If I had a thousand tongues and each tongue were a thousand thunderbolts and each thunderbolt had a thousand voices, I would use them all today to help you understand a loyal and misrepresented and misjudged people.” These were the words of Joseph C. Price, founder and President of Livingston College in North Carolina, who in 1890 delivered an address to the National Education Association annual convention held in Minneapolis. Price’s words reflect on the long tradition of African American oratory. Listed below are some of the most significant orations by African Americans with links to the actual speeches.
On July 27, 2004 Illinois Senatorial Candidate Barack Obama was propelled onto the national stage when he was chosen to give the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention. Obama, then an Illinois State Senator, easily won his campaign the following November and became the … Read More(2004) Barack Obama Keynote Address At The Democratic National Convention, Boston
On May 17, 2004, the NAACP staged a gala celebration at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Comedian, actor, and philanthropist Bill Cosby was asked to deliver the main … Read More(2004) Bill Cosby, “The Pound Cake Speech”
On March 5, 2007, Illinois Senator Barack Obama joined Georgia Congressman John Lewis, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, her husband, Bill Clinton, and hundreds of other dignitaries in a commemoration of the 42nd anniversary of the “Bloody Selma” March in support of voting rights for … Read More(2007) Senator Barack Obama “Voting Rights March Commemoration Speech”
Controversial remarks drawn from the sermons of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, an unpaid campaign advisor to Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama, and his pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, emerged as a lingering issue in the 2008 presidential campaign. On March 18, … Read More(2008) Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama, “A More Perfect Union”
On November 4, 2008, Illinois Senator Barack Obama defeated Arizona Senator John McCain in the 2008 presidential election. On the night of his historic victory, Senator Obama addressed an audience of 250,000 at Grant Park in Chicago. The text of his speech appears below. Hello … Read More(2008) President-Elect Barack Obama’s Election Night Victory Speech, Nov. 4th, 2008
On January 20, 2009, Barack Hussein Obama, became the 44th President of the United States. His inaugural address appears below. My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne … Read More(2009) President Barack Obama Inaugural Address
On February 7, 2013 prominent neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson became a nationally recognized political figure when he gave a speech at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. that was critical of President Obama’s policies and particularly Obamacare when the President and First Lady Michelle … Read More(2013) Ben Carson’s Speech at the National Prayer Breakfast
On January 21, President Barack Hussein Obama was inaugurated as President of the United States, beginning his second term in office. His inauguration address appears below. Vice President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice, Members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens: Each time … Read More(2013) President Barack Obama, Second Inaugural Address
Memorial to James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church “Image Ownership: Public Domain” On June 15, 2014, as part of the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Mississippi Freedom Summer, Rita Bender returned to Mt. Zion United Methodist … Read More(2014) Rita Bender, “Thoughts for the People of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church”
On June 26, 2015, President Obama delivered the eulogy at the funeral of the Rev. Clementa Pinckney at the College of Charleston’s campus. Here is the text of the speech. Giving all praise and honor to God. The Bible calls us to hope, to persevere … Read More(2015) President Barack Obama’s Eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pinckney
