The great American speech
Subtitle: words and monuments
By: Stephen Fender
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Published: 2015
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 194
ISBN-13: 9781780235486; 9781780235219
Subjects: Speeches, addresses, etc., American; History and criticism; LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES; Speech; Rede; Politiker; Nationalbewusstsein
Description: The land of the free and home of the brave, America is also the country in which this truth is supposedly self-evident: that we are all equal. It may not seem so at first, but there is a startling gap between these two visions of America, one more evident in today's fiercely partisan politics that pit free enterprise against social justice. In this fascinating look at America's most memorable speeches-which have become monuments in national memory-Stephen Fender explores the ways American speechcraft has kept alive a dream of equality and cooperation in the face of economic forces that have fa.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Cover; The Great American Speech: Words and Monuments; Imprint Page; Contents; Part One: A Common Culture; 1. Immigrants and the American Dream; 2. 'City on a Hill': The Communitarian Vision; Part Two: The Great American Speech; 3. Inaugurals: Adams, Jefferson and America's First Parties; 4. Webster and Lincoln: Monuments and Memory; 5. A Common Humanity: Kennedy Confronts the Soviets; 6. Unity and the Union: Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr; Part Three: The Movies: The Rise and Fall of the Moral Moment; 7. Six Monuments and a Filibuster: The Other Discourse of Mr Smith Goes to Washington.; title: 8. The Great Trial Scene: The Verdict and To Kill a MockingbirdAfterword; References; Acknowledgements; Index.