Main page
• Articles
• Articles, essays and publications about Taras Shevchenko and his works
• Quotes from famous people about Taras Shevchenko
• Quotes from U.S. Presidents about great Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko

Quotes from U.S. Presidents about great Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko

The sculptures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. Source: http://editorials.voa.gov/

Leaders of the USA made a unique contribution to honoring Shevchenko.

Harry Truman was an honorary head of the Shevchenko Monument Committee.

Dwight Eisenhower finally cleared the way for the monument to be installed in Washington.

John F. Kennedy sent his greetings to American Ukrainians as they dedicated the site in September 1963 and facilitated implementation. In his letter, he called Shevchenko’s poetry a “noble part” of American historical heritage.

Lyndon B. Johnson said: "He was more than a Ukrainian — he was a statesman and citizen of the world. He was more than a poet — he was a valiant crusader for the rights and freedom of men. He used verse to carry on a determined fight for freedom.”

Dwight David Eisenhower, the 34nd U.S. president, speaking about Taras Shevchenko

"On September 13, 1960, when I signed into law a measure to authorize the erection of this statue, it was my expectation that you would arrange a ceremony of dedication commensurate with the greatness of Taras Shevchenko..." (Dwight David Eisenhower)

George H. W. Bush, the 41st US President, invokes the words of Taras Shevchenko at the President's news conference on May 6, 1992

US President George Bush Sr. recites Taras Shevchenko's words which are placed on the monument to the poet in Washington, D.C. (the President's news conference on May 6, 1992)
Our soul shall never perish,
Freedom knows no dying,
And the greedy cannot harvest
Fields where seas are lying;
Cannot bind the living spirit,
Nor the living word,
Cannot smirch the sacred glory
Of th'almighty Lord

Bill Clinton, the 42nd U.S. president, speaking about Taras Shevchenko

From speech of President William Jefferson Clinton made in the State Dining Room at the White House on November 22, 1994 during the State Dinner for President Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine.