Speech

Calvin Coolidge once stated, “If you don’t say anything, you won’t be called on to repeat it.” Coolidge seemed to live by the principle, of avoiding incrimination by remaining silent, earning him the legendary nickname: “Silent Cal.” Ironically, in his first speech to the Massachusetts State Senate, Coolidge preached the importance to “do the day’s work” without becoming “a demagogue”. The overarching value of this speech, to standing up for what’s right, is one that has become increasingly evident in today’s society. Far too often, our country’s youth is falling victim to sacrificing their values to save face in the eyes of their peers.
The millennial generation has fallen into an insidious cycle of betraying their morals, for the sake of
Students have lost confidence in themselves and are now being walked over by others. I hear common stories from my classmates about how someone cheated off of their homework or test, but they don’t want to say anything to the teachers. They have allowed themselves to assume the role of the pushover. The cheaters in this situation are sometimes talked into it by their friends. They are told the only way to pass a teachers class is to cheat, or that “it’s only homework,” or the classic, “a class that cheats together, passes together.” By encouraging my friends to always reject those trying to use them for answers, there has been a decrease in cheating in our classes. If students across the country were the ones to go out and preach not cheating, our society would be much better off. Instead of saying, “a class that cheats together, passes together,” students should be saying, “a class that stays together, goes to the unemployment office together.” The habit of cheating and following the crowd in school will follow students into their future endeavors. Students have failed to make the connection between their actions now and their lives down the line. Though they may get a passing grade now, students are depriving themselves of knowledge the will need to be successful in the long run. For these reasons, it is necessary to encourage students to speak out against cheating. Doing so would
Teaching students to take a stand for what they believe in will create a real change in our current society. Upholding this value will open doors for success in this generation and those to come. Taking lessons from people in history, such as Coolidge, will lay the ground work for our country to grow. It is important to never remain silent. By speaking out, we can be the voice for those suffering in our society, we can build our integrity, and we can protect our self-confidence. Always remember, and live by, what Silent Cal said in his 1st speech to the Massachusetts State Senate, “Don’t hesitate to be as revolutionary as science,” and make a difference in someone’s