Speeches

Many memorable events in history were brought about through the spoken word. The History Channel provides famous speeches in their spoken form rather than through transcription, which preserves the emotion of the speaker and in many cases, the original audience.

Orators in antiquity often seem more skilled than those of today. Anyone who whishes to understand the valor with which Roman and Greek dignitaries struggled to honor the concept of the rule of law will profit from study of the great speeches of Cicero and others. The Perseus Digital Library at Tufts University brings a wealth of speeches in Greek and Latin, and in translation, to English. For a taste, read M. Tullius Cicero's opening statement in the defense of Gaius Rabirius. Amusingly, the ancients argued that speeches of their past were far superior to speeches of their present.  Read Tacitus' A Dialogue on Oratory. What do you think?

Listening to speeches on CD is also possible through a variety of collections. The Great Speeches of the 20th Century boxed set is available through on-line and in many music stores and offers modern speeches selected by historical significance.