Verbal Analysis - Famous African American Speeches

Book excerpt: Geared towards advanced upper elementary and middle school students, this book contains 10 famous speeches: Mary McLeod Bethune (What does American Democracy Mean to Me?)Fannie Lou Hamer (Democratic National Convention)Thurgood Marshall (The Equality Speech)Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (Speech on Civil Rights)Mary Church Terrell (What It Means to Be Colored)Booker T. Washington (Democracy and Education)Sojourner Truth (Ain't I a Woman?)Malcolm X (The Ballot or the Bullet)Ida B. Wells (NAACP Speech Against Lynching)Frederick Douglas (Appeal to Congress for Impartial Suffrage) Each speech is presented and is accompanied by questions that help students analyze the content as well as the message. This is an excellent material when used in a group setting providing ample opportunity for group and Socratic discussion. Note: Due to copyright laws each speech has been obtained from the original transcriptions. No edits have been performed and no efforts have been made to change any grammatical or orthographic elements.