DC Public Library System

When they go low, we go high, speeches that shape the world and why we need them, Philip Collins

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

index present

non fiction

When they go low, we go high

bibliography

1019653432

Philip Collins

speeches that shape the world and why we need them

"When First Lady Michelle Obama approached the podium at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, nobody could have predicted that her rousing and emotional "When they go low, we go high" speech would go on to become the motto for the political left and an anthem for opponents of oppression worldwide. It was a speech with the kind of emotional pull rarely heard these days, joining a long list of addresses that have made history. But what about Obama's speech made it so great? When They Go Low, We Go High explores the most notable speeches in history, analyzing the rhetorical tricks to uncover how the right speech at the right time can profoundly shape the world. Traveling across continents and centuries, political speechwriter Philip Collins reveals what Thomas Jefferson owes to Cicero and Pericles, who really gave the Gettysburg Address, and what Elizabeth I shares with Winston Churchill. In telling the story of great and sometimes infamous speeches--including those from Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, JFK, Martin Luther King, Jr., Disraeli, Hitler, Elie Wiesel, Margaret Thatcher, and Barack and Michelle Obama--Collins breathes new life into words you thought you knew well, telling the story of democracy. Whether it's the inaugural addresses of presidents or the revolutionary writings of Castro, Pankhurst, and Mandela, Collins illuminates and contextualizes these moments with sensitivity and humor. When They Go Low, We Go High is a strong defense of the power of public speaking to propagate and protect democracy and an urgent reminder that when great men and women speak to us, their words can change the world."--Inside dust jacket

Prologue: the perils of indifference -- Democracy: through politics the people are heard -- War: through politics peace will prevail -- Nation: through politics the nation is defined -- Progress: through politics the condition of the people is improved -- Revolution: through politics the worst is avoided -- Epilogue: when they go low, we go highSpeeches: Marcus Tullius Cicero: First Philippic against Mark Antony, the Senate, the Temple of Concord, Rome, 2 September 44 BC -- Thomas Jefferson: Equal and exact justice to all men, first inaugural address, Washington DC, 4 March 1801 -- Abraham Lincoln: Government of the people, by the people, for the people, the Gettysburg address, 19 November 1863 -- John F. Kennedy: Ask not what your country can do for you, Washington DC, 20 January 1961 -- Barack Obama: I have never been more hopeful about America, Grant Park, Chicago, 7 November 2012 -- Pericles: Funeral oration, Athens, Winter, c. 431 BC -- David Lloyd George: The great pinnacle of sacrifice, Queen's Hall, London, 19 September 1914 -- Woodrow Wilson: Making the world safe for democracy, Joint session of the two houses of Congress, 2 April 1917 -- Winston Churchill: Their finest hour, House of Commons, 18 June 1940 -- Ronald Reagan: Tear down this wall, The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, 12 June 1987 -- Elizabeth I of England: I have the heart and stomach of a king, Tilbury, 9 August 1588 -- Benjamin Franklin: I agree to this constitution with all its faults, The Constitutional Convention, Philadelphia, 17 September 1787 -- Jawaharlal Nehru: A tryst with destiny, Constituent Assembly, Parliament House, New Delhi, 14 August 1947 -- Nelson Mandela: An ideal for which I am prepared to die, Supreme Court of South Africa, Pretoria, 20 April 1964 -- Aung San Suu Kyi: Freedom from fear, European Parliament, Strasbourg, 10 July 1991 -- William Wilberforce: Let us make reparations to Africa, House of Commons, London, 12 May 1789 -- Emmeline Pankhurst: The laws that men have made, The Portman Rooms, 24 March 1908 -- Isidora Dolores Ibarruri Gomez (La Pasionaria): No Pasaran, Mestal Stadium, Valencia, 23 August 1936 -- Martin Luther King: I have a dream, the March on Washington, 28 August 1963 -- Neil Kinnock: Why am I the first Kinnock in a thousand generations?, Welsh Labour Party conference, Llandudno, 15 May 1987 -- Maximilien Robespierre: The political Philosophy of terror, The National Convention, Paris, 5 February 1794 -- Adolf Hitler: My patience is now at an end, Berlin Sportpalast, 26 September 1938 -- Fidel Castro: History will absolve me, Santiago, Cuba, 16 October 1953 -- Vaclav Havel: A contaminated moral environment, Prague, Czechoslovakia, 1 January 1990 -- Elie Wiesel: The perils of indifference, The White House, Washington DC, 12 April 1999