People always call Hitler the greatest orator of the 20th century, but how did he achieve that? What made his speech style so different than other politicians'? from AskHistorians
In lists of America's most famous orators, Abraham Lincoln often features at the top. Working at Ford's Theatre, I have seen performances of many of Lincoln's most famous speeches and witnessed how they continue to touch audiences and inspire our better angels. But Lincoln was not the only American who enacted change with the power of words and how they were delivered. Show As part of our oratory education programs, students from across the country come to perform historic speeches on the Ford’s Theatre stage each spring. Some of their speeches are from historical giants like President Lincoln, Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King, Jr., but others are from lesser known Americans. I collected 10 of my favorite speeches performed by students on the Ford’s Theatre stage recently that may be unfamiliar to you. Read on to learn more about these great, but lesser known, orators. 1. Angelina Grimke, "What Has the North to do With slavery?"Angelina Grimke was an ardent abolitionist and women’s rights advocate. She delivered her speech, “What has the North to do with slavery?” at the annual anti-slavery convention in Philadelphia on May 14, 1838, where she reminded Northerners that, “We may talk of occupying neutral ground, but on this subject, in its present attitude, there is no such thing as neutral ground.” 2. William Sloane Coffin, Jr., “The Anvil of Individual Conscience”Dr. William Sloan Coffin, Jr., was a Yale University chaplain and activist against the Vietnam War. On October 20, 1967, Dr. Coffin spoke at a rally in Boston encouraging students to refuse to participate in the draft. He famously lectured the students in the crowd that, “it is a long-standing tradition, sanctioned by American democracy, that the dictates of government must be tested on the anvil of individual conscience.” 3. Judge Learned Hand, “The Spirit of Liberty”Learned Hand was a federal district judge and judicial philosopher who was an advocate of civil liberties. On May 21, 1944, during World War II and in the midst of anti-immigrant anxiety, Hand spoke to a crowd about what he felt the Spirit of Liberty truly means. He told the crowd, “The spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the minds of other men and women; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which weighs their interests alongside its own without bias.” 4. Margaret Chase Smith, “The Declaration of Conscience”Margaret Chase Smith was a Republican senator from Maine, who served from 1949 to 1973. Between 1949 and 1954, she was the only woman in the Senate. On June 1, 1950, Smith gave a speech on the Senate floor opposing the McCarthyist tactics within her own party. She said, “As an American, I want to see our nation recapture the strength and unity it once had when we fought the enemy instead of ourselves.” 5. Chief Joseph, “I Will Fight No More Forever”Chief Joseph was the leader of the Nez Perce people, who were forcibly removed from Oregon in 1877. Chief Joseph was widely known for how he tactically outmaneuvered the United States Army, until he was forced to surrender. In his speech on October 5, 1877, Chief Joseph told U.S. General Miles, “I want to have time to look for my children, to see how many I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.” 6. Samantha Smith, "Look Around and See Only Friends”In 1982, Samantha Smith was only 10 years old when she wrote a letter to leader of the Soviet Union, Yuri Andropov, asking him how he would avoid nuclear war. Smith was invited to the Soviet Union and later spoke at the International Child’s Symposium on December 26, 1983, where she recommended that all nations participate in an International Granddaughter Exchange as a sign of goodwill. She said, “If we start with an International Granddaughter Exchange and keep expanding it and expanding it, then the year 2001 can be the year when all of us can look around and see only friends, no opposite nations, no enemies, and no bombs.” 7. Harold Ickes, “What Constitutes an American?”Harold Ickes served as Secretary of the Interior during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. On May 18, 1941, many Americans still doubted whether the United States should enter the war against Nazi Germany. But Ickes gave a speech where he proclaimed, “An American is one who loves justice and believes in the dignity of man. An American is one who will fight for his freedom and that of his neighbor.” 8. Adam Clayton Powell, “Speech on Civil Rights”Congressmen Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., was a 12-term congressman who represented Harlem, in New York City, between 1945 and 1971. On February 2, 1955, as one of only three black congressmen, Powell spoke about Civil Rights legislation before the House in Washington, D.C. He warned, “The United States Congress is a 19th-century body in a 20th-century world. In the field of civil rights we are still conducting ourselves along the pattern of yesterday’s world.” 9. Severn Cullis-Suzuki, “United Nations Earth Summit Speech”Severn Cullis-Suzuki was only nine when she founded the Environmental Children’s Organization. In June 1992, at age 12, she attended the U.N. Earth Summit to represent the organization. In her speech, which later went viral in a video called “The Girl Who Silenced the World for 5 Minutes,” she implored, “Do not forget why you are attending these conferences -- who you're doing this for. We are your own children. You are deciding what kind of a world we are growing up in.” 10. Charles B. Morgan, “Four Little Girls Were Killed in Birmingham”Charles Morgan was a lawyer and activist who lived in Birmingham, Alabama, when a bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church killed four young black girls. Afterward, on September 16, 1963, at a meeting of the all-white Birmingham Young Men’s Business Club, Morgan declared that, “Every person in this community who has in any way contributed during the past several years to the popularity of hatred, is at least as guilty, or more so, than the demented fool who threw that bomb.” Every year, a new group of student orators bring to life the words of inspiring Americans throughout history. I’m so grateful to be able to see these students gain public speaking skills and share them with the world! Anali Alegria is Communications Associate at Ford’s Theatre.
As a Speakers Bureau, Eagles Talent has the expertise in identifying top motivational speakers. We understand all the tangibles needed to be a successful speaker. Below, we study some of the most influential speakers (from ancient history to today) and note the common thread that makes professional keynote speakers successful. If there’s one thing that hasn’t changed in speaking, it’s the mission of a presenter: create positive change (through content, inspiration, or entertainment). Pericles (495 – 429 BC)His famed Funeral Oration is significant because it departed from the typical formula of Athenian funeral speeches, and instead was a glorification of Athens’ achievements designed to stir the spirits of a nation at war. A noted speaker before this speech, Pericles essentially redefined the public speech. David Trumble is a well-respected artist who is an out-of-the-box thinker (like Pericles was) and speaker. He approaches topics, like his art, from a unique point of view–which makes us redefine our lives (personally and professionally). Demosthenes (384–322 BC)After conquering his stuttering affliction, Demosthenes begins a lengthy process of studying the speeches of previous Greek orators, including Pericles. In his most famous speech as an official orator of Greece, he warns against Philip – the Macedonian king and father of Alexander the Great – as he sets out to conquer Greece. Three orations against Philip, known as the Philippics, were so heated and bitter that today a severe speech denouncing someone is called a Philippic. While we won’t provide a speaker who denounces someone, it’s good to point out the speakers who can be philosophical and predict what our future looks like. An example of this is Mike Walsh (futurist speaker). Abraham Lincoln (1809 –1865)Despite being only three minutes long, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is a cornerstone of American history. His speech rallied a nation and set created a foundation of American idealism for future generations. Tim Sanders has the tone and content, similar to Lincoln, to get his audience to rally behind his ideas of being a better person, building better relationships. Winston Churchill (1874 –1965)As a young army officer stationed in India in 1897 Churchill wrote: “Of all the talents bestowed upon men, none is so precious as the gift of oratory.” And he never forgot it. His speeches in 1940 at the outset of World War II cemented his reputation as one of the greatest orators in history. In an effort to boost public moral during the war, Churchill delivered one of his most stirring speeches to Parliament on June 18, 1940. Referring to Hitler and the looming Nazi threat, Churchill laid out the facts in the clearest of manners. “If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free . . . But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States . . . will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will say, ‘This was their finest hour.’” Wow! While Churchill boosted public moral, Mike Abrashoff, was the Commander of the USS Benfold, where he turned a sub-performing ship to one of the best in the fleet. Mohandas Gandhi (1869 –1948)The Quit India speech made by Mahatma Gandhi on August 8, 1942 called for a determined but passive resistance against England’s continued occupation of the country. The speech is considered a masterful work for both its ability to motivate and its effective message of nonviolence. More than two decades later Martin Luther King, Jr., would return to many of the themes in Gandhi’s speech with his I Have a Dream speech that promoted nonviolence and equality of races. From nonviolence to promoting happiness. Take a listen to John C. Havens. How do we become happier — more importantly, how can you measure it? Could you imagine if Gandhi was able to measure nonviolence in an app? ——————————————————- Looking for today’s top orators to present for your group? You’re in the right place. Our connection with today’s most celebrated keynote speakers (business thought leaders, inspirational speakers, sports speakers, and more) is unmatched. For more information about how motivational speakers like these can impact your event, contact Eagles Talent at 1.800.345.5607 or email us at: ——————————————————- John F. Kennedy (1917 – 1963)Perhaps President’s Kennedy’s finest oration moment was his Ich Bin Ein Berliner speech – a notable moment of the Cold War. Delivered in front of the Berlin Wall in 1963, the speech provided a morale boost for West Berliners who feared an imminent East German occupation. “Two thousand years ago the proudest boast was civis Romanus sum [I am a Roman citizen]. Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is ‘Ich bin ein Berliner!’… All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words ‘Ich bin ein Berliner!’ Okay, so technical speaking what JFK told those German’s that summer day nearly 50 years ago actually meant: “I am a Jelly Donut” (No kidding, look it up). However, the crowd understood what the young president was speaking about and so did the Soviet Union. JFK perfected the tone of leadership, that’s a quality you’ll find when you watch Mark Thompson. After all, Mark worked with some of the great business leaders of our time: Sir Richard Branson, Charles Schwab, and Steve Jobs. Nelson Mandela (1918 – Present)The son of a tribal chieftain, Nelson Mandela joined the African National Congress in 1944. He was arrested in 1962 and charged with the capital crimes of sabotage and crimes that were equivalent to treason in Apartheid area South Africa. He delivered a defiant speech during his trial that is still a powerful reminder of equality and justice that should be required reading in schools today. “During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” He spent the next 27 years in prison. Here’s a speaker who embraces the spirit of Nelson Mandela — doing something bigger than yourself. Doc Hendley saw a problem with contaminated water being one of the highest causes of death. He did something about it, one location at a time. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 –1968)Perhaps one of the most quoted and well known speeches in American history, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream’” speech (now celebrating the 50th year anniversary of this speech) at Lincoln Memorial called for racial equality and an end to discrimination. The Civil Rights leader honed his speaking skills in churches, public meeting halls and demonstrations during this volatile era. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Simple, clear, powerful. By no means do we draw any comparisons to the great Martin Luther King, Jr., his style of speaking is all about passion. The first speaker we think of when we think passion is Walter Bond. He has such a love for speaking and having his attendees wanting to be a better person. Ronald Reagan (1911 – 2004)They called him “The Great Communicator” and it helped that President Reagan was a former actor, but the future president sharpened his public speaking skills as a spokesman for General Electric Theater. It was here that he embarked on speaking tours of General Electric plants throughout the country that would help shape his political ideology as well as his oratory skills. In his 1987 “Tear Down This Wall’ speech, he used all his training to deliver another memorable Cold War moment. “General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” There is only one Ronald Reagan, and there is only one Barbara Corcoran. She understands how to put an audience at ease with her humor, but she also knows how to make a strong point — she didn’t become a Shark Tank investor by accident. Barack Obama (1961 to Present)The latest to join this list, President Obama’s soaring, sustained oratory can be extremely powerful when he chooses to harnesses his full capabilities. His victory address to crowds in Chicago after his historic election was widely regarded as one of the finest speeches in modern politics. “If there is anyone out there who still doubts America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy – tonight is your answer.” Sticking with politics, but not being political, we know that a huge part of being a president is about networking and creating great opportunities. Laura Schwartz, the former White House Director of Events, has done just that. In her message, all things are possible, it’s up to us to make things happen. ———————————————————————————————————————————— A Note on the Top Historic Orators It was in Ancient Greece during a period considered the “Golden Age of Eloquence” that the great tradition of oration burst forth on that nation’s political stage and debate would never be the same. While the statesman, general, and master orator Pericles is largely credited with delivering the first great speech to be written and prepared for the public, it was a stutterer who is remembered as the greatest orator Greece ever produced, and perhaps the greatest the world has ever known. In the 4th century BC, Demosthenes was cured of his speech impediment, in part, through the now seemingly archaic practice of placing pebbles in the stutterer’s mouth; a practice still employed nearly 2,400 years later, as showcased in the recent Academy Award winning film The King’s Speech. The story of Demosthenes, and later King George VI, suggests something that every great orator knows: The art of public speaking can be learned and the techniques of oratory are teachable. The following 10 noted speakers understood this more than most. ———————————————————————————————————————————— ————————————————————————————————————————————– |
Best orators of the 20th century
zusammenhängende Posts
Urheberrechte © © 2024 frojeostern Inc.
