The Purpose of the Inaugural Ritual

Review of: The First Inauguration: George Washington and the Invention of the Republic by Stephen Howard Browne, (Penn State University Press, 2020). On April 30, 1789, General George Washington took his oath of …

A Book 800 Years in the Making

“There are lots of books about speechwriting—but this is the first one in 800 years about how to write a parliamentary speech,” reads a line in the publicity material issued …

Speechwriting, for Ill

Review of Unmasking the Klansman: The Double Life of Asa and Forrest Carter, by Dan T. Carter. Athens GA: NewSouth Books, 2023. Sunday marked the fifty-first anniversary of the most famous and …

Words, for Good and Ill

Review of: Voices of History: Speeches that Changed the World by Simon Sebag Montefiore. Most speechwriters would likely not know the name Mettius Pompusianus, but perhaps they should. Mettius was one …