So for work research I have been reading a collection of famous speeches by Native Americans. It’s been a very interesting read, especially in the early 1800′s speeches which I can compare to other political speeches of the time (primarily abolitionists) and see similar rhetorical devices. But the thing is, because as speeches these were given orally, most are less than four pages long.
Then we get to William Apes (later known as William Apess), a mixed race speaker who was Pequot through his mother and also Methodist. He considered himself a descendant of King Philip aka Metacomet and wished to deliver a eulogy to the late leader...while also reading the early Puritans for filth. For 23 pages. It is an incredible read. “Eulogy on King Philip” At times it’s like a hyper-elegant callout post. Wonderful.
The Wikipedia page on William has links to almost all his works at the bottom, including the speech, his autobiography, and the book mentioned in the speech as “Indian Nullification”. Only one sermon is missing, but the others are all free. I recommend checking it out, the Eulogy especially is one heck of a read.











