1/7/2024 0 Comments Ispeak birmingham![]() Somewhere my attention has been called to the legend, possibly a historical fact, that when Fernando De Soto was leading his expedition of exploration and conquest from Florida to the Mississippi, some of his metal workers not only discovered the wonderful deposits of coal, limestone, and iron ore in this area and told De Soto that here was an even greater treasure house than that which he was seeking not an El Dorado of precious metals, but the opportunity for making the world’s dominating iron industry. They testify to us how far the South has progressed in a single generation: the generation since slavery was abolished and the rule of free labor and unfettered industrial opportunity became the rule of all of our great Republic. We have come here to pay tribute to the marvelous achievement of a brief half century to which this city and its industries stand as a monument. Mayor, Citizens of Birmingham, and People of the South: I have been wondering, as we have seen the Birmingham district and the marvels of this region’s industrial development, whether any of us have yet quite realized the significance of the fact that Birmingham has been called “The Magic City.” The basic, characteristic industry on which modern civilization rests is iron and steel and Birmingham is the world’s last word in development of the iron and steel industries. HARDING, “ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AT THE CELEBRATION OF THE SEMICENTENNIAL FOUNDING OF THE CITY OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA” (26 OCTOBER 1921)
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