"Ask not what nonfiction writing can do for you . . .". This page provides links to sites with audio recordings of celebrated speeches, sites with text alone, and sites offering both audio and text.

Audio

Cesar E. Chavez Institute for Public Policy

• http://www.sfsu.edu/~cecipp/cesar_chavez/chavezhome.htm
  By the Cesar E. Chavez Institute for Public Policy at San Francisco State University.  Included are audio and full-text versions of his speeches. One speech is in Spanish.

Historic Audio Archives

• http://www.webcorp.com/test/audioarchive.htm
  Historic speeches from people such as Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, etc. 

History Channel.com - -Speeches

• http://www.historychannel.com/speeches/
  A wide variety of speeches in various sound formats. Inclusive of female speakers.

Text Speeches

Douglass Archives of American Public Address

• http://douglassarchives.org
  This site is maintained by the School of Speech at Northwestern University.  It includes the full-text speeches of many speakers, including women and African-Americans.  The site can be searched by speaker, by title, chronologically, and by issue. 

Gifts of Speech -- Women's Speeches from Around the World

• http://gos.sbc.edu/
  Sweet Briar College maintains this site.  The site can be searched by speaker, by last name of speaker, and chronologically.  The first speech is from 1849 by Lucretia Mott; the last speech is from 1976 by Barbara Jordan.  There is a large selection of women's speeches from all over the world.

The History Place -- Great Speeches Collection

• http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/previous.htm
  This site contains the transcripts of many modern speeches by speakers like Susan B. Anthony, Nelson Mandela, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, etc.  A short description of the historical significance of the speech is given.

Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States

• http://www.bartleby.com/124/index.html
  Includes all the Presidents up to George Bush.  The full-text speeches include a brief historical description of the inaugural address.

A Tribute to Barbara Jordan

• http://www.elf.net/bjordan/
  The Elf Systems Corporation site includes a tribute to Barbara Jordan.  The site contains the full-text speeches of her address to the Judiciary Committee considering the impeachment of Richard Nixon, and her keynote speech at the 1976 Democratic National Convention

Containing Audio and Full-Text 

History and Politics Out Loud

• http://www.hpol.org
  This site is "funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities in partnership  with Michigan State University."  It contains 19 speakers including John Kennedy and Martin Luther King.  Audio is included for many of the speakers.

Newer World's Home Page

• http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/7202/
  An incredible site with all types of speech links and reference links.  The site does designate which links have audio.  Included are speakers such as Hillary Clinton. President Clinton, Jesse Jackson, etc.

Online Speech Bank

• http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speechbank.htm
  Another excellent site maintained by Dr. Michael E. Eidenmuller .  Included are sites with full-text and audio samples as well as full speeches in mp3 form. It is in alphabetical order by site.

Speech & Transcript Center

• http://www.freepint.com/gary/speech3.htm
  This site is maintained by Gary Price, a librarian at Great Western University.  It includes a broad range of speeches, including full-text and audio web sites.  He designates the audio sites.  Click on Historical Speeches and an audio list of sample clips will appear.  Included are sample clips from speakers such as Amelia Earhart, Gloria Steinem, and Malcolm X.

Speech Writing

Performing your Speech

Speech Newsletters and Journals