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Rhetorical Analysis Of Lyndon B Johnson's Speech

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Recommended: Racism during the civil rights era

On March 7th, 1965, a day now known as “Bloody Sunday”, displayed the tragedy of civil rights activists being brutally assaulted. This horrific example of blatant racism and hatred towards African Americans demanded a reaction from our government. The current President, Lyndon B. Johnson was tasked with uniting a country that seemed on the brink of conflict within itself. There were talks of him sending a bill that would declare the right of voting for all citizens. Lyndon B. Johnson had received criticism for how long it took him to send a voting bill to Congress. Johnson explained that he did not want to promote a bill he wasn 't sure would pass, and it couldn’t be bill that could be described as unconstitutional. While receiving complaints …show more content…

As many older Southern men, President Johnson had a very slow but consistent speed when he spoke. His tone was very somber and concerned, which was appropriate due to the events that had just occurred in Selma. This tone rarely changed throughout the speech, as he rarely raised or lowered his voice. Due to the grave importance this speech, he did not crack any jokes or make any comments to alleviate the discomfort caused by the issue of racial injustices. President Johnson did not speak with metaphors or use any allusions. This aided him in reinforcing just how important this topic was to him and should be to everyone watching. He used the discomfort and tense pressure that had been building up to his advantage as he shamed all of those who denied voting rights many times throughout the speech. There are many moments throughout the speech where he seems to be targeting specific Congress members with his intimidating stare. In fact, after he said Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s famous words he stared at Senator Dirksen who was one of the few who did not stand and applaud. His deliberate focus caused the cameras to turn to the senator, forcing him to stand and join the audience. Much like a murderer in a horror film, his attacks were relentless as he detailed the many injustices the US had caused to the many African Americans. His delivery ultimately aided him with getting his message across. Based solely on the immediate reactions from the crowd present at the address, his speech was wildly

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    One reason that reveals President Johnson’s principled motivation can be found in Doc A. L.B.J first job after college was being a teacher in Cotulla, Texas. He was teaching Mexican children who were poor but tried their best to learn and look nice for school. He wanted to teach this school of 5,6, and 7 graders because at the time there was poverty and segregation and was willing help even if

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John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, leaving his Vice President, Lyndon B. Johnson, in charge of a hopeless and disbanded country. Shortly after he was sworn in, Johnson attempted to ease those emotions in his speech, "Let Us Continue." In his speech, "Let Us Continue," Johnson's purpose is to persuade his audience that the country needs to be united again in order to move on and to ease the hopelessness and emotional tension after Kennedy's assassination. Johnson first addresses his audience, and then starts out with the usage of an antithesis, stating that "The greatest leader of our time has been struck down by the foulest deed of our time," creating an empathetic mood in order to soothe the emotional tension within the audience.

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He used Logos and Pathos by telling facts about racist voting restrictions and then phrased it in a way to make the crowd give sympathy. An example of him using logos and pathos is when he said: “Yet the harsh fact is that in many places of this country men and women are kept from voting simply because they are Negroes.” He said this right after he said “Every American citizen must have an equal right to vote.” these two lines shock the audience. These two joined together, is the perfect strategy because when Lyndon Johnson stated what should be and what everyone believed, and then said what the harsh reality was in a negative way, it literally changed the perspective of many Members of congress and many other viewers.

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One way Johnson does this is by building up his trust with congress as well as his people through promising appeals. Johnson often uses “we” in most of his speech to prove to the citizens that it is not just them in the fight, but that he is providing assistance to reach their intentions. He continues to build that trust throughout his speech by putting himself as a human as well, not just as the leader of the country. Since Johnson is a white man who is trying to fight for African American rights during that era, it is quite hard to do so considering whites once hated blacks. This being said, it's Johnson's duty to enforce that trust to make the African Americans believe he is attempting to better their lives.

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Americans have lost their lives for centuries in exchange for our nation’s freedom, but is every citizen really free? President Lyndon B. Johnson addressed congress following a police beat down during a peaceful protest in Selma, Alabama. The protest led by Martin Luther King became a turning point in American history; attacks on African American’s at Selma sparked reason in the eyes of many. Johnson used his address to Congress as a call to action, his goal was to ensure freedom and equality for all citizens; they shall not face persecution for the color of their skin. “We Shall Overcome” suggests that the text focuses on the constitutionality of the police beat down in Selma, Alabama and the concern of how our nation will overcome the issues of racism.

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To me, his use of pauses really set the mood and was the most effective for making his point serious. He was well spoken but not word heavy. We can learn to follow similar techniques if are ever in position to speak to the nation and declare war with another country; or for giving a speech to on a smaller level like a classroom presentation. Thank you

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He successfully uses the three rhetorical appeals, allegory, and repetition to get his point across. His speech definitely shows the South it could be capable of amazing success, if the Whites and the African American realize they need each

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Dr. King addressed the masses in a passionate,emotional manner. He didn't fail to point out that society was the issue, he didn't single anyone out. From the way he chose to phrase his words, to keeping his tone serious and firm, without being irate. He used ethos, in saying " And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true".

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The usage of personal stories creates depth and dimension to the position he’s taken on the nation’s bigotry; the addition of quote for other significant civil rights activists add to his knowledge base and give Johnson a stronger foundation for his beliefs. He uses Abraham Lincoln’s civil rights movement to back up statements and positions he has taken on the horrific incident in Selma, Alabama. Appealing to Lincoln creates a precedent about his stance because of Lincoln’s impact on the civil rights movement; the usage of his name and actions builds Johnson’s credibility by using Lincoln’s as support. This speech was a call to action of the nation’s congress on racial differences, most bigotry was found in the south. “As a man whose roots go deeply into Southern soil…” was a portion of Johnson’s speech.

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Throughout the speech he is answering the question of “Why a civil rights leader has become a anti-war protester?” He uses rhetorical strategies such as; diction, similes, and specificity to strengthen his argument. To answer those who question him Dr. King gives three claims all of which resonate with people in different

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Lyndon Johnson´s speech was presented in 1965 at Johns Hopkins University. He was the successor of President, J.F. Kennedy. During this time, the Cold War was taking place in the world. It consisted of a state of tension between the Soviet Union and the United States that took place from 1945 until 1991. Even though they never fought directly against each other, it affected the rest of the countries.

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Analysis: He first begins his speech with raising awareness and not shying away from the vulgar and disturbing actions of hatred that were allowed at the time. He does not shy away from using the word “death”, which for obvious reasons, has a negative connotation associated with it. He continues the speech by addressing the issues that the world is currently facing. He addresses 3 main issues of war, racial segregation and injustices and

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Many people were brutally beaten and there were also some that lost their lives, because of it. Lyndon B Johnson begins his speech his by convincing his listener that he will flight for what is owed to the Negros. That is the equal right to vote regardless of your race. The speech “We Shall Overcome”, speech gets to the core of the problem within the Legislation itself. He wants to see that everyone will abide by the 15th Amendment that gives Negros the right and the privilege to vote without any recourse, without worrying

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John F. Kennedy uses literary devices to capture the attention of the audience, sets himself equal to his audience getting their attention and support, and uses the christian religion to strike the emotions and gain the support of his audience. Kennedy uses many literary devices to catch the attention of his audience. One of these devices is repetition. One example of repetition that Kennedy uses is, “Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.

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This is a very fundamental moment in his speech. He is uplifting the north and stating that the south should have a bigger punishment than it received. It shows his grace and appreciation for the south and gives hope to the reconstruction that is about to take place. The listeners are every citizen of the United States, whether that be northerner or southerner. He is addressing both the offender and the tolerator by means of referring to an earlier event and describing the outcome and plan for improvement and prosperity.

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