A Treasury of the World's Great Speeches

Book excerpt: Contains the full text of important speeches from ancient times through the Second World War. Moses, Cicero, and Julius Caesar are among the representatives of Hebrews, Greeks and Romans. Early Christianity is illustrated through the words of Jesus of Nazareth (the Sermon on the Mount) and Pope Urban II, calling for the first crusade. The period of Renaissance and Reformation features the words of Savonarola, Luther, Queen Elizabeth, and John Donne. Select American, English, and Irish speeches of the 18th century include those by Alexander Hamilton, John Wesley, William Pitt, Edmund Burke, Patrick Henry, Lord Chatham. Several important speeches concerning the Warren Hastings trial are included. Speeches on the topic of the federal constitution include words by Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, and Alexander Hamilton. William Wilberforce and William Pitt speak out against the African slave trade. Twenty speeches consider various perspectives on the French Revolution. Included is Robespierres̕ final speech as he faces the guillotine. Nineteenth century American speeches include those by Daniel Webster, John C. Calhoun, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Wendell Phillips, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Henry Clay. Thirteen speeches provide perspectives on the American civil war, from orators including Abraham Lincoln, John Brown and Frederick Douglass. The first and second world wars and the peace process are the subjects of many speeches.