Communication & Public Speaking

This program features speeches by several major orators of the modern political era, including Representative Barbara Jordan’s stunningly eloquent appeal for nonpartisan judgment at the Nixon impeachment hearings. Ronald Reagan shows why he was known as the Great Communicator in his 1981 inaugural address. Former New York Governor Mario Cuomo’s resounding keynote speech at the 1984 Democratic Convention as well as an emotion-charged 1984 campaign speech by Jesse Jackson are also included. (53 minutes)

This narrative presentation of the greatest rhetorical moments of the 20th century introduces students to key history makers, including: Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Adolf Hitler, Martin Luther King Jr., Colin Powell, Winston Churchill, Richard Nixon, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Harry S. Truman, Geraldine Ferraro, Nelson Mandela, Douglas MacArthur, Jesse Jackson, and Christopher Reeve. (118 minutes)

Barbara Bush electrified the 1992 Republican National Convention by being the first wife of a candidate to speak on behalf of her husband at the convention since Eleanor Roosevelt—and on prime-time television. Since then, speeches by the candidates’ wives have become an expected part of a national campaign. Starting with Barbara Bush's 1992 RNC address, this program highlights many such key speeches, including Elizabeth Dole's 1996 RNC address; Tipper Gore's 1996 and 2000 DNC addresses; Hillary Rodham Clinton's 1996 campaign speech and 2000 DNC address; and Laura Bush's 2000 RNC address. (100 minutes)

This seven-part series, Great Speeches: Today's Women, offers important yet often impossible-to-find speeches by contemporary and historically influential women: from Barbara Jordan to Elizabeth Edwards; Margaret Thatcher to Michelle Obama; Sarah Weddington to Lilly Ledbetter; and Condoleezza Rice to Hillary Rodham Clinton. This collection presents noteworthy speeches that command attention not only for gender studies, but also for any serious study of historic public addresses. 7-part series, 66–135 minutes each.

This remarkable 30-part series features some of history’s most influential addresses—and continues to have a profound impact on the study of speech. With this classic archive, students can watch as FDR declares war, Churchill attacks Hitler, Harry Truman announces the bombing of Japan, Lou Gehrig bids farewell to baseball, Martin Luther King Jr. relays his dream, Nixon resigns the presidency, Reagan pleads the Berlin Wall be torn down, and a young Barack Obama ignites a 2004 convention in a speech that would change the course of the country. In their entirety, these speeches breathe life and relevancy into our history and clearly demonstrate the power of speech. Each is accompanied by a biography and analysis of both the event and the speech itself. As Walter Cronkite used to say, “You are there!” 30-part series, 70–160 minutes each.

This video documentary re-creates the speeches of leading suffragettes whose impassioned words shaped the women’s movement during its inception in the late 19th century. Speeches by Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Stone, and Sojourner Truth are featured along with historical photographs. (1:10:04)

Lewis and Clark promise friendship, respect for property and freedom in their speeches to the Native Americans. The tribes believe the speeches, and Lewis when he drapes a Yankton Sioux infant in a US flag and declares him, "An American." (1:45:15)