Guides: Communication: Finding Speeches Online

Databases with Speeches

Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
Contains the journal Vital Speeches from 1934-present.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new window
Information on social issues including articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, interactive maps, videos, and streaming audio.

Web Resources for Speeches

American Rhetoric: online repository for wide-range of speeches, from politics to movies to sermons.

Vote Smart: website with speeches from current local and national political candidates and officials.

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents. HathiTrust database of documents from the Office of the Federal Register, 1965-present.

UVA Miller Center
The Miller Center is a nonpartisan affiliate of the University of Virginia that specializes in presidential scholarship, public policy, and political history. This website includes a famous speech from every U.S. president.

Videos of Speeches

The library owns some speeches on video located in Reserve behind the Circulation desk. To search these videos use the Library Catalog

Example: I need a video of Martin Luther King giving his "I Have a Dream" speech.

        -    Go to the Library Catalog
        -    Select Local Catalog
        -    Select Guided Keyword
        -    Type I have a dream on the first line
        -    Select "as a phrase' from the pull-down menu
        -    Type video on the second line
            (a ? is the truncation symbol for the library catalog. In this case, it allows you to
            search for words like video, videocassette, videotape, etc.)
        -    Click on the search button

You can also access The Great Speeches e-Video collection online: https://pepperdine.on.worldcat.org/oclc/911710624

More recent speeches can be found online through:

Print Resources for Speeches

Search the online catalog to find speeches given by a specific person. Try Kennedy and speeches or Reagan and speeches, for instance.

Baird, Albert Craig, ed. American Public Addresses, 1740-1952. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1956.
Payson Reference PS662 .B27

Baird, Albert Craig, ed. Representative American Speeches. New York: H.W. Wilson, 1937-, published annually.
Payson Reference PS668 .B3

Graham, John, ed. Great American Speeches, 1898-1963; texts and studies. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1970.
Payson Reserves PS661 .G7

Mitchell, Charity. Speech Index: An index to collections of world famous orations and speeches for various occasions, 4^th ed. 1966-1980. Metuchen,NJ:
Payson Reference PS662 .S62 1982

Podell, Janet, ed. Speeches of the American Presidents. Bronx,NY: H.W. Wilson, 2001. Contains the full text of selected presidential speeches.
Payson Ready Reference PN4055 .U53 P646 2001

Reid, Ronald F. Three Centuries of American Rhetorical Discourse: an Anthology and a Review. Prospect Heights,IL: Waveland Press, 1988.
Payson Reserves PS662 .T56 1988

Rohler, Lloyd Earl and Roger Cook, eds. Great Speeches for Criticism and Analysis. 4th ed. Greenwood,IN: Alistair Press, 2001.
Payson Ready Reference PN6122 .G74 2001

Ryan, Halford Ross. American Rhetoric from Roosevelt to Reagan: A Collection of Speeches and Critical Essays. 2nd ed. Prospect Heights,IL: Waveland Press, 1983.
Payson Reserves PS668 .A43 1987

Ryan, Halford Ross. Contemporary American Public Discourse: A Collection of Speeches and Critical Essays. Prospect Heights,IL: Waveland Press, 1992.
Payson Reference PS668 .C58 1992

Straub, Deborah Gillan, ed. Voices of Multicultural America: Notable speeches delivered by African, Asian, Hispanic and Native Americans, 1790-1995, New York: Gale Research, 1996.
Payson Reference PS663 .M55 V64 1996

Suriano, Gregory, ed. Great American Speeches. New York: Gramercy Books, 1993.
Payson Reference PS662 .G68 1993

Sutton, Roberta Briggs. Speech Index: An index to 259 collections of world famous orations and speeches for various occasions. New York: Scarecrow Press, 1966.
Payson Reference PS662 .S6 1966

Great Speeches in History Series. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2002-03.

Armstrong, Ryn, ed. The Vietnam War. (Payson Reference PS663 .V5 V53)

Coddon, Karin, ed. The Civil War. (Payson Reference PS663 .C54 C4)

Coddon, Karin, ed. Slavery. (Payson Reference PS663 .S5 S52)

Gerdes, Louise I., ed. The Cold War. (Payson Reference PS663 .C57 C64)

Hitt, Laura. Human Rights. (Payson Reference PS663 .H8 H85 2002)

Hurley, Jennifer A, ed. Women's Rights. (Payson Reference PS663 .W6 W65)

Karson, Jill, ed. Civil Rights. (Payson Reference PS663 .C5 C58)

McConnell, William S., ed. The 1960's. (Payson Reference PS663 .N5 N56)

        Vital Speeches of the Day. New York: City News. A bi-weekly journal.
            Payson Periodicals---1934-present
            Research Library database---1995-present
            Business Source Premier---1934-present

        Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents. Washington,DC: Office of the Federal Register, 1965-present.
            Payson Periodicals, 1965-2000
            Online via the library catalog, 1993-present
            Research Library database, 1992-present