The real benefit of American Orations is to hear directly from leaders from 1858 through 1881 unfiltered by modern viewpoints, interpretations and rationalizations.
High Point: Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
Low Point: The realization that these speeches directly contradict the revisionist histories being pushed in the 21st century.
Editor: Alexander Johnston
Publication Date: 1884
Genre: History
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American Orations is a three-volume collection of speeches of American leaders from the 18th and 19th centuries. This third volume covers the period of 1858 through 1881. Published in 1884, the book offers a perspective of American history untainted by interpretations and reinterpretations that have emerged over the ensuing 150 years.
The volume features speeches from Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Stephen Douglas, Henry Clay and many others who helped direct and influence events during a pivotal period of the American nation. Some selections remain familiar to us in the 21st century—most notably Lincoln’s Gettysburg address—but even lesser-known speakers provide fascinating insight into secession, the conduct of the American civil war, and the challenges of reconstruction and recovery.
Particularly striking are the speeches presented in Congress during 1860 and 1861 delivered by representatives of both northern and southern states. These orations clearly delineate the aims and reasoning of both sides of the American civil war.
The great value of American Orations lies in hearing directly from voices of the period unfiltered by modern viewpoints and rationalizations.
Sources For This Book
Free eBook (Project Gutenberg): Not available
Free Audiobook (LibriVox): Not available
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