Synopses & Reviews
From its earliest days, the Republican Party has been distinguished by its leaders' abilities to explain their ideas, inspire their followers, and shape their nation through clear, bold, and uplifting oratory. Many Republican speeches stand as rhetorical landmarks in American history. Others, however, have been overlooked and even downplayed, some argue, by a liberal elite intent on dismissing conservative voices. No more.
In The Right Words, the award-winning presidential scholar and speechwriter Wynton Hall celebrates the GOP's greatest oratorical gems, from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and Teddy Roosevelt's the Man with the Muckrake to Ronald Reagan's "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" and George W. Bush's "our mission and our moment" speech after 9/11.
More than a simple reprinting of great speeches from the past, this meticulously documented compendium draws on a massive reservoir of research as it examines the historical context of each of these great addresses and reveals the persuasive secrets that make each speech truly outstanding.
Beginning with America'sand perhaps history'sgreatest speaker, Hall presents Abraham Lincoln's profoundly moving Gettysburg Address as well as the speech Lincoln considered his greatest: the second inaugural. Other major addresses presented include:
- Ronald Reagan's thrilling "tear down this wall" speech and stirring "Challenger" address
- Teddy Roosevelt's muscular presentation on the Strenuous Life
- William F. Buckley's challenging, though never delivered, 1950 address to the Yale alumni
- Barry Goldwater's speech accepting the 1964 Republican presidential nomination
- Dwight D. Eisenhower's brilliant Atoms for Peace speech as well as his address to the nation before sending troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957
- Everett Dirksen's passionate words in support of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Complete with memorable contributions from John McCain, Newt Gingrich, President George W. Bush, and others, The Right Words is a veritable gold mine of Republican and conservative political theory, strategy, and action delivered by the party's most outstanding leaders. Hall's careful analysis of the technical elements that make each of these masterful presentations so effective will be particularly useful to anyone interested in public speaking, communications, or advocating for a political cause.
Review
"Wynton Hall understands what that greatest of recent Republicans, Ronald Reagan, understood: words matter. Ideas are communicated by words--the right words. It's not just what you say but how you say it. This is hardly a simple task."
—Paul Kengor, professor, Grove City College, author of God and Ronald Reagan and The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism
"In this stimulating book, Wynton Hall underscores a few of those Republicans who have done the job better than anyone, rightly beginning with Abraham Lincoln and continuing with a few notable surprises. This book is a must for the bookshelf of not just any well-informed Republican, but anyone interested in effective communication."
—Paul Kengor, professor, Grove City College, author of God and Ronald Reagan and The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism
Synopsis
This book will showcase the most significant moments of Republican discourse, from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and Cooper Union Speech and Teddy Roosevelt's The Man with the Muckrake to Ronald Reagan's Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall to George W. Bush's rallying of Americans to meet Our mission and our moment in September 2001. Through archival research and interviews with Republican insiders, Hall will take readers inside the greatest Republican speeches in American history, and will explain why some speeches succeeded when other failed. While not an instructional book, Hall will offer insights into the mechanics of effective leadership and communication.
Synopsis
A compilation of history-making oratory from some of the Republican Party's most important leaders includes works ranging from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address to famed speeches by Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, along with a look at the historical context and influence of each piece.
Synopsis
Winning Republican communication secrets revealed
From Abraham Lincoln to John McCain, Republican leaders have used words to shape our world. Sadly, many of the most soaring moments of Republican rhetoric have fallen between the cracks of history. Now Wynton Hall considers the GOP’ s greatest oratorical gems, from Lincoln’ s Gettysburg Address and Teddy Roosevelt’ s the man with the muckrake to Ronald Reagan’ s Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall and George W. Bush’ s our mission and our moment speech after 9/11. Drawing on a massive reservoir of research, Hall looks at the historical context and reveals the persuasive secrets embedded in these great speeches.
Wynton C. Hall is a Visiting Fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and is an award-winning presidential scholar and speechwriter. He is the coauthor, with Dick Wirthlin, of The Greatest Communicator (0-471-73648-1) and, with Caspar Weinberger, of Home of the Brave (0-7653-1303-0).
Synopsis
Advance Praise for The Right Words"These absorbing, oft-stirring speeches are made even more fascinating by Wynton Hall's deft, always insightful commentaries that place these masterpieces in their historical context."
—Steve Forbes, President and CEO of Forbes and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Magazine
"When President Reagan gave the Berlin Wall speech, I was standing between the podium stand and the wall. Someone told us that East Berliners were silently gathering on the other side. When Reagan finished speaking, and the applause died down, we could hear a rustling sound on the other side of the wall, like cattle moving restlessly before a storm. But indeed, a storm of freedom was coming. Thank you, Wynton, for The Right Words to establish the record."
—Marlin Fitzwater, White House Press Secretary under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush
"Aimed at Republicans, The Right Words will hit a much bigger audience: everyone who cares about American history, the presidency, and the hard work of using words well."
