The Oratory of Negro Leaders: 1900-1968 examines the personal and professional lives of famous black orators of the twentieth century.

“Many years ago I was invited to deliver a short speech during Negro History Week sponsored by a local historical society. The assigned topic was ‘Spokesmen for an Oppressed People.’ To secure materials for this address, I went to the local library to assemble a bibliography. Surprisingly, there was only one anthology—Negro Orators and Their Orations by Carter G. Woodson, the noted historian. While this book was inadequate, it supplied the bulk of materials for the address...”

“The paucity of materials on Negro oratory in histories revealed a need for a hook of this kind. Hence, I prepared this history, which has been limited to the twentieth century. It will tell the story of Negro oratory in the United States from the rise of Booker T. Washington in 1900, as a finished public speaker, through June, 1968, of the Great Society made popular by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Considerable emphasis will he placed upon the Negro revolt which has been symbolized in the leadership of the orator, Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as through the civil-rights activities of college students who affiliated themselves with Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).”

“This volume is the first history of Negro oratory in the United States during the twentieth century. I am very much aware that I must assume full responsibility for the contents of this book. It is hoped that the information in this work will influence the reader to conclude that effective public speaking is one of the gateways to leadership.” - Marcus H. Boulware ~ (Excerpted From His Preface)

Alex Haley contributed to The Oratory of Negro Leaders: 1900-1968 by writing the foreword.