Oratory Speech
Assignment: Speech (100pts)
This speech is called a “declamation”; the speaker is expected to deliver an already well-known
speech to the audience. The goal is to work on your delivery skills and showcase an excellent
speech. You will choose a speech from the attached list and deliver it to the class. Since the majority
of these speeches are very long, you will be expected to choose a section of the speech that will fit
into the assigned time limit of five minutes. If, for some reason, the speech you choose is shorter then
five minutes, you should choose another one. I do not expect you to memorize the entire speech;
however, you should be very familiar with it so that you can maximize your eye contact with the
audience.
**Note**
Most of these speeches are of a political nature and contain controversial issues. It is not my
expectation that you persuade the audience to the viewpoint of the speaker; I don’t expect you to
necessarily share the point of the view of the speaker. The purpose of this assignment is to practice
your delivery skills, not to persuade. With this in mind, I also expect you to be good audience
members and focus on the delivery of the speech. Do not concern yourselves with whether or not you
agree with the message.
Guidelines:
1) Time Limit: 5 minutes
2) Note cards: As needed
3) Visual Aids: None
4) Source Citations: None.
Assignment: Paper (20pts)
You will need to thoroughly research and write a two-page paper about the speech you have chosen.
In your paper you should discuss what is called the “rhetorical situation”…in other words, the
occasion of the speech, when it was given, why, who the audience was, how it was received, and
why this is an important speech. The paper should be formatted properly in the APA style including
proper source citation. I expect you to research multiple sources, not relying on one; I also expect you
to use credible, academic sources (NOT wikipedia, etc…).
List of Great Speeches to choose from for your Oratory Speech
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Al Gore
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barbara Bush
Barbara Jordan
Bill Clinton
Cesar Chavez
Clarence Darrow
Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
Edward M. Kennedy
Edward VIII
Eleanor Roosevelt
Elie Wiesel
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Elizabeth Glaser
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn
Emma Goldman
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Frederick Douglass
George H.W. Bush
George W. Bush
Harvey Milk
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton
Jim Valvano
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
Lyndon Baines Johnson
Malcolm X
Margaret Chase Smith
Martin Luther King Jr.
Mary Fisher
Maya Angelou
Michelle Obama
Mother Teresa
Nelson Mandela
Neville Chamberlain
Richard Nixon
Ronald Reagan
Shirley Chisholm
Thabo Mbeki
Tony Blair
Ursula Le Guin
William Jennings Bryant
Winston Churchill
Second Inaugural
First Inaugural
Concedes the 2000 Election
Keynote Address to the DNC
First Inaugural Address
Wellesley College Commencement
Keynote Address to the DNC
First Inaugural Address
Speech ending his 25 day fast
Mercy for Leopold and Loeb
Duty, Honor, Country
Farewell Address to Congress
Eulogy for Robert Kennedy
Abdicates the throne of England
The Struggle for Human Rights
The Perils of Indifference
The Destructive Male
Address to the DNC
Statement at the Smith Act Trial
Address to the Jury
First Inaugural Address
Third Inaugural Address
The Hypocrisy of American Slavery
Announcing War Against Iraq
Speech to Congress After September 11
The Hope Speech
Women’s Rights are Human Rights
Address to the UN on Human Rights Day
Accepts the Arthur Ashe Courage Award
Inaugural Address
We choose to go to the Moon
We Shall Overcome
The Ballot or the Bullet
Declaration of Conscience
I Have A Dream
A Whisper of AIDS
On the Pulse of Morning
Address to the DNC
National Prayer Breakfast
I am Prepared to Die
On the Nazi Invasion of Poland
Checkers
On the Challenger Disaster
Equal Rights for Women
I am an African
To the Irish Parliament
A Left-handed Commencement Address
Against Imperialism
Their Finest Hour
1865
1861
2000
2004
2009
1990
1976
1993
1968
1924
1962
1951
1968
1936
1948
1999
1868
1992
1952
1917
1933
1941
1852
1991
2001
1978
1995
2011
1993
1961
1962
1965
1964
1950
1963
1992
1993
2016
1994
1964
1939
1952
1986
1969
1996
1998
1983
1900
1940