—Peter Robinson, former Reagan speechwriter and author of How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life
"Wynton Hall is a rising star among those who study conservatives and he has written an important and fascinating book about how Republican words have shaped and molded American history. For those interested in the history of the conservative movement and the Republican Party, this is not to be missed."
—Peter Schweizer, research fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University and author of Do As I Say (Not As I Do): Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy, Reagan's War: The Epic Story of His Forty Year Struggle and Triumph Over Communism and The Bushes: Portrait of a Dynasty
"In this stimulating book, Wynton Hall underscores a few of those Republicans who have done the job better than anyone, rightly beginning with Abraham Lincoln and continuing with a few notable surprises. This book is a must for the bookshelf of not just any well-informed Republican, but anyone interested in effective communication."
—Paul Kengor, professor, Grove City College, and author of God and Ronald Reagan: A Spiritual Life and The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism
Synopsis
Award-winning presidential scholar and speechwriter Wynton Hall brings together the Republican Partys greatest oratorical gems, from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and Teddy Roosevelt's the Man with the Muckrake to Ronald Reagan's ""Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall"" and George W. Bush's ""our mission and our moment"" speech after 9/11. Hall examines the historical context of each of these great addresses and reveals the persuasive secrets that make each speech truly outstanding.
Synopsis
Award-winning presidential scholar and speechwriter Wynton Hall brings together the Republican Party’s greatest oratorical gems, from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and Teddy Roosevelt's the Man with the Muckrake to Ronald Reagan's "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" and George W. Bush's "our mission and our moment" speech after 9/11. Hall examines the historical context of each of these great addresses and reveals the persuasive secrets that make each speech truly outstanding.
About the Author
Wynton C. Hall is a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. An award-winning presidential scholar, speechwriter, and author, Hall holds an M.A. from Texas A&M University in speech communication with an emphasis in presidential rhetoric and public affairs. In 2003, he was appointed to the eight-person National Task Force on the Presidency and Public Opinion, which is composed of some of the top presidential scholars in the United States. Hall is the coauthor of The Greatest Communicator: What Ronald Reagan Taught Me about Politics, Leadership, and Life (Wiley). His work has been published in The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Times, Presidential Studies Quarterly, National Review Online, and elsewhere.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments.
INTRODUCTION.
The Elephant Poachers: Leftist Academe and the Erasure of Republican Remembrance.
1 Abraham Lincoln: The First and Greatest.
The Gettysburg Address
NOVEMBER 19, 1863, BATTLEFIELD, GETTYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.
Second Inaugural
MARCH 4, 1865, U.S. CAPITOL,WASHINGTON, D.C.
2 Theodore Roosevelt: The Rough-Riding Rhetorician.
The Strenuous Life
APRIL 10, 1899,THE HAMILTON CLUB, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.
The Man with the Muck-Rake
APRIL 15, 1906,WASHINGTON, D.C.
3 William F. Buckley Jr.: American Conservatism Finds Its Spokesman in the Speech That Wasn’t.
Yale Alumni Day Speech
FEBRUARY 1950 (UNDELIVERED), YALE UNIVERSITY, NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.
4 Dwight D. Eisenhower: Strategic Speechifying.
Atoms for Peace
DECEMBER 8, 1953, UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, NEW YORK, NEW YORK
“Little Rock”
SEPTEMBER 24, 1957, OVAL OFFICE,THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON, D.C.
5 Everett Dirksen: The Speech That Made the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Possible.
“The Time Has Come”
JUNE 10, 1964, U.S. SENATE,WASHINGTON, D.C.
6 Barry Goldwater: “You Know He’s Right”.
“Extremism in the Defense of Liberty Is No Vice”
JULY 16, 1964, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION, THE COW PALACE, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.
7 Richard M. Nixon: The Beginning of the End.
“Checkers”
SEPTEMBER 23, 1952, U.S. CAPITOL,WASHINGTON, D.C.
8 Gerald R. Ford: “Our Long National Nightmare Is Over”.
Oath of the U.S. Presidency
AUGUST 9, 1974, EAST ROOM OF THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, D.C.
9 Ronald Reagan: A Shining Speaker on a Hill.
“The Evil Empire”
MARCH 8, 1983, ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EVANGELICALS, ORLANDO, FLORIDA.
Challenger
JANUARY 28, 1986, OVAL OFFICE,THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, D.C.
“Mr. Gorbachev,Tear Down This Wall”
JUNE 12, 1987, BRANDENBURG GATE, BERLIN, GERMANY.
10 Newt Gingrich: The Revolutionary Speaker.
“The Contract with America”
JANUARY 4, 1995, INAUGURAL SPEECH AS SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,WASHINGTON, D.C.
11 George W. Bush: His Mission and His Moment.
“Justice Will Be Done”
SEPTEMBER 20, 2001, JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS, U.S. CAPITOL,WASHINGTON, D.C.
12 John McCain: The Maverick and His Message.
“A Disingenuous Filmmaker”
AUGUST 30, 2004, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION, MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK, NEW YORK.
Notes.
Index.