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Hamilton College Library
315-859-4479


Research Aids

Finding Speeches
 

Page Index
 

Related Links

Text, audio, and video versions of speeches, sermons, lectures, and other public addresses.

Full Text Collections


American Rhetoric

Collection of full text, audio and video versions of public speeches, sermons, legal proceedings, lectures, debates, interviews, and other recorded media events. The site also includes sections devoted to rhetorical devices, Chrisitan rhetoric, 9/11 rhetoric, movie speeches, and political speeches.

Gifts of Speech

Collection of speech texts by influential women from around the world.

History Out Loud

Audio collection of politically significant speeches and interviews, primarily from the 1960s and 1970s. Includes transcripts.

"I Do Solemnly Swear . . ."
Collection of approximately 400 items or 2,000 digital files from each of the 54 inaugurations from George Washington's in 1789 to George W. Bush's inauguration of 2001. Includes diaries and letters of presidents and of those who witnessed inaugurations, handwritten drafts of inaugural addresses, broadsides, inaugural tickets and programs, prints, photographs, and sheet music.

Vital Speeches of the Day

Coverage: 1934-present
Annual collection of speech texts from around the world on education, government, current events, history, economics, business and commerce, social progress, and politics.


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Indexes and Bibliographies


Speech Index

Location: Ref AI3 .S85
Index to collections of world famous orations and speeches (through 1980).


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Library Catalog Searches

Use the table below to develop search strings for locating primary source bibliographies and collections in library catalogs. Words in the table and accompanying examples are derived from Library of Congress subject headings. Words enclosed in [ ] must be replaced with specific descriptors (e.g., use american in place of [nationality].

Searching for . . . Enter this phrase + modifier(s)
[see examples]
general topics speeches addresses etc and [nationality]
[speaker's name]
[topic]
presidential addresses (collected) presidents united states messages    
sermons sermons and [nationality]
[speaker's name]

In ALEX

  • Choose the Advanced Search tab.
  • Place each phrase or modifier in its own box.
  • Change the defaults in the drop-down menus to the right to "as a phrase" and "subject" for entries shown in the "Enter this phrase" column from the table above.
  • Use a (?) to truncate words.

In WorldCat

  • Place each phrase or modifier in its own box.
  • Search by Subject for entries from the "Enter this phrase" column.
  • Use an (*) to truncate words.

Sample searches:

  • speeches addresses etc AND american
  • sermons AND tillich


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