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Political Oratory from the Revolution to the Civil War
Library of America
October 2006
On Sale: October 5, 2006
850 pages
ISBN: 1931082979
EAN: 9781931082976
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
Public speeches have profoundly shaped American history and
culture, transforming not only our politics but also our
language and our sense of national identity. This volume
(the first of an unprecedented two-volume collection)
gathers the unabridged texts of 45 eloquent and dramatic
speeches delivered by 32 American public figures between
1761 and 1865, beginning with James Otis's denunciation of
unrestrained searches by British customs officials-hailed by
John Adams as the beginning of the American Revolution-and
ending with Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. Rich
in literary allusions, vivid imagery, and emotional appeals,
political oratory flourished during this period in Congress
and at campaign rallies, public meetings, and reform
conventions, and reached a wider audience through newspapers
and pamphlets. Included are Patrick Henry's "liberty or death" speech,
George Washington's appeal to mutinous army officers, and
Henry Lee's eulogy of Washington. Speeches by John Randolph
and Henry Clay capture the political passions of the early
republic, while three addresses by Daniel Webster-his first
Bunker Hill oration, his second reply to Hayne, and his
controversial endorsement of the Compromise of
1850-demonstrate the eloquence that made him the most
renowned orator of his time. Speeches by figures who did not hold office are included as
well: union leader Ely Moore attacking economic aristocracy;
woman's rights speeches by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and
Sojourner Truth; Henry Highland Garnet's incendiary call for
slave rebellion; Frederick Douglass's scathing "What to the
Slave Is the Fourth of July?" John C. Calhoun's defense of
slavery, Charles Sumner's "The Crime Against Kansas,"
Alexander Stephens' "Corner-Stone" speech, and several
speeches by Abraham Lincoln reflect the sectional conflicts
that culminated in the Civil War. Each volume contains
biographical and explanatory notes, and an index
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