Research Guides: Rhetoric and Communication: Speeches

How to Find Speeches

Sources for Full-Text Transcriptions
Historic Speeches

Vital Speeches of the Day This link opens in a new window
Text of speeches on a wide range of political topics. October 8, 1934 to present
Historic Documents This link opens in a new window
Selected primary source documents, U.S. and international. Document types include speeches, interviews, State of the Union address (and opposition responses). Publication dates: 1972-2013
Gifts of Speech This link opens in a new window
Women's speeches from around the world, curated by Liz Kent León of Sweet Briar College. Current coverage: 1848-2010.

These resources will help you find texts of speeches that are not contained in electronic collections. Although the publication dates are in the 1960s through 1980s, the speeches themselves range from ancient rhetors up through most of the 20th Century.

Speech Index
Location: Reference AI 3 S85 1966; suppl. 1966/80
Index to speeches by famous, infamous, and lesser-known speakers. Very useful, in that it groups speeches by speaker (e.g. Adolf Hitler), subject (e.g. JFK), and type (Farewell Addresses; Eulogies). Still a key resource for primary sources of historical rhetoric. Don't look here for secondary or analytical works.
Index to American Women Speakers, 1828-1978
Location: Reference Z1231.O7 M36
Index to 150 years of US women's rhetoric. Coverage includes abolitionism through women's suffrage, the several proposals for an Equal Rights Amendment, and the immediate aftermath of Roe v. Wade.
We Shall Be Heard : an index to speeches by American women, 1978 to 1985
Location: Reference Z1231.O7 M37 1988
Comprehensive index of US women's rhetoric narrowly focused on a seven year period. This index is a particularly good resource for immediate reactions to Roe v. Wade. Also indexes many important historical speeches (e.g. Elizabeth Cady Stanton)