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The Silent Majority Speech Analysis

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On November third 1969 Many families around the US gathered around their TV screens waiting for the President’s face to magically appear before them. Many others gathering around their radios tuning in and waiting for the President’s bland-monotone voice. Analysing this famous speech made by this infamous leader makes one ask why he made this speech and why, in it, he essentially used great lengths of propaganda to persuade his audience.
Throughout Nixon’s famous speech, The Silent Majority, many instances of logical arguments with solid evidence are used. These logical arguments establish Nixon’s credibility of his speech as well as his position on the war in Vietnam. Nixon almost immediately starts the speech with true statements “The war had been going on for 4 years, 31,000 …show more content…

Nixon’s characterises peace and freedom to mean absent of socialistic ideals or freedom from socialistic ideals instead of the traditional meaning of a state of tranquility or freedom from civil disturbance. Nixon in the first few lines states “I had to think of the effect of my decision on the next generation and on the future of peace and freedom in America and in the world”. Nixon’s prospects for peace and freedom to most seem earnest and whole hearted painting the president as one who strives for a world without war or conflict. Nixon stating that he “had to think of the effect of [his] decision on the next generation” also depicts himself as being aware of the fact that his decisions now will not only impact those living now but those to come. While Nixon talks about his policy and plan of action he states “For the future of peace, precipitate withdrawal would thus be a disaster of immense magnitude”. Nixon discredits any anti vietnam warriens by stating that if the US were to pull abruptly out of Vietnam instead of the intended result of ending the conflict that it would create a multitude of new conflicts and

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Larry Berman's, No Peace, No Honor (Touchstone), argues that Richard Nixon wanted to be remembered as a great foreign policy president, however, his plans went array due to the Watergate scandal. Berman believes that with the aid of Henry Kissinger, President Nixon buried the truth about America's “honorable” pulling out of South Vietnam, thus leaving the South to fend off their northern counterparts. It is argued by Kissinger that the administration won the war and that it was Congress that lost it. Kissinger has said that it is evident that congress lost the war when they defunded any continued military activity that could have prevented the communist from taking over South Vietnam. Berman argues that Nixon and Kissinger both knew that with

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Nixon’s use of rhetoric devices underscore that he is relatable and trusting. He announces that he has not taken anything anyone has given him for his personal use except a dog from a man in Texas for his family. “It was a little cocker spaniel dog... black and white, spotted, and our little girl Tricia, the six year old, named it Checkers. And you know, the kids, like all kids, loved the dog, and I just want to say this, right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we are going to keep it”(Nixon para.

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The Vietnam war had been nicknamed ‘Johnson’s war’, which automatically put Nixon at an advantage over Humphrey, who was Johnson’s Vice President and still supported the war. This influenced Nixon’s election as many democrats turned away from Humphrey and used Nixon as an anti-war alternative. Humphrey’s stance led Nixon’s popularity to increase nationwide as, although relatively anti-civil rights, Nixon appealed to Afro-Americans like Martin Luther King, who had clashed with Johnson over the war. Nixon’s anti-war policies caused him to gain support from many unlikely areas of the USA, along with those in the silent majority that he originally targeted, leading him to be elected as President in

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In 1974, former President Nixon resigned from office and Gerald Ford became the temporary president. One of the first executive orders that Ford did was pardon Nixon for his crimes against the United States. The entire scandal had, “driven a stake into the heart of traditional national politics.” (Farber, 27) This controversy was not only publicized nationally, but severely damaged the American people’s already withering relationship with their government.

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One of the reasons Nixon’s speech helped him out so much was the use of pathos that he had used to get people's emotions. When Nixon said “During their brief rule there, there was a bloody reign of terror in which 3,000 civilians were clubbed, shot to death, and buried in mass graves” (The Silent Majority). During the Silent Majority speech he was using pathos by making the audience feel emotion about the civilians that were killed. Another persuasive technique that Nixon had used during his speech that made it effective was repetition. Nixon said “Ultimately, this would cost more lives.

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