Rhetorical Analysis Of Hoover's First Inaugural Address

An incredibly devastating time for many Americans, the early 1930s introduced the country to the nightmare that was the Great Depression. Sparked by the Stock Market Crash that took place on Monday, October 19, 1929, the Great Depression was the most severe economic downturn in American history. On that infamous Monday alone, investors lost 14 billion dollars and by the end of the year their losses had tripled. In the 1920s, it was estimated that four to five banks opened up around the country on a daily basis. Because of the Great Depression, by 1933, nearly half of our country’s banks had already failed. Just four years after the depression began, the national unemployment rate was increased from 3% to an astonishing 25%, meaning that

Hoover carried the blame for the Depression. The American people believed that he wasn’t doing enough in attempt to alleviate such a ruinous economic depression, so in the election of 1932 they demanded a change. Winning by a landslide, democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt took over for Hoover and went on to become the longest-serving president in American history. Roosevelt believed that the government had to play a stronger role in the economy if America was to see any future prosperity. In his first inaugural address, Roosevelt utilizes metaphorical language, a personal and honest tone, and pathos in attempt to revive the lost trust and confidence of the American people in its federal government. He also aims to provide a hope for the future, reassuring the nation that they have not failed and that they will soon be thriving once

He states, “These my friends are the lines of attack…We must move as a trained and loyal army willing to sacrifice for the good of a common discipline…I assume unhesitatingly the leadership of this great army of our people dedicated to a disciplined attack upon our common problems.” This metaphor aids Roosevelt in establishing himself as a strong leader, something that citizens had been longing for during the years of the Depression that they had endured before Roosevelt was elected president. It also aims to create a sense of unity among the American people. By referring to them as an army, Roosevelt reminds U.S. citizens that they all share a common goal. However, this goal can only be reached if they trust in both their leader and in each other to work as one and to make the necessary sacrifices for the good of the