American Women Speak: An Encyclopedia and Document Collection of Women’s Oratory

The USA has a long history of using oration as a means of activism – from the early founding fathers like Patrick Henry, to FDR’s use of the Fireside Chats, to more modern examples like Obama’s Democratic Convention Keynote. This tradition of raising our voices to protest, to educate and to make change in our world is part of the American tradition. Therefore, it is not surprising that the gender inequalities faced by many American women has spurred strong voices to this cause and many other societal issues faced in our own nation and around the world.

While many resources...