Representative American speeches, 2020-2021
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

As the New Year approached in 2020, millions of Americans shared internet memes reflecting the widespread hope that the new year would ease the chaos and fear of the COVID-19 pandemic. This, coupled with one of the most dramatic and contentious elections in American history, produced the sense that a new era was beginning. Nevertheless, 2021 proved just as challenging as the year that preceded it. Americans still faced a deadly disease that continued to kill thousands each month, while new variants expanded the danger to younger segments of the population. Efforts to combat the virus met with resistance, stalling progress and placing limits on Americans' daily lives. One record of this tumultuous year can be found in the speeches delivered by the most important and influential pop culture figures of the era. From new President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the highest-ranking female politician in American history, to activists and celebrities, the speeches from America's most significant figures provide an important reflection of the kinds of things that Americans cared about, worried about, and argued about over the course of the year. In the increasingly noisy and crowded information environment of American culture, only the loudest voices and most provocative issues rise to the forefront of the public debate. However, because of digital media, a number of smaller, more esoteric issues were also able to capture the public imagination, if only for a few brief moments. - Preface.

Selected from a diverse field of speakers and venues, this volume offers some of the most engaging American speeches of the year. Distinguished by its diversity, covering areas in politics, education, popular culture, as well as trending topics in the news, these speeches provide an interesting format to explore some of the year's most important stories.