Women at the Podium

Book excerpt: From the battlefield and the pulpit, before cameras and vast crowds, women have long shaped history with powerful, impassioned words. Now, in the first anthology of its kind, S. Michele Nix brings together the memorable speeches of women throughout the ages. Filled with courage, poignancy, and wit, Women at the Podium pairs issues of war, patriotism, social justice, women's rights, religion, politics, and the press with leaders who helped to change the world. With this landmark collection, relive history alongside the women who rose to champion their causes and countries. Listen as Elizabeth I braces her troops for battle against the Spanish Armada and Margaret Thatcher steadies Britain through the Falklands War. Lean in as Frances Harper advocates liberty for slaves and Margaret Chase Smith denounces McCarthyism. Engage in the battle for women's rights as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth campaign for the right to vote. Watch the drama unfold as Barbara Jordan argues for the impeachment of Richard Nixon and Lady Jane Grey says farewell from the gallows. Hear Eleanor Roosevelt, Golda Meir, Elizabeth II, Katharine Graham, Barbara Bush, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and many others in a collection that presents a unique and compelling view of history. Spanning centuries and crossing cultures, Women at the Podium stands as the definitive anthology of women's oratory. It is a stirring tribute to the many women who fought so hard to be heard.