How Does Kennedy Use Of Logical Appeals In Jfk Civil Rights Speech

In 1963, the governor of Alabama, George Wallace, attempted to block the admission of two African American citizens to the University of Alabama. Following this event, President John Kennedy presented a Civil Rights Address to the American citizens on June 11, 1963; this speech addressed the issue of racial discrimination, which was rampant during his presidency. In the 1963 Civil Rights Address, Kennedy effectively persuades the American people to accept the idea of desegregation by showcasing the hypocrisy of racial inequality, appealing to morality, and establishing his dedication to the cause.
Kennedy begins his speech with a series of logical appeals. First, he reminds the American people that “this nation was founded...on the principle

Through the years, America had been established as the unofficial world police. The country made sure to stand up not only for their own freedom, but the freedom of those all around the world. Kennedy acknowledges this by proclaiming that “today, [America is] committed to a worldwide struggle to promote and protect the rights of all who wish to be free...when Americans are sent to Vietnam or West Berlin, we do not ask for whites only.” Through this, Kennedy continues to point out the hypocritical nature of those who oppose equality of the races. He calls attention to how America does not favor white people when helping other countries achieve freedom-making it illogical to do so in America. This is effective because it shows that the previous notion of the nation being founded upon equality was not just empty words; the nation had acted upon those ideals when dealing with foreign affairs. This establishes that it does not make sense to promote equality around the world, when America is not yet equal. Therefore, it conveys the message that until segregation is outlawed, America’s core values of freedom that they spread around the world have no

He questions “if an American, because his skin is dark, cannot eat lunch in a restaurant open to the public, if he cannot send his children to the best public school available, if he cannot vote for the public officials who will represent him...then who among us would be content to have the color of his skin changed and stand in his place?” With this, Kennedy uses an anaphora of the phrase ‘if he cannot’ to emphasize the lack of rights available to African American citizens. He closes the statement with a rhetorical question that allows the audience to empathize with this minority group by picturing how they would feel if they were facing the same discrimination. This is effective because it tugs on the hearts, and morality of each American citizen. It removes white citizens from their bubble of privilege, and reminds them that some of the basic rights they have aren’t received by everyone in the country. This realization creates feelings of pity and sympathy directed towards African Americans.Therefore, this makes the idea of desegregation more