Ian Ordenes Mrs. Rodeback ENGL 1010 A4 February, 22, 24. “Our Long National Nightmare is Over” By Gerald R. Ford Summarize To begin, Gerald R. Ford starts off by addressing the fact that he is taking over the office as president. He says that although he didn’t ask for this responsibility, he will not “shirk” it. He then states that he will be holding a meeting to discuss his views and opinions on what this nation needs concerning the matter on which this nation is facing. He then states that the people of America need to unite and press forward with this issue to be able to overcome it. He then begins to say that “truth is what holds the government and civilization together.” Saying “transparency and honesty is always the best policy.” …show more content…
Ford he addresses the political turmoil that the Watergate scandal had caused and shifts his focus into uniting and leading the nation guided by the laws and rules of the government. Speaker The speaker of this speech is Gerald R. Ford, who was the 40th vice president of America under president Richard Nixon. He attended Yale law school afterward, serving in the US Naval Reserve for four years before starting his political career as the U.S. representative from Michigan's 5th congressional district for the next 25 years. Then under the 25th amendment he became vice president. He came into office when President Nixon resigned from office instead of trying to fight his inevitable impeachment and removal. Audience The audience of Gerald R. Ford’s “Our long national nightmare is over” speech was intended to be for the American citizens that were concerned about the Watergate scandal. It is to reassure the people that America will get through this political problem only if we are united as one. It was meant to answer any questions concerned Americans had about things like, what is going to happen so that this doesn't happen again? How is our new “president” going to handle the current situation and what will America do to move forward and grow past this …show more content…
Ford wanted his audience to receive this message because he wanted to reassure the American people that trust and integrity were being restored back into the government after the Watergate scandal and President Nixon's resignation. He wanted to make sure that the people knew that while he was serving as president, he was going to do his best to unite the people of America and commit to being transparent and moving past this challenge. He tells his audience that although he did not seek out this giant responsibility of being president, he will not avoid it and will do his best to serve and better the nation while he is serving as president. Message The message of Gerald R. Ford’s speech “Our Long National Nightmare is Over” is moving past the Watergate scandal and restoring trust and confidence in the government and its laws, judgements, and transparency. In this speech he is reassuring American Citizens that, although many lost trust in the government after what was hidden from them, he is going to restore stability to the government so that Americans will be able to trust the government. In addition to this, he emphasizes the importance of transparency and openness in the