This guide is intended to simplify your search for the text of speeches. Depending upon
your topic, the location of speeches relevant to your research may vary widely. Please consult with a Reference Librarian should you need further assistance.
Jump to: Speech Collections | Indexes to Speeches in Books, Periodicals, Newspapers | Periodicals that Contain Speeches | Internet
RELEVANT SUBJECT HEADINGS
When searching the Library catalog for books containing speeches, the following Subject Headings may lead you to either specific speeches or to collections containing a variety of speeches.- Speeches, Addresses, etc.
- Speeches, Addresses, etc., American
- [Name] -- Oratory (example: Barack, Obama -- Oratory)
SPEECH COLLECTIONS
The following list provides a sample of the materials available in the Library. Please search the Library catalog to locate additional books in the Library's collection.Reference - located on 1st floor
- Documents of American History. REF E173 .C66 1973b
- Extensive compilation of documents, including speeches, spanning five centuries of American history. Covers a diverse range of speeches, from pre-Revolutionary War resolutions to President Nixon's statement following the 1970 invasion of Cambodia.
- Voices of Multicultural America. REF PS663.M55 V64 1996
- "Notable speeches delivered by African, Asian, Hispanic, and Native Americans, 1790-1995."
Books and Videos - located on 2nd floor
- American Public Address: 1740-1952. PS662 .B27
- Contemporary American Speeches: A Sourcebook of Speech Forms and Principles. PS668 .C6 1997
- A collection of speeches organized by type and format.
- Great Speeches [videorecording]. PN6122 .G71-G76 (6 vols.)
- A video collection of speeches by prominent Americans.
- Lend me your ears : great speeches in history. PN6122 .L4
- A collection of historic speeches organized by type and format.
- Inaugural addresses of the Presidents of the United States from George Washington 1789 to George Bush 1989. J81 .C89
- Outspoken Women: Speeches by American Women Reformers, 1635-1935. HQ1423 .O97
- Public papers of the presidents. J 82
- Compiles the papers and communications of U.S. Presidents from the periodical Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents. Includes a subject index and a documents category index, which groups presidential communications by categories such as Addresses and Remarks, Interviews with the News Media, and Communications to Congress.
- Representative American speeches. PS 668 .B3
- Collects speeches by prominent American public speakers each year on a wide range of topics of public interest. Includes an index of speakers and biographical notes.
- Sermons in American History. BV4241 .S4186
INDEXES TO SPEECHES IN BOOKS, PERIODICALS, NEWSPAPERS
- Academic Search Premier
- Available online from the Hatfield Library Web site. Use to locate speeches published in periodicals since 1965. Choose terms to search and set Document Type to speech.
- LexisNexis Academic
- Available online from the Hatfield Library Web site. Use to locate speeches published in newspapers or from news wire services. Date of coverage varies. Choose Guided News Search, and for news category, choose News Transcripts; for news source, choose All Transcripts. For search terms, enter "section (speech)" in the first box, and select Full Text in the right drop-down list, then add search terms in subsequent boxes.
- New York Times
- Available online from the Hatfield Library Web site. Covers 1980-present. In Advanced Search, enter terms to search; choose Document Type and look at Browse Document Types list to choose Speech/Lecture.
- New York Times Historical
- Available online from the Hatfield Library Web site. Covers 1851-2003. Enter the term "speech" along with search terms.
- New York Times Index - located in Reference Indexes, 1st floor.
- Especially good for located historical speeches. Covers 1851-1993. Search by the name of the person delivering the speech. Older issues on microfilm.
- Readers' Guide Retrospective
- Available online from the Hatfield Library Web site. Covers 1890-1982. In Advanced Search, add the term "speech" along with search terms.
- Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature - located in Reference Indexes, 1st floor.
- Covers 1900-present.
- Speech Index - 2nd floor stacks, PN6121 .S88 1966
- Use to locate speeches published in books. Look up a speech by topic or by author, copy the multi-letter code given with the speech desired, and then locate this code in the "List of Books Indexed" at the front of the volume. Take either the title of the book or the author and search the Library Catalog to see if the library owns the book in which the speech you seek is published. Covers the years 1935-1980.
PERIODICALS THAT CONTAIN SPEECHES
- Vital Speeches of the Day (also known as Vital Speeches), 1938 to date.
- Available online from 1934-present through Academic Search Premier on the Hatfield Library Web site.
- Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, 1977 to 2000.
- Online version from 1993-present.
- U.S. Department of State Dispatch, 1990 to 1999 (earlier title: Department of State Bulletin, 1947-1989). Also see www.state.gov.
- Congressional Record and Index, 1873 to date in Periodicals and Microfilm.
- GPOAccess, 1994-present.
- Lexis Nexis Congressional, 1985-present.
- Available online from the Hatfield Library Web site.
INTERNET
- American Leaders Speak
- Sound recordings and transcriptions of speeches by American leaders at the turn of the century. Search by keyword, or browse by speaker or subject. Note that a soundcard and appropriate software is required to listen to recordings.
- Gifts of Speech
- A collection of speeches delivered by contemporary, influential women from around the world. Texts are gathered from published sources or directly from the speakers. Speeches are organized by speakers' name.
- Douglass: Archive of American Public Address
- An archive of American oratory and related documents. Contains current as well as historical speeches. Speeches can by located by speaker, title, chronologically, or by issue.
- Historic Audio Archives
- A small sound recording archive of excerpts from political speeches. Note that a soundcard and appropriate software is required to listen to recordings.
- Martin Luther King Jr. Papers
- A small collection of primary documents including some of King's speeches.
- The Program in Presidential Rhetoric
- A collection of presidential speeches, chosen to illustrate aspects of presidential rhetoric.
Updated by Beth Chapman; maintained by Julie Sparks on 1/2007