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

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 and Dorothy Day

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On September 24, 2015, Pope Francis I addressed a joint session…

“A Whole Europe, A Free Europe”

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On May 31, 1989 President George H.W. Bush delivered a major…
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The Importance of Delivery

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While content is essential to an effective speech, delivery is…
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Teaching Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” Speech

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Encouraging thoughtful discussion in the classroom can be challenging,…
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Anniversary of LBJ Oratory: “Let Us Continue”

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Fifty years ago this month, Lyndon B. Johnson delivered one of…
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Campaign Speeches on VOD

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With the campaign between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney concluded,…
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Abraham Lincoln Sesquicentennial

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Just having marked the sesquicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's…
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JFK 50th Anniversary

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