The speech study desk

Great speeches. Better questions.

A source-linked study library, with each speech’s original occasion kept in view.

Explore six historical speech profiles through original records and institutional sources. Read the event context, follow the source, and use the study prompts to inspect structure and delivery. This is a starting collection, not a definitive ranking. Keynotes, commemorative addresses, inaugural remarks, civil-rights speeches, and commencement talks are labeled separately.

Product keynote

The iPhone Introduction

Steve Jobs

January 9, 2007

One organizing idea for a complex subject.

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Convention keynote

The 1976 Convention Keynote

Barbara Jordan

July 12, 1976

A gathering, a community, a responsibility.

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Commemorative address

The Gettysburg Address

Abraham Lincoln

November 19, 1863

Read a short speech as a complete argument.

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Inaugural address

The 1961 Inaugural Address

John F. Kennedy

January 20, 1961

Connect an occasion to a clear public responsibility.

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Civil-rights address

“I Have a Dream”

Martin Luther King Jr.

August 28, 1963

Study context and the development of a public message.

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Commencement address

The Stanford Commencement Address

Steve Jobs

June 12, 2005

Separate stories, shared purpose.

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