Harris shows her strength during the final speech before Trump's showdown

This is an adapted excerpt from MSNBC Oct 29 special coverage.

On Tuesday, just a week before Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered her final message to the American people — and it was one hell of a speech. Harris spoke to thousands of people at the Ellipse in Washington, DC, the same place where Donald Trump spoke to his supporters on January 6, 2021, shortly before a mob attacked the US Capitol.

Harris' comments seem to me to be essentially a follow-up to her speech at the Democratic National Convention. Her acceptance of the Democratic Party's nomination in August was somewhat in that direction, but at the time Harris knew she was speaking to her fellow Democrats and those who had promoted her within the party. On Tuesday she addressed the entire country.

Harris addressed the American people directly and openly asked for their vote. She reintroduced herself to the country and acknowledged that some people watching at home might not know enough about her. She spoke about her upbringing and said she spent most of her career outside of Washington.

Harris then reminded the American people of our history:

Harris ended her roughly 30-minute speech by highlighting the danger Trump could pose to the country's future: “This United States of America, we are not a vessel for the plans of would-be dictators. The United States of America is the greatest idea ever conceived by humanity.”

There, the vice president didn't talk to people who already supported her; She spoke to people who may not have been inclined to vote for her, who may not have felt comfortable with her, who may not have felt like it was a worthy reason to get up from the couch and vote.

Harris' final message to the American people was that she embodies the future of this country and the other person represents the end of our democratic experiment. She promised to protect the country – that is strength personified. I think Tuesday's speech may be the most important speech of Harris' life so far.

Rachel Maddow

Rachel Maddow is the host of the Emmy Award-winning “The Rachel Maddow Show” Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on MSNBC. “The Rachel Maddow Show” offers Maddow's take on the day's biggest news stories, political and otherwise, including in-depth analysis and stories not covered on any other cable news show.

Allison Detzel contributed.