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June 23, 2004
Site of the Day
 
American Rhetoric: Top 100 Speeches
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American Rhetoric: Top 100 Speeches
Brief Description of the Site:
Exactly what did Dr. King say in his "I Have a Dream" speech? What did
General Douglas MacArthur say in "Duty, Honor, Country"? What did Pres.
Nixon say in his resignation speech? Here in one place are these
speeches and 97 others. They can be arranged by decade or by rank
order. Many are also available as MP3 or RealAudio files, which means
that students can hear Pres. Roosevelt deliver the "Day of Infamy"
speech or Pres. Kennedy deliver "Ich Bin Ein Berliner". In addition
there are speeches by female orators, speeches from movies, and a
separate section on the almost-lost art of rhetoric.
How to use the site:
Teachers of social studies will welcome the chance to make history come
alive for their students. Imagine being able to play and tape-record
FDR's words as he announces that this nation would enter WWII. Imagine
being able to analyze and speculate upon the truth of Pres.
Eisenhower's warnings re: "the acquisition of unwarranted influence,
whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex" given
in his farewell speech. Teachers of English/Language Arts will welcome
the chance to deconstruct and study these speeches, helping their
students to analyze and understand the persuasive power they represent.
Some might even require students to memorize and recite selected
passages, a device that helped past generations appreciate the power of
English but which sadly is seldom done these days.
Criteria for selection
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