> For instance, there is no real trace of this species of professional ventriloquist in any century but the 20th
There's nothing new about speechwriting. Antiphon of Rhamnus(480–411 BC) was a professional speechwriter. Calling them ventriloquists entirely misses the point. The speaker is the one responsible for the words. He doesn't read whatever is put in front of him. He directs the speechwriter to write what the speaker wants to say and is responsible for accepting, rejecting, or modifying it.
George Washington and Andrew Jackson did read others words as their own. Although Lincoln wrote his own speeches, he circulated drafts for comment and incorporated ideas from those comments.
Ok, fine, I wasn't really thinking of ancient Greece. (But you'll note that ancient Greece declined and fell shortly thereafter. Pericles didn't have a speechwriter, either.)
Jackson was notoriously illiterate. Washington was a stuffed shirt whose brain was largely provided by Hamilton. These are examples of the 20th century avant la lettre - neither statesman would have admitted the practice. Dishonorable behavior is not precluded in societies with strong honor codes - as we can see from Dr. King's own academic record.
There's nothing new about speechwriting. Antiphon of Rhamnus(480–411 BC) was a professional speechwriter. Calling them ventriloquists entirely misses the point. The speaker is the one responsible for the words. He doesn't read whatever is put in front of him. He directs the speechwriter to write what the speaker wants to say and is responsible for accepting, rejecting, or modifying it.
George Washington and Andrew Jackson did read others words as their own. Although Lincoln wrote his own speeches, he circulated drafts for comment and incorporated ideas from those comments.