Segment from Talk of the Nation

Making Sense of the President’s Words

Peter, Brian, and Ed discuss how the meaning of the Gettysburg Address has changed for successive generations of Americans.

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

November 19th, 1863

Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer talks with the hosts about the delivery of the Gettysburg Address in 1863.

00:04:58

Making Sense of the President’s Words

Peter, Brian, and Ed discuss how the meaning of the Gettysburg Address has changed for successive generations of Americans.

00:09:33

Who Will Mourn for Logan?

Peter sits down with historian Carolyn Eastman, who explains the emphasis placed upon Native American speeches in the early Republic, and the search for a corpus of truly “American” oratory.

00:08:56

A Woman’s Voice

Brian talks with historian Lisa Tetrault about the rise of women orators in the Lyceum movement of the late 19^th Century.

00:10:08

Listener Call

Peter, Brian, and Ed take a call from a listener, asking about the influence of technology on oratory over time.

00:06:02

The Myth of “Malaise”?

Gordon Stewart, former speechwriter to President Jimmy Carter, helps Brian tell the story of the “crisis of confidence” speech Carter delivered in 1979 – widely known as the “malaise” speech.

00:09:48