Moments in History to Illustrate the Importance of Rhetoric
There have been many occasions throughout the course of history that rhetoric has made significant impacts. Who can forget Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech? This historic speech was given on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. For most people, it is the one speech that shows the true power of words in bringing about change. When Dr. King spoke the words "Let freedom ring", it not only brought light to the conditions many black Americans faced but it opened the eyes of white America. It was seen as a turning point in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's.
In 351 B.C., Demosthenes (382-332B.C), who was referred to as the "The Orator", gave a series of three scathing speeches against Philip of Macedon, who had aspirations of conquering Greece. These speeches were known as the Philippics. They warned the Athenians against an impending attack against them by Philip's forces. Even though they were unsuccessful in halting the reign of Philip, today a speech that harshly denounces someone is called a Philippic.
Another great example of a historical speech is Pericle's Funeral Oration, which was written by Thucydides for his History of the Peloponnesian War. In 431 B.C., at the end of the first year of the Peloponnesian War, Pericles gave this speech in Athens as a part of the annual public funeral of the dead. Here he compared the "greatness" of Athenian democracy to the "narrow and limited" scope of the Spartan oligarchy. It became one of the most influential political statements in Western civilization.
"Four score and seven years ago" were the words spoken by Abraham Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address in November of 1863. This speech was given at a turning point in the Civil War at the dedication of a cemetery in Gettysburg. The Civil War was being fought between the North and the South in the United States over slavery. This speech is still one of the most quoted speeches in the history of the United States.
While there have been many instances where rhetoric has been used in inspiring and uplifting ways, there have been some who used the art of rhetoric as a means to get the masses to do their bidding. One example is in 1095; Pope Urban II gave a speech at Claremont. This speech was the spark that ignited the first Holy Crusade. The speech was a call to the Byzantine Empire to free the "Holy Land" from its "evil" Muslim rulers. The success of the first crusade resulted in the establishment of the Kingdom of Israel.
One person in history who stands out as a rhetorician that used his words against others was Adolph Hitler. The German leader had the ability to tap into the feelings of his audience. He used his words to effectively get his audience behind him. The power of his rhetoric came not from the validity of the message but from how it was delivered. An example of this is his speech to the Reichstag of Germany on January 30, 1939. Hitler gave this speech as a climax of the film, Der Ewigee Jude (The Eternal Jew), which was a propaganda film talking about the "Jewish problem". This was the first of many announcements that the Jewish race would be annihilated. It eventually led to the slaughter of millions of Jews in Europe by the Germans which became known as "the Holocaust".
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