American Farewell Speech

From Athens to America, democracy has seldom altered. Throughout centuries, Democratic practice may have slightly varied between leaders, but ideologies have remained unscathed. But why do democratic leaders feel compelled to ceremonially emphasize their form of government? When leaders emphasize their form of government and give praise to it with the full attention of their citizens, it strengthens the bond between citizen and leader. When this bond is intensified, trust is built, and Democracy is about nothing if not trust. This is shown time and time again through comparisons between Ancient Athenian and modern-day American democratic leaders. A prime example of similarities in the sentiment of messages of leaders throughout history is the

In January of 2017, Barack Obama returned to his hometown of Chicago to give a speech only explicitly given 10 times before: a farewell address. Due to the fact that this speech has only been given by 10 of the 44 presidents who’ve completed at least one full term so far, Obama’s motives were questioned by supporters and opposers alike. Many believe that Obama gave his speech because of who was holding office following his departure, current president Donald Trump. Due to the near foil of their beliefs, Obama felt it necessary to restate all of the points he solidified during his two terms in office. According to the transcription of his speech provided by the New York Times, Obama says, “we’re going to have to forge a new social compact to guarantee all our kids the education they need, to give workers the power to unionize for better wages. To update the social safety net to reflect the way we live now,” (“President Obama’s Farewell Address”). Obama stated points in his address such as healthcare, racism in present-day America, etc. All of which were points which he and Trump disagree on. During his speech, Obama’s audience chanted, “Four more years!” His crowd trusted him so much, and was so loyal, that they couldn’t bare to see him not in office. During the video of his oratory, the camera panned to people crying. Over eight years, Obama has instilled such trust in his supporters, that they would believe almost anything he