African-American Orators

This long-needed sourcebook assesses the unique styles and themes of notable African-American orators from the mid-19th century to the presentof 43 representative public speakers from W.E.B. Du Bois and Ida B. Wells-Barnett Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesse Jackson to Barbara Jordan and Thurgood Marshall. The critical analyses of the oratory of a broad segment of different types of public speakers demonstrate how they have stressed the historical search for freedom upheld American ideals while condemning discriminatory practices against African-Americans and have spoken in behalf of black pride. This biographical dictionary with its evaluative essays sources for further reading and speech chronologies is designed for broad interdisciplinary use by students teachers activists and general readers in college university institutional and public libraries.