Empathy and Empowerment: Resources for Educators Teaching History Through Speech and Oratory
I live and teach in Elk Grove, California, a city which takes pride in being uniquely diverse. Led by the first Hmong mayor in the United States, the city has no major ethnic or racial group that makes up most of the population. And yet, the textbooks I use in my “Revolution to Reconstruction” class focus on white America’s history. Many of my students do not see themselves anywhere in that book.

As a Ford’s National Oratory Fellow, I am a member of a professional learning community that provides teachers with tools to guide our students to “analyze and understand complex text.” The Ford’s Oratory programs help students find their voice to speak about issues that matter to them. By studying ways in which Abraham Lincoln and today’s orators use words to urge others to act, students gain confidence in their own ability to influence others using oratory.

This school year, I have set a goal to find a balance between materials that reflect the experiences of my students and those that offer them insight into the lives of others. I plan to bring my students into the conversation by using Teaching Tolerance’s lesson as a way for students to delve into multiple perspectives and evaluate whether each source is a window or mirror to their experience. Through critical analysis of contemporary orators, students make connections between the past and present and see that engaged citizens listen to and take part in civic dialogue.
Looking for a variety of speeches to use in your own classroom? Try these:
- Ford’s Theatre resources on Abraham Lincoln speeches
- Variety of historical and modern speeches cataloged on Speakola
Other resources for guidance in your classroom:
- The National Park Service’s series of books on the contributions of diverse ethnic groups to the Civil War.
- Emily Style’s Curriculum as Window and Mirror
- Dr. Rob Darrow’s webinar about LGBT History in Schools
Karen Richey is an unapologetic history fan who teaches seventh and eighth grade social studies at Toby Johnson Middle School in Elk Grove, California.