https://presidentspeechproject.my.canva.site/
Presidential speeches fulfill essential roles—communicating policies, inspiring citizens, and addressing crises. Whether fostering unity or navigating international relations, they are a powerful tool for leaders to shape public perception, provide direction, and address the nation's pressing concerns.
Has the linguistic style and topics in the US presidential speech changed over time?
We aim to analyze presidential speeches in the United States from George Washington to the present day. This analysis will enable us to explore the evolution of discourse styles. The primary objective of our project is to examine the patterns in U.S. presidential speeches over time.
Data collected from the Miller Center's official website, an impartial affiliate of the University of Virginia, offers public access to U.S. presidential speeches spanning from George Washington in 1789 to Joe Biden's 2023 addresses. These encompass various formats, including formal national addresses, press conferences, and informal remarks, which total in 1037 transcripts. It provides comprehensive resource for analyzing the
| Data Type | Count |
|---|---|
| Transcripts | 1037 |
| Presidents | 45 |
| Presidential Years | 1789-2023 |
| Political Parties | 5 Different Parties |
Miller Center: https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-speeches
Miller Center gathered the transcripts from variety of sources:
George W. Bush to Joe Biden (whitehouse.gov)
Older speeches from presidential library (such as Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Franklin Roosevelt Presidential Library)
Presidency.ucsb.edu (digitzed version of Public Papers of the Presidents)
Many Presidential papers and records had been lost, destroyed, sold for profit, or ruined by poor storage conditions. In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt sought a better alternative. (archive.org)
Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. "Presidential Speeches: Downloadable Data." Accessed March 17, 2022. data.millercenter.org.