In anticipation of the the Democratic and Republican national conventions this summer, hypothes.is is hosting an annotatathon looking back at some of the greatest speeches in US convention history.

Direct students however you wish, but here are some possible questions to ask: how are the party representatives defining the party and its platform? How are they attempting to make the party appeal to voters? What key words and images are used in the speech (and how)? What historical contexts are referenced (directly or not) as shaping the speech?

There will be a national annotatathon of the speeches the week of May 23rd. However, you are welcome to annotate the speeches with your class before or after that date, whether publicly or in a private group.

Here are the speeches we’ve identified as most significant or interesting, though you are welcome to select your own for study as well–tag them “convention speeches” and “nextprez” and maybe others will join you.

• William Jennings Bryan, DNC 1896 (“Cross of Gold”)
• Franklin D. Roosevelt, DNC 1932 (“New Deal”)
• Hubert Humphrey, DNC 1948 (“Bright Sunshine of Human Rights”)
• John F. Kennedy, DNC 1960 (“A New Frontier”)
• Barry Goldwater, RNC 1964 (“Extremism in Defense of Liberty”)
• Barbara Jorden, DNC 1976
• Ronal Reagan, RNC 1976 (“A Challenge”)
• Ted Kennedy, DNC 1980 (“Dream that Never Died”)
• Mario Cuomo, DNC 1984 (“Tale of Two Cities”)
• George Bush, RNC 1988 (“1000 Points of Light”)
• Pat Buchanan, RNC 1992 (“Cultural War…for the Soul of America”)
• Barack Obama, DNC 2004
• Sarah Palin, RNC 2008
• Clint Eastwood, RNC 2012