Paired Texts > Shirley Chisholm's Presidential Announcement Speech Transcript

by Shirley Chisholm

1972

We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.

11th Grade Speech 1170L
Testimony Before the Senate Hearings on the Equal Rights Amendment
  • Gloria Steinem
  • 1970

Gloria Steinem (1934-present) is an American feminist, journalist, author, and social-political activist. She gained national recognition as a leader of the “Second Wave” feminist movement in the 1960s and 1970s. On May 6th, 1970, Gloria Steinem stood before the Senate and delivered this speech, advocating for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and seeking to dispel myths about women.

Pair “Testimony Before the Senate Hearings on the Equal Rights Amendment” with “Shirley Chisholm’s Presidential Announcement Speech” to provide students with additional information about the discrimination that women in America were facing during this time. How might Shirley Chisholm’s experiences with discrimination have been more severe, as a black woman in politics? How do both texts emphasize the importance for black women to have a voice in politics?

10th Grade Speech 1170L
President Obama’s 2015 State of the Union Address
  • President Barack Obama
  • 2015

In this text, President Obama gives his 2015 State of the Union speech and addresses economic issues and recovery.

Pair “President Obama’s 2015 State of the Union Address” with “Shirley Chisholm’s Presidential Announcement Speech” and ask students to discuss Barack Obama and Shirley Chisholm’s roles in politics. How do students think Chisholm’s candidacy for the Democratic nomination contributed to Barack Obama’s eventual success winning the presidency? How does Obama echo Chisholm’s ideas about unification? What do Chisholm and Obama express as being important to them about America in their speeches?

10th Grade Speech 1200L
First Lady Hillary Clinton’s Address to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women
  • First Lady Hillary Clinton
  • 1995

In the speech “First Lady Hillary Clinton’s Address to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women,” Clinton tells the United Nations why women’s rights are human rights and encourages the world to protect those rights.

Pair “First Lady Hilary Clinton’s Address to the Fourth World Conference on Women” with “Shirley Chisholm’s Presidential Announcement Speech” and ask students to discuss the importance of the presence of women in politics. How do both Chisholm and Clinton both support the idea that women bring a needed perspective to political conversations? Why isn’t it enough for political leaders to hear women’s stories? Why do they need to be included in the conversation about decisions? How do both Clinton and Chisholm express the importance of unity for success?