Summary

Speeches in World History is an impressive compilation of 200 of the world’s greatest speeches from all major civilizations and throughout history—arranged in chronological order. Each section of this comprehensive collection, roughly corresponding to the eras used in the national world history standards, begins with an introduction that outlines key events that occurred during this time period. The documents come with an introduction that places each speech in historical context—explaining why it was significant and what happened as a result—and provides key information on the orator.

Famous lines from the speeches, sidebars on rhetorical devices, and black-and-white photographs and illustrations are placed throughout the book. An appendix gathers helpful tools for analyzing speeches, working with primary source documents, and preparing for declamation and debate assignments. Lists of entries are organized by title, by orator, and by location, making the information easily accessible for students. A comprehensive bibliography and a thorough index round out the collection.

Gathering speeches from more than 50 countries, Speeches in World History will be an invaluable tool for middle and high school teachers, students of world history and English, as well as those participating in public debate contests.

Entries include:

• Duke of Zhou: The Shao Announcement (c.1036 BCE, China)
• Socrates: The Trial (399 BCE, Athens)
• Boudicca: "A Woman's Resolve" (61 CE, England)
• Muhammad: The Farewell Sermon (632, Arabia)
• Musang: Preaching the Dharma (c. 728–762, Korea)
• William the Conqueror: Before the Battle of Hastings (1066, England)
• Pope Urban II: Calling for a Crusade to the Holy Land (1095, France)
• Nichiren: "My Life Is the Lotus Sutra" (1271, Japan)
• Moctezuma: Welcoming Hernán Cortés to Mexico (1519, Mexico)
• Martin Luther: "I Stand Here and Can Say No More" (1521, Germany)
• Queen Elizabeth I: "The Heart and Stomach of a King" (1588, England)
• Galileo Galilei: Abjuration before the Roman Inquisition (1633, Italy)
• Charles I: From the Scaffold (1649, England)
• Benjamin Franklin: To the Constitutional Convention (1787, United States)
• George Washington: "Observe Good Faith and Justice to All Nations" (1796, United States)
• Simón Bolívar: "The Illustrious Name of Liberator" (1814, Venezuela)
• Frederick Douglass: Against Slavery (1846, Great Britain)
• Abraham Lincoln: The Gettysburg Address (1863, United States)
• Susan B. Anthony: "Are Women Persons?" (1873, United States)
• Wobogo: "Never Come Back" (1895, Burkina Faso)
• Patrick Pearse: “Ireland Unfree Shall Never Be at Peace” (1915, Ireland)
• V.I. Lenin: "A Workers' and Peasants' Revolution" (1917, Russia)
• Marie Curie: On Discovering Radium (1921, United States)
• Mustafa Kemal Ataturk: "Women and Men Will Walk Side by Side" (1923, Turkey)
• Ernst Toller: “The Arm of Hitler” (1934, Great Britain)
• Haile Selassie I: Address to the League of Nations (1936, Switzerland)
• Dolores Ibárruri: "Fascism Is Not Invincible" (1937, Spain)
• Franklin D. Roosevelt: "Four Essential Human Freedoms" (1941, United States)
• Winston Churchill: The Iron Curtain Speech (1946, United States)
• Jomo Kenyatta: "We Want Self-Government" (1952, Kenya)
• Golda Meir: "Peace With Our Arab Neighbors" (1957, United Nations)
• John F. Kennedy: American University Address (1963, United States)
• Wei Jingsheng: "These Leaders Are Not Gods" (1979, China)
• Lech Walesa: "The Value of Human Solidarity" (1983, Norway)
• Vaclav Havel: "A Contaminated Moral Environment" (1990, Czechoslovakia)
• Benazir Bhutto: "One Billion Muslims Are at the Crossroads" (1997, United States)
• Pope John Paul II: Apology for the Sack of Constantinople (2001, Greece)
• Mikhail Gorbachev: "The Historical Achievement of Perestroika" (2005, United States)
• Wangari Muta Maathai: "Our Future Is in Our Environment" (2007, United States).

Specifications

Black-and-white photographs and illustrations. Indexes. Appendixes. Bibliography. Sidebars.

About the Author(s)

Suzanne McIntire is a professional writer and editor. She has published American Heritage Book of Great American Speeches for Young People, as well as a book on gardening. She is currently the editor of a community newsletter in Arlington, Virginia.

William E. Burns earned his Ph.D. in British history from the University of California, Davis. His many publications include An Age of Wonders: Prodigies, Politics and Providences in England, 1657–1727; The Scientific Revolution: An Encyclopedia; Science in the Enlightenment; and Witch Hunts in Europe and America.