Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Farmer and the Republican Party - William Howard Taft
2. Address to the American Indians - Woodrow Wilson
3. Address to the Boys' Progressive League - Theodore Roosevelt
4. Inaugural Address - Franklin D. Roosevelt
5. Inaugural Address - Franklin D. Roosevelt
6. Election Eve Campaign Speech - Thomas E. Dewey
7. Inaugural Address - Harry S. Truman
8. Checkers Speech - Richard M. Nixon
9. Presidential Campaign Address - Adlai Stevenson
10. Republican Convention Address - Dwight D. Eisenhower
11. Presidential Debate - John F. Kennedy, Richard M. Nixon
12. Presidential Campaign Address - Sen. Barry Goldwater
13. Address to the Nation - Lyndon B. Johnson
14. Presidential Campaign Address - Robert F. Kennedy
15. Inaugural Address - Richard M. Nixon
16. Resignation Address - Spiro Agnew
17. Resignation Address - Richard M. Nixon
18. Democratic Convention Acceptance Speech - Jimmy Carter
19. Inaugural Address - Ronald Reagan
20. Keynote Address for Democratic Convention - Mario Cuomo
21. Address to the Democratic Convention - Jesse Jackson

Disc 2:

1. First Recorded Promotional Message on the Edison Phonograph - Len Spencer
2. German Peril - James Gerard Watson
3. Address from France - John J. "Black Jack" Pershing
4. On Lindbergh's Return to the United States - Calvin Coolidge, Charles Lindbergh
5. Abdication Address - King Edward VIII
6. On His Return from the Munich Conference - Neville Chamberlain
7. On the Occasion of Germany's Occupation of the Sudetenland in ... - Adolf Hitler
8. Declaration of War With Germany - Neville Chamberlain
9. First Radio Address as Prime Minister - Neville Churchill
10. Declaration of War Against Japan - Franklin D. Roosevelt
11. First Atomic Bomb Attack on Japan - Harry S. Truman
12. Address to Congress - Douglas MacArthur
13. On the Fall of Dien Bien Phu - John Foster Dulles
14. Announcement of the Launching of Sputnik - Radio Moscow
15. Cuban Missile Crisis - John F. Kennedy
16. Confrontation over Presence of Russian Missles in Cuba - Adlai Stevenson
17. On Signing of the Civil Rights Bill - Lyndon B. Johnson
18. Eulogy for Robert F. Kennedy - Edward Kennedy
19. End of the Vietnam War - Richard M. Nixon
20. On Commencement of the Bombing of Iraq; "The World Could Wait No ..." - George H.W. Bush

Disc 3:

1. Ideal Republic - William Jennings Bryan
2. Future of Women in Flying - Amelia Earhart
3. Farewell to Baseball - Lou Gehrig
4. Address to the Nation on the R.A.F. - Winston Churchill
5. Greetings to the Children of England - Princess Elizabeth, Princess Margaret
6. Farewell to Baseball - Babe Ruth
7. Address to Congress - Casey Stengel
8. Farewell Address - Dwight D. Eisenhower
9. Inaugural Address - John F. Kennedy
10. First American in Earth Orbit - John Glenn
11. Address to Civil Rights Marchers in Washington, D.C. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
12. Christmas Greeting from Space - Frank Borman
13. Moon Landing - Neil Armstrong
14. Address to Congress - Hank Aaron
15. Address to the Nation on the Berlin Wall - Ronald Reagan

Disc 4:

1. Address on U.S. Neutrality - Charles Lindbergh
2. Address to the Chicago Irish Fellowship Club - Senator Joseph McCarthy
3. Kitchen Debate - Nikita Khrushchev, Richard M. Nixon
4. Farewell to Fans (The Payola Scandal) - Alan Freed
5. Concession Stand - Richard M. Nixon
6. On Black Power - Malcolm X
7. Address to the Yippie Convention - Jerry Rubin
8. Press Conference on the Riots at the Democratic Convention - Richard Daley
9. Address on Vietnam War Protests - Spiro Agnew
10. Address to the Women of America - Gloria Steinem
11. On Releasing the Watergate Tapes - Richard M. Nixon
12. Testimony at the Iran-Contra Hearings - Oliver North

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #82084 in Music
• Released on: 1991-09-24
• Number of discs: 4
• Format: Box set

Amazon.com
Students and teachers of history, enthusiasts of speechmaking, and folks needing something different to spice up those mix tapes with will enjoy this inspired four-disc tour of a century. It's a bit heavy on events a baby boomer is most likely to be interested in, but there's nothing wrong with knowing one's audience. For the most part, these recordings make 20th-century history appear to be happening right now. It might sound clichéd, but it really is a thrill to hear history in the making: Woodrow Wilson lying to the American Indians, Gloria Steinem addressing the National Organization for Women, the launch of sputnik, Dr. King delivering the "I Have a Dream" speech with intense clarity and emotion, Kennedy delivering his infamous address to the nation after being sworn in, the very first recording ever made on an Edison phonograph, Nixon resigning in shame, Hitler hatefully ranting about Germanic expansionism, Malcolm X powerfully speaking on black power, Babe Ruth saying good-bye to baseball, and Neil Armstrong uttering those famous words as he first steps onto the moon. --Mike McGonigal

Customer Reviews

Great classroom resource
This is a must for any US History teacher. It's one thing to read a landmark speech, quite another to hear it as you read along. Studying history is much more interesting when students can "touch" "hear" "see" it. To have the actual voice putting inflection and feeling to the words makes it more memorable. Students today are so visual that merely listening to the speech is ineffective. (trust me, they will fall asleep.) Hand out a printed copy of the speech for them to read along with and highlight key points. It's also helpful when students are taking the AP US History exam to be able to quote speeches in their DBQs.

A Good Anthology of Forgotten Talent---
Particularly in this day of manufactured charisma on television, great public speaking has become a lost art--look at what we are using for President right now! This set will serve as a reminder of what we used to enjoy, particularly on the political scene. Certainly, a Franklin Roosevelt or a John Kennedy only comes once in a great moon and this is an opportunity to remember what we have had, and lost. I have had this set for several years and my only regret is that it isn't longer; I suppose for practicality's sake the entire texts of the speeches couldn't be included. Sound quality is remarkable, particularly for the old pre-electric recordings. It will probably be a surprise to many to actually hear the pre-FDR Presidents speak; again, they were not homogenized in the manner popular now.

This is a great 'starter' set for those who enjoy the spoken word for its own sake.

Important Set--Good for school use
As a teacher this set is invaluable. The recordings are well-chosen and nicely mastered. It's a good survey of 20th century audio recordings.