Hillary’s First Speech: Historic 1969 Audio Reveals ‘Blueprint For Her Future’

On May 31, 1969, Wellesley College’s commencement ceremony included a student speaker for the first time in school history.

The graduating class of ’69 chose a 21-year-old political science major as their representative. Her name was Hillary Rodham, not yet Clinton, and she would go on to become the first female presidential nominee from a major political party in U.S. history.

In June, Wellesley released excerpts of the audio recording of the speech. Now, as Clinton prepares to address the Democratic National Convention on Thursday night, listen to the complete speech, just made available by Wellesley.

Commenting on the commencement speech are two journalists familiar with Hillary Clinton: Rebecca Traister, who writes about women in politics and media for New York Magazine, and Michelle Goldberg, a columnist for Slate whose latest article is entitled “The Hillary Haters.”