Words of a Century: The Top 100 American Speeches, 1900-1999

by Stephen E. Lucas, Martin J. Medhurst

Overview

Boldly breaking the mold of previous anthologies, Words of a Century: The Top 100 American Speeches, 1900-1999 contains the complete—and authentic—texts of the best American speeches of the twentieth century as delivered to their immediate audiences. It features a remarkable array of speakers, from Woodrow Wilson, Clarence Darrow, and Carrie Chapman Catt to Martin Luther King, Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, and Barbara Jordan.

As diverse in type as they are in subject matter, the speeches open a unique window on the twentieth century, and many continue to resonate in our own time. Each is preceded by a headnote with background on the speaker, the occasion, and the impact of the speech. More than 2,000 annotations identify people, events, and textual references that help bring the speeches to life for today's readers.

This exceptional anthology is ideal for courses in rhetoric, political communication, and twentieth century American history, as well as for anyone interested in the artistry and impact of the spoken word.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195168051
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/17/2008
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	704
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Stephen E. Lucas is Evjue-Bascom Professor in the Humanities, Department of Communication Arts, at University of Wisconsin.

Martin J. Medhurst is Distinguished Professor of Rhetoric and Communication at Baylor University.

Table of Contents

Alternate Table of Contents: Speeches by RankIntroductionThe Century BeginsRussell Conwell, Acres of DiamondsWilliam Jennings Bryan, Against ImperialismTheodore Roosevelt, The Man with the MuckrakeEugene Debs, The IssueWoodrow Wilson, First Inaugural AddressWorld War I, Dissent, and Woman's SuffrageAnna Howard Shaw, The Fundamental Principle of a RepublicCarrie Chapman Catt, The CrisisWoodrow Wilson, War MessageEmma Goldman, Address to the JuryRobert La Follette, Free Speech in WartimeCarrie Chapman Catt, Address to the Congress of the United StatesWoodrow Wilson, The Fourteen PointsEugene Debs, Statement to the CourtWoodrow Wilson, For the League of NationsWoodrow Wilson, Final Address for the League of NationsCrystal Eastman, Now We Can BeginThe Roaring Twenties and the Great DepressionClarence Darrow, Plea for Leopold and LoebMargaret Sanger, The Children's EraFranklin D. Roosevelt, Address to the Commonwealth ClubFranklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural AddressFranklin D. Roosevelt, The Banking CrisisHuey Long, Every Man a KingHuey Long, Share Our WealthJohn L. Lewis, Labor and the NationLou Gehrig, Farewell to BaseballWorld War II and the Emergence of the Cold WarFranklin D. Roosevelt, The Arsenal of DemocracyFranklin D. Roosevelt, The Four FreedomsFranklin D. Roosevelt, War MessageHarry S. Truman, The Truman DoctrineGeorge C. Marshall, The Marshall PlanHubert H. Humphrey, The Sunshine of Human RightsEleanor Roosevelt, The Struggle for Human RightsEleanor Roosevelt, Adoption of the Declaration of Human RightsMcCarthyism, Korea, and the Nuclear EraMargaret Chase Smith, Declaration of ConscienceWilliam Faulkner, Speech Accepting the Nobel Prize in LiteratureDouglas MacArthur, Old Soldiers Never DieAdlai Stevenson, Let's Talk Sense to the American PeopleRichard M. Nixon, CheckersElizabeth Gurley Flynn, Statement at the Smith Act TrialDwight D. Eisenhower, Atoms for PeaceJoseph Welch, Defense of Fred Fisher at the Army-McCarthy HearingsThe Age of CamelotJohn F. Kennedy, Speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial AssociationDwight D. Eisenhower, Farewell AddressJohn F. Kennedy, Inaugural AddressNewton W. Minow, Television and the Public InterestDouglas MacArthur, Duty, Honor, CountryJohn F. Kennedy, Address on the Cuban Missile CrisisJohn F. Kennedy, Speech at American UniversityJohn F. Kennedy, Civil Rights: A Moral IssueJohn F. Kennedy, Ich Bin ein BerlinerRace, Poverty, and DissensionMartin Luther King, Jr., I Have a DreamMalcolm X, Message to the GrassrootsLyndon B. Johnson, Let Us ContinueMalcolm X, The Ballot or the BulletLyndon B. Johnson, The Great SocietyBarry Goldwater, Speech Accepting the Republican Presidential NominationRonald Reagan, A Time for ChoosingMario Savio, An End to HistoryLyndon B. Johnson, We Shall OvercomeRobert F. Kennedy, Day of AffirmationStokely Carmichael, Black PowerVietnam and Other DiscontentsMartin Luther King, Jr., Speech at Riverside ChurchCesar Chavez, Speech on Ending His FastLyndon B. Johnson, Address on Not Seeking ReelectionMartin Luther King, Jr., I've Been to the MountaintopRobert F. Kennedy, Statement on the Assassination of Martin Luther KingEdward M. Kennedy, Eulogy to Robert KennedyEdward M. Kennedy, ChappaquiddickRichard M. Nixon, The Great Silent MajoritySpiro T. Agnew, Television News CoverageRichard M. Nixon, Address on the Cambodian IncursionShirley Chisholm, For the Equal Rights AmendmentJohn Kerry, Vietnam Veterans Against the WarWatergate and Its AftermathBarbara Jordan, Statement on the Articles of Impeachment Against Richard M. NixonRichard M. Nixon, Address Resigning the PresidencyGerald R. Ford, Our Long National Nightmare Is OverGerald R. Ford, Address on Pardoning Richard M. NixonBarbara Jordan, Who Then Will Speak for the Common Good? Jimmy Carter, Energy and the Crisis of ConfidenceEdward M. Kennedy, The Dream Shall Never DieConservatism, Liberalism, and the End of the Cold WarRonald Reagan, First Inaugural AddressRonald Reagan, The Evil EmpireUrsula K. Le Guin, A Left-Handed Commencement AddressEdward M. Kennedy, Tolerance and Truth in AmericaRonald Reagan, Address on the Fortieth Anniversary of D-DayMario Cuomo, A Tale of Two CitiesJesse Jackson, The Rainbow CoalitionGeraldine Ferraro, Speech Accepting the Democratic Vice Presidential NominationMario Cuomo, Religious Belief and Public MoralityRonald Reagan, Address on the Challenger ExplosionRonald Reagan, Speech at the Brandenburg GateAnn Richards, Keynote Address at the Democratic National ConventionJesse Jackson, Common Ground and Common SenseThe 1990sBarbara Bush, Choices and ChangeAnita Hill, Statement to the Senate Judiciary CommitteeElizabeth Glaser, AIDS: A Personal StoryMary Fisher, A Whisper of AIDSBill Clinton, Speech for Victims of the Oklahoma City BombingHillary Rodham Clinton, Women's Rights Are Human RightsElie Wiesel, The Perils of Indifference

Editorial Reviews

"Words of a Century is simply the best anthology of its kind. It is edited by two of the best rhetorical critics in the business, and the speeches were chosen on the basis of their artistry and impact through a survey of 137 communication scholars. The headnotes are insightful and historically accurate, and the texts have been painstakingly authenticated—a rarity in such works. There is no comparable collection of great American speeches. No serious student of rhetoric should be without it."—J. Michael Hogan, Pennsylvania State University

"Moments of political crisis beget some of the best and most memorable instances of political oratory. This magnificently researched and carefully annotated collection reminds us just how close the connection is between our shared political life and our public speech. This volume is a unique and invaluable resource for students and scholars alike on the history, politics, and oratory of the twentieth century."—Mary E. Stuckey, Georgia State University

From the Publisher