Besides the obvious fact that we know that Margaret Sanger stood and delivered this bad boy orally at the Sixth International Neo-Malthusian Conference on Birth Control, how do we know "The Children's Era" is a speech?

Look at how it opens. Sanger addresses her speech to her audience, "Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen." That would be a weird way to open a legal document or a letter, right? Also, she continues to address her audience directly throughout.

"The Children's Era" follows that great pattern of modern speeches: Introduction, Transition, Body, Transition, Conclusion.

How it Breaks Down

Introduction (Sentences 1-12)

In the first two paragraphs, Sanger introduces her subject, "The Children's Era," a title inspired by Ellen Key's The Century of the Child. She rebukes her audience for failing to achieve a true Children's Era, or a world in which children are adequately cared for and loved.

Come on, people: think of the children.

Transition #1 (Sentences 13-27)

In paragraphs 3 and 4, Sanger transitions into the body of her speech with an extended metaphor about gardening, in which children are both the flowers and the weeds. Social activists like Sanger and her listeners are presented as the gardeners, responsible for keeping the garden healthy.

So far, they're not very good at it. This garden is going crazy with dandelions and Bermuda grass.

Body (Sentences 28-101)

As with any speech, the bulk of "The Children's Era" is the body: paragraphs 5-15. In the body, Sanger presents her arguments for providing contraceptives and education, which will allow mothers to plan for when they will become mothers and thus make a better world for children and mothers and all of society.

So basically, the body of Sanger's speech is all about…the body.

Transition #2 (Sentence 102)

We'll be honest: it's not the greatest transition ever. If you say, "In conclusion, let me repeat" (102), in your speech class, you might get points docked. 

Conclusion (Sentences 103-109)

Sanger returns to the themes of her Introduction. She says that the way to create the Century of the Child is to care for children before they are born by making sure their parents are ready to have children and healthy enough to do so. She ends with a call to action to her listeners to make this conference the turning point at which people started to move toward a brighter future.