Did the educated class really speak so well in the 19th century?

[LincolnToddFan]

[JFK's Inaugural is thrilling, but one senses that it was written to thrill]// quote

Juan you are 100% right. It was written to inspire or "thrill," and that's exactly what it did. It's one of the most famous and quoted of Inaugural Addresses.

The problem is that it is said to be mostly the work of Theodore Sorensen, JFK's main speechwriter.

That's what I admire and respect about Lincoln. Unlike our modern day presidents, he wrote all his own speeches.