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Covers the oratory patterns of a substantial and interesting group of major American social, political, economic and cultural figures, including politicians, policymakers, ideologues, civil rights leaders, issue advocates, and religious leaders.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
John D. Ashcroft by Harry Hellenbrand
Elizabeth M. Birch by Shawn Parry-Giles and Jason Edward Black
Patrick J. Buchanan by C. Brant Short
George Herbert Walker Bush by Craig R. Smith
George Walker Bush by Richard E. Vatz
Robert Carlyle Byrd by William D. Pederson and Sina K. Nazemi
Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Toure) by Robert E. Terrill
James Earl Carter by Richard W. Leeman
Cesar Estrada Chavez by John C. Hammerback and Richard J. Jensen
Ward L. Churchill by Catherine H. Palczewski Randall A. Lake
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton by Karrin Vasby Anderson
William Jefferson Clinton by Stephen A. Smith
Mario Matthew Cuomo by Mary Anne Trasciatti
Thomas Andrew Daschle by Troy A. Murphy
Angela Yvonne Davis by Cindy L. Griffin
Alan Dershowitz by R. John DeSanto and Daniel A. Grano
Elizabeth Hanford Dole by Nichola Gutgold
Marian Wright Edelman by Beth Waggenspack
Jocelyn Elders by Lorraine D. Jackson
Jerry Falwell by Paul Stob and Charles Conrad
Louis Abdul Farrakhan by Mark Lawrence McPhail
Gerald Rudolph Ford by Herman Stelzner, revised by Charles Ottinger
Albert Arnold Gore, Jr. by David Hoffman
William "Billy" Graham, Jr. by Hal W. Fulmer and Jennifer L. Young
Anita Faye Hill by Vanessa B. Beasley
Jesse Louis Jackson by David B. McLennan
Lyndon Baines Johnson by David Zarefsky
Sonia Johnson by Karen A. Foss
Barbara Charline Jordan by Carl Burgchardt
Edward Moore Kennedy by William D. Pederson
John Fitzgerald Kennedy by Theodore O. Windt, Jr., revised and edited by Steven Goldzwig
Robert Francis Kennedy by Steven R. Goldzwig and Patricia A. Sullivan
John F. Kerry by Bernard K. Duffy and Marilyn DeLaure
Martin Luther King, Jr. by Marilyn DeLaure and Bernard K. Duffy
Larry Kramer by Charles E. Morris
Winona LaDuke by Dayle C. Hardy-Short and C. Brant Short
Audre Geraldine Lorde by Lester C. Olson
Wilma Mankiller by Christopher Skiles
Thurgood Marshall by Stephen A. Smith
William (Bill) Paul McCartney by Jennifer L. Young
Russell Means by Randall A. Lake and Catherine H. Palczewski
Harvey Bernard Milk by Karen A. Foss
Ralph Nader by Steven Goldzwig and Patricia Sullivan
Richard Milhous Nixon by Celeste M. Condit and Shannon Holland
Samuel Augustus Nunn by Edward M. Panetta
Sandra Day O'Conner by Janice Schuetz
H. Ross Perot by Mari Boor Tonn and Valerie A. Endress
Colin Luther Powell by Richard W. Leeman
Ronald Wilson Reagan by Ronald H. Carpenter and Windy Y. Lawrence
Janet Reno by Janice Schuetz
Donald Rumsfeld by Gordon Stables
Antonin Scalia by Catherine Langford
Al Sharpton by Daniel A. Grano
Gloria Steinem by Lisa Shawn Hogan
George Wallace by Andrew King
Alyce Faye Wattleton by Lorraine D. Jackson
Christine Todd Whitman by Kristina Sheeler
Malcolm X by Thomas W. Benson
Bibliographic Essay by Alan Razee
Contributors

About the Author

Bernard K. Duffy is Professor of Rhetoric in the Communication Studies Department at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and author/editor of several previous Greenwood titles. He was also co-series editor for the Great American Orators reference series.

Richard W. Leeman is Professor and Department Chair of Communication Studies at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. He is the author/editor of three previous Greenwood titles, including African-American Orators: A Bio-Critical Sourcebook (1996).

Reviews

Duffy and Leeman have compiled a collection of essays representing American orators since 1960….The 50 signed entries include every president since John F. Kennedy, politicians, activists, and jurists; despite its selective content the editors have made an admirable effort to represent all backgrounds. The introduction defines the coverage and discusses how the Internet, radio, and television have influenced rhetoric. Each essay includes a brief biography and examines key speeches made by each orator, complete with the events surrounding the speech and rhetorical analysis. Bibliographies accompanying each entry are among the strengths of this work. Information about research collections, collected speeches, biographical works, critical studies, and a chronology of the major speeches can be found in most entries. Primary sources, Web sites, books, magazines, and journal articles are among the many referenced entries. The accompanying bibliographic essay provides general sources on oratory and rhetoric that can be used by students and critics alike. This title will be useful for courses in public speaking and rhetoric, American history, and political science. Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers.
*Choice*

More than 50 alphabetical essays ranging in length from five to eight pages examine the orators' speeches, styles, and contributions to political and social life. A useful introduction defines oratory, reiterates the rich history of rhetoric, and discusses the effects of television, radio, and the web on the success or failure of these speeches….Compared with former presidential speechwriter William Safire's Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History, which is arranged by theme and subject, American Voices goes into greater depth in appraisal of the speakers' skill, effectiveness, and historical contribution. Recommended for larger public and academic libraries and students of rhetoric and public speaking.
*Library Journal*

This well-researched reference text contains entries for 58 U.S. orators whose differing styles, messages, and abilities provide a good glimpse into the richness of American oratorical culture….American Voices provides an important resource for the study of contemporary U.S. oratory….The depth of research, insight, and references in the volume will impress students, researchers, and teachers alike. American Voices stands as a welcomed addition to the field, and will be a reference source that promises to have staying power.
*The Review of Communication*

[F]or the right collection this would make a valuable addition. The biographies could be particularly useful in guiding American studies reading.
*Reference Reviews*

[F]ollows the critical moments, issues, and writings of modern American speakers through the decades.
*MBR Bookwatch*

This volume is an informative resource and a useful complement to other reference works that cover many of the same individuals but from different angles. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.
*Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin*

This unique reference examines more than 50 contemporary speakers from the 1960s to the present in terms of style, substance, and ability to shape American thought. All U.S. presidents since 1960 are included, as well as legendary orators such as Martin Luther King, Jr.; Wilma Mankiller; Billy Graham, Jr.; Ralph Nader; and Thurgood Marshall. More contemporary names include Christine Todd Whitman, Sandra Day OConnor, Larry Kramer, and Donald Rumsfeld….Portions of key speeches are discussed in terms of purpose and effectiveness. Well-known speeches such as Caesar Chavezs El Plan de Delano and Hillary Rodham Clintons It Takes a Village can be found in the comprehensive index by phrase or subject matter. Lists of official Web sites, selected critical studies in periodicals and books, and a chronology of major speeches follow each essay. This volume will aid history classes, debate clubs, and public-speaking forums.
*School Library Journal*