Spotlight on Oratory

Spotlight on Oratory is a blog with short commentaries on speeches featured on the site. Most entries reflect on the historical significance of key speeches for contemporary issues and controversies, or provide tips for educators teaching about particular speeches on the VOD site. All users of Voices of Democracy are encouraged to submit blog entries for possible publication on the site.

MLK in a black and white photo and a suit, waving to a very large crowd on the Washington Mall

Civil Rights Essay Contest

Voices of Democracy (VOD), in cooperation with the Center for Democratic Deliberation at Penn State and the journal Young Scholars in Writing, is sponsoring an essay contest, “Exploring the Rhetoric of the Civil Rights Movement.” 
Pope Francis speaking at a podium with Joe Biden behind him

Pope Francis and Dorothy Day

On September 24, 2015, Pope Francis I addressed a joint session…
George H.W. Bush delivering speech at a lectern to a crowd with flowers, an American flag, teleprompters, and people sitting behind him

“A Whole Europe, A Free Europe”

On May 31, 1989 President George H.W. Bush delivered a major…
Ronald Reagan speaking to crowd with banner, "Change your world: 41st Annual Convention, National Association of Evangelicals"

The Importance of Delivery

While content is essential to an effective speech, delivery is…
Harvey Milk speaking outside in front of a government building and microphones wearing a lei necklace

Harvey Milk’s “You’ve Got to Have Hope” and the Rhetoric of Gay Rights

The Sochi Winter Olympics have been surrounded by excitement…
Postage Stamp reading, "To Find the Way by Which the...Inventiveness of Man Shall...Be....Consecrated to this Life."

Teaching Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” Speech

Encouraging thoughtful discussion in the classroom can be challenging,…
LBJ side profile photo in black and white, close up

Anniversary of LBJ Oratory: “Let Us Continue”

Fifty years ago this month, Lyndon B. Johnson delivered one of…
Theodore Roosevelt leaning over a balcony to speak to a large crowd

Campaign Speeches on VOD

With the campaign between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney concluded,…
Wide shot photo of Lincoln First Inaugural. Photo of large crowd and large government building

Abraham Lincoln Sesquicentennial

Just having marked the sesquicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's…
John F Kennedy in a black and white photo smiling and pointing over a podium with the presidential seal and an American flag in the background

JFK 50th Anniversary

Today marks the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's inauguration.…