Masterpieces of Negro Eloquence / The Best Speeches Delivered by the Negro from the days of / Slavery to the Present Time

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

22240

Title

Masterpieces of Negro Eloquence / The Best Speeches Delivered by the Negro from the days of / Slavery to the Present Time

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This anthology collects the most powerful speeches delivered by African Americans from the era of slavery to 1914. Edited by Alice Moore Dunbar, the volume highlights the eloquence of figures like Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, and W.E.B. Du Bois. It serves as a testament to the race's struggle for freedom, civil rights, and social equality, offering inspiration and historical context for future generations.

Summary up to 500 words

Compiled to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, *Masterpieces of Negro Eloquence* presents a curated selection of oratory that defined the African American experience from the era of slavery through the early twentieth century. Edited by Alice Moore Dunbar, the volume opens with Prince Saunders' plea for Haiti to serve as an asylum for freed people, setting a tone of urgent humanitarian concern amidst the island's political divisions. Frederick Douglass stands as a central figure, delivering his iconic address "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July," which starkly contrasts American liberty with the reality of bondage. Other major contributions include James McCune Smith's vigorous defense of civil rights under the Fourteenth Amendment against state discrimination and Charles H. Langston's impassioned speech before the U.S. District Court regarding the Fugitive Slave Law. The text also features Booker T. Washington's famous Atlanta Exposition address, emphasizing industrial education and racial uplift, alongside W.E.B. Du Bois's call for social reform and higher education. Themes of military service, as seen in Robert Gould Shaw's tribute to the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, and the quest for legal equality permeate the collection. The speeches range from solemn memorials to fiery defenses of human rights, illustrating the evolution of Black thought from the abolitionist movement through Reconstruction and into the Jim Crow era. The editor notes the difficulty in preserving these works, acknowledging that many great speeches were lost to modesty or neglect. Ultimately, the book stands as a vital historical record, capturing the voices of those who fought to secure their place in the nation's economy and society, urging readers to recognize the enduring power of their words.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

Download URL

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22240.epub.noimages

Local file path

data/epubs/pg22240.epub

Removed after upload

Downloaded at

2026-07-04 05:34 UTC

Categories

• Biography
• History
• Speeches