“All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days . . .nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.” (Kennedy). On November 27, 1963, Lyndon Baines Johnson delivered his speech, Let Us Continue, to memorialize the untimely death of his predecessor, the late President John F. Kennedy. Lamented President Kennedy was described as "the greatest leader of our time" and the new President Johnson would not only have to commemorate his forerunner, but also convince the American nation to continue on without him (Johnson). He involved a number of emotional appeals to persuade his audience to overcome and conquer their adversity. President Lyndon B. Johnson strived to continue the works of President Kennedy, but his speech indicated that he could not do so without the assistance and engagement of the American people.
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on the 22nd of
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Johnson uses an emotional plea in his address to the American public in which he iterates that "No words are sad enough to express our sense of loss. No words are strong enough to express our determination to continue the forward thrust of America that he [President Kennedy] began." (Johnson) This being said, he uses the linguistics of "we" to show that they are unified in their grief. Also, he clearly vocalizes their sadness must not hinder the nation's advancements, politically, socially, and even economically, as he states later into his speech. "Today in this moment of new resolve, I would say to all my fellow Americans, let us continue. " Johnson says as he replies to President Kennedy's earlier mentioned quote, where he voices that although it will take a lengthy time, they must begin to take action now. This intertwines both president's statements and portrays the immediate relation of their presidencies, and how President Johnson will persist President Kennedy's desires for the