American Political Speeches

by Terry Golway (Introduction), Richard Beeman (Editor)

A selection of speeches by the most inspiring and persuasive orators in American history

Penguin presents a series of six portable, accessible, and—above all—essential reads from American political history, selected by leading scholars. Series editor Richard Beeman, author of  The Penguin Guide to the U.S. Constitution , draws together the great texts of American civic life to create a timely and informative mini-library of perennially vital issues. Whether readers are encountering these classic writings for the first time, or brushing up in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, these slim volumes will serve as a powerful and illuminating resource for scholars, students, and civic-minded citizens.

American Political Speeches  includes the best American rhetoric from inside and outside the White House. Some of the greatest words spoken in American history have come from men and women who lacked the biggest bully pulpit in the country, but who nevertheless were able to move the nation with words. Frederick Douglass explained the irony of Independence Day from the perspective of a slave. Martin Luther King, Jr. described his dream of an interracial America. William Jennings Bryan gave voice to social discontent with a single phrase, "a cross of gold." Barbara Jordan summoned the nation"s outrage during the impeachment hearings against Richard Nixon. And the best presidents, not by coincidence, have tended to be those with an appreciation for the use of Lincoln explaining a new birth of freedom at Gettysburg; John Kennedy voicing moral outrage at the Berlin Wall; Franklin D. Roosevelt chatting to a nation gathered in front of radios; Ronald Reagan addressing Congress freshly healed from an assassination attempt.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, American History, Anthologies, Reference, American

175 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 2012

About the author

Terry Golway is a senior editor at POLITICO, supervising coverage of New York State politics. He is a former member of the New York Times editorial board and former city editor and columnist at the New York Observer. He has a Ph.D. in U.S. history and has taught at the New School, New York University, and Kean University.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent as a reference, or just for a bit of levity and inspiration. I really liked that they weren't all presidential speeches, too- a suffragette, a former slave, a female civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr, etc. These are excerpted, but this is a nice compact size that's very portable, and a good book to keep on hand to spark interest in history by your kids.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've earmarked so many passages that the whole book looks like it's full of beaten pages. Some of the speeches were familiar, most were not. I highly recommend to anyone who even moderately enjoys history - easy to put down after a speech and pick up again for the next.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of classic American political speeches has a good introduction explaining the place in history of each one!

[Cindy Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of Penguin Books Civic Classics, American Political Speeches by Terry Golway should be on every American's bookshelf. Here is a collection of speeches that many of us have heard of at some point during our schooling or in common reference, but chances are many of us also have not read the texts.

Speeches ranges from those given by presidents--Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt(s) and more--to noted figures such as Frederick Douglass, William Jennings Bryan, and Hillary Clinton. My book club chose this for one of its selections, and we had endless topics to discuss. Which speeches surprised us? Which ones inspired us? What issues has our country dealt with in the past that we are still addressing today? Which ones seemed prophetic?

We talked for two hours and could have gone on for longer if we hadn't run out of time. This is a great selection for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 14 and up or for adult book clubs. Each of the members in our group of adults said we'll buy more copies to pass on to friends, coworkers and other family members. Also, we all said we'd like to get others in the series, which includes Supreme Court decisions, Thomas Paine's Common Sense papers and Lincoln's speeches. There's not much higher of a recommendation I can give than that.

[Say · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has a ton of great, well-chosen speeches that cover a wide variety of issues from a variety of subjects. From civil rights, to national security issues, and Democrats to Republicans, the speeches selected are nothing less than stellar.

While reading, it was upsetting to see that some speeches from the 60s and 70s make remarks that are still relevant today in regards to civil rights. The relevance of Frederick Douglass' speech in the 1800s is equally as troubling.

Regardless, it is increasingly important to study history and remember that no matter how far it seems we have come, there is still MUCH left to be done -- especially because the U.S. is essentially a toddler compared to other nations.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonder trip down America's speechifying history.

[James]

A selection of speeches by the most inspiring and persuasive orators in American history Penguin presents a series of six portable, accessible, and—above all—essential reads from American political history, selected by leading scholars. Series editor Richard Beeman, author of The Penguin Guide to the U.S. Constitution, draws together the great texts of American civic life to create a timely and informative mini-library of perennially vital issues. Whether readers are encountering these classic writings for the first time, or brushing up in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, these slim volumes will serve as a powerful and illuminating resource for scholars, students, and civic-minded citizens. American Political Speeches includes the best American rhetoric from inside and outside the White House. Some of the greatest words spoken in American history have come from men and women who lacked the biggest bully pulpit in the country, but who nevertheless were able to move the nation with words. Frederick Douglass explained the irony of Independence Day from the perspective of a slave. Martin Luther King, Jr. described his dream of an interracial America. William Jennings Bryan gave voice to social discontent with a single phrase, "a cross of gold." Barbara Jordan summoned the nation"s outrage during the impeachment hearings against Richard Nixon. And the best presidents, not by coincidence, have tended to be those with an appreciation for the use of language: Lincoln explaining a new birth of freedom at Gettysburg; John Kennedy voicing moral outrage at the Berlin Wall; Franklin D. Roosevelt chatting to a nation gathered in front of radios; Ronald Reagan addressing Congress freshly healed from an assassination attempt.

[kambree cowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal. Historical contexts at the beginnings were much appreciated but the speeches themselves are just unreal. JFK’s are fantastic!!! I want to quote so many of them in this review but I will just quote the concluding paragraph of the collection.
“America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.”

[RA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice compilation of (some abridged) famous US political speeches.

[Bryson Handy · Rating 5 out of 5]

LBJ summed it up pretty well: As Americans, our mission is “to right wrong, to do justice, to serve man.”

[Patrick Grady · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspiring and informative but heavily excerpted

I enjoyed reading these speeches; some very familiar others somewhat new to me or long forgotten. However, it is a shame that many are excepts from the original text. This is a disservice to fully appreciating the historical perspective of the words and of the moment.