Ted Widmer collects greatness in 'American Speeches' [audio 8min]

During the campaign season, a typical candidate's stump speech may belie the rich and eloquent history of American rhetoric. The new, 2-volume anthology, American Speeches, from the Library of America, offers ample evidence that political speaking has framed and rallied every great event from the Revolution to present day. Ted Widmer, director of the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University and a former speechwriter for the Clinton White House, edited the 2 volumes. Widmer includes obvious classics like the Gettysburg Address. But the pages of these books are filled with remarks that have been forgotten over time, even if their authors have not. Webpage includes extended report by Robert Siegel, sound clips, PDF files.