AllMovie

This work deals with famous speeches that both inspired and infuriated the masses during America's Civil War (1861-1865). The speeches come from the texts of many of the notable participants themselves. Included in this 37 minute 1997 MPI production are orations by President Abraham Lincoln, southern General Robert E. Lee, President of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis, and abolitionists John Brown and Frederick Douglass. These speeches lay out the framework of what the war was about and why the country was so divided that it led to the bloodiest war in American history. Other interesting videos on the subject include Ken Burn's masterful series The Civil War, the seven volume Civil War Journal series and Ken Meyer's drama Civil War Diary.