Current Presidential Administration: Quote Analysis

December 7, 1941 is a day that will live with us forever. On December 8, 1941, the next day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave one of the most patriotic speeches this country has heard. He used several different rhetorical devices, Ethos, Pathos, Logos, to strengthen his argument.  His speech was an argument that was trying to get his fellow americans to stand up and fight for our freedom. He came across many groups of people who were totally against going to war but his speech was very logical and filled with emotion many of his fellow Americans backed his idea. Since, President Roosevelt had won over the majority of the americans he was able to get us ready to go to war and avenge Pearl Harbor. When the country is attacked, and

"Throughout the years the constitution and the laws have made a tremendous impact in society. White men were privileged with all their rights since they were born. Women and men of color however were not, and they had to fight for their rights throughout the years. The Articles of confederation showed how the states had more power than the government did. In document two it states, “ urging to reject conservative attempts to repeal a law that set in motion an end to slavery.” (E,126) This shows how African American’s had to wait many years for laws to pass and give them freedom. They had the same rights as the White men after the 13th,14th, and 15th amendments were passed. Women had to wait longer and finally got their right to vote when

This quote shows how the klansmen have forced people to do want they want or they will face punishments. This also showed the lack of equal law treatment in the states at the time that

“I will say, then, that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races; that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people. And while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and

The doctrine of self-government is right—but has no just application, as here attempted. Or perhaps I should rather say that whether it has such application depends upon whether a negro is not or is a man. If he is not a man, why in that case, he who is a man may, as a matter of self-government, do just as he pleases with him. But if the negro is a man, is it not to that extent a total of destruction of self-government, to say that he too shall not govern himself? When the white man governs himself that is self-government; but when he governs himself, and also governs another man, that is more than self-government—that is despotism.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) addressed the nation in a “fireside” chat on December 29, 1940 called “The Arsenal of Democracy” ("Franklin Delano"). It was one of twenty-eight fireside chats that Roosevelt would eventually give, but it would become known as one of his best speeches (Roosevelt xi). In this chat he again used the radio to talk to Americans in their homes, where it felt relaxed and informal, despite addressing a serious issue that our nation faced (Roosevelt xi). Roosevelt wanted to tell the people of the United States about the threat caused by the Axis powers’ assault on Great Britain. He felt that America had a responsibility to help Britain and in doing so maintain our national security. President Roosevelt took a strong stance on the need to support Britain and in his speech laid out a plan to build an “arsenal of democracy” in the United States that would protect our country as well as our allies ("Franklin Delano").

In Document B, by Dr. W.E.B. DuBois said “In order to earn a living, the American Negro was compelled to give up his political power”. The African Americans were struggling because they had to pick between voting or having a job to survive. Even though, African Americans were told that they had gained their freedom they would still get punished by the government. They were being punished by putting them in jail, making them work in public, and were being whipped. “If the government does so we are left in a more unpleasant condition than our former” (Document M). Having freedom didn’t make any difference to the African Americans because the government made their lives even more difficult. Their lives became more difficult because if some of the African Americans voted they wouldn’t have a chance to have a job and would end up

Many states in the North had restricted suffrage, (Doc A). Free blacks were not given the right to vote, this affected many things in free black’s lives. Voting influences what happens in schools, neighborhoods, and jobs. Referring back to the Constitution again, it states that citizens have a right to vote and shall not be denied due to race or color. Black people had no way of contributing or giving their opinion about government affairs or decisions because of this limitation. This means that they had to live with whatever resolutions were made about their town, schools, churches, and other things without being considered. White people were excluding blacks from any chance to have a say in government; therefore also revealing that blacks were not actual citizens and don’t deserve the rights whites do. Free blacks were also not given the right of jury duty, (Doc A). As a citizen, your voice is important to the government’s decisions; jury duty is a crucial piece to our society. It shows your capability to determine right from wrong. The white people were not only denying the blacks of this right, but they were insulting their intelligence and abilities. This is another way that blacks were unable to contribute to their government, they roamed around helpless as the whites held all of the power to make decisions. This also gave whites an advantage, making free blacks doomed if ever wound

Frederick Douglass once said, “No man can be truly free whose liberty is dependent upon the thought, feeling and action of others, and who has himself no means in his own hands for guarding, protecting, defending and maintaining that liberty.” Throughout the history of America his words have proven true seeing that those of African descent have been faced with a tremendous amount of prejudice. Whether that be in terms of the basic rights vital to African americans, