Landmark Historical Oratory
When attempting to find examples of public speaking for social change, we often turn our attention to more contemporary speakers, be it Michelle Obama or Pope Francis. However, we often forget that public speaking for social change has been employed by prominent historical figures to influence everything from the degree of liberty in Athens (given by Demosthenes) to the Triangular Slave Trade (given by William Wilberforce). In this article, I’ve recapped two of my favourite historical speeches, both of which have had far-reaching implications on the political order of our world today.
Alexander Hamilton: “The Thing is a Dream” (1788)
Alexander Hamilton is undoubtedly one of the most influential politicians in American history, and he was one of the primary advocates of a centralized federal government that would unite the thirteen, newly independent states. In the following speech Hamilton aimed to convince New Yorkers to ratify the newly written constitution in the New York Ratifying Convention.
He asserts that state governments will still maintain their influence, but will be buttressed by the overarching authority of the federal government. He assures the states that the only power solely delegated to the federal government will be one of taxation, and that the government will always be sensitive to the liberties of the people.
Despite facing the initial opposition of over two thirds of the NY Convention, Hamilton managed to persuade them to ratify the new constitution. He managed to convert many of the anti-federalists, and secured the approval of the constitution in a crucial state.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton: “We Now Demand Our Right to Vote” (1848)
Elizabeth Cady Stanton is one of the most famous “suffragettes” in the US, and spearheaded the women’s rights movement in the late 1800s. Along with Lucretia Mott, a fellow abolitionist, she organized the Seneca Fall Convention, widely hailed as the first convention that allowed open discussion of the “civil, social, and religious rights of women”.
At this convention, she gave the landmark keynote speech and emphasized the injustice of the American political system of ruling without the consent of the governed. With short, incisive sentences, Stanton drives home her argument about importance of acknowledging inherent civil rights, and how promoting gender equality can become the cornerstone of a great nation. She doesn’t mince her words, and admits that the path to equality will be a difficult one to navigate, but demands that women as a whole rise to the occasion to fight for this momentous cause.
The day after Stanton delivered this speech, 68 women and 32 men signed her Declaration of Sentiments, which called for legal equality for women regarding education and employment. This declaration is recognized as a cornerstone document in promoting the cause of gender equality across the US, and later came to also emphasize the right to vote.
These speeches are inspiring examples of public speaking for a social change, and are all the more impressive given the high-stakes surrounding the situations at hand. These speakers not only exhibited eloquence, but bravery and strength by expressing views that were contradictory to those of their wider audience.
If you are interested in reading about more examples of monumental oratory, be sure to check out The Penguin Book of Historic Speeches by Brian MacArthur, which tracks noteworthy speeches from the times of Ancient Greece to modern day.
