of this, one needs to try to influence the audience by being in control of one's emotions, making persuasion effective. The argument itself can affect the attempt to persuade by making the argument of the case so clear and valid that the audience will understand and believe that the speaker's point is real. In the last part of "Rhetoric", Aristotle mentions that the most critical piece of persuasion is to know in detail what makes up government and to attack what makes it unique: "customs, institutions, and interest". Aristotle also states that everyone is persuaded by considering people's interests and how the society in which they live influences their interests. Historical speeches Despite the shift in style, the best-known examples of strong public speaking are still studied years after their delivery. Among these examples are: Pericles' Funeral Oration in 427 BC addressing those who died during the Peloponnesian War Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address in 1863 Sojourner Truth's identification of racial issues in "Ain't I a Woman?" Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech at the Washington Monument in 1963. As in other parts of general culture, the notion of a canon of the most important historical speeches is giving way to a broader understanding. Many previously forgotten historical speeches are being recovered and studied. Women and public speaking There are many international female speakers. Much of women's earlier public speaking is directly correlated to activism work. United States Between the 18th and 19th century in the United States, women were publicly banned from speaking in the courtroom, the senate floor, and the pulpit. It was also deemed improper for a woman to be heard in a public setting. Exceptions existed for women from the Quaker religion, allowing them speak publicly in meetings of the church. Frances Wright was one of the first female public speakers of the United States, advocating equal education for both women and men through large audiences and the press. Maria Stewart, a woman of African American descent, was also one of the first female speakers of the United States, lecturing in Boston in front of both men and women just 4 years after Wright, in 1832 and 1833, on educational opportunities and abolition for young girls. The first female agents, and sisters, of the American Anti-Slavery Society, Angelina Grimké and Sarah Grimké created a platform for public lectures to women, and conducted tours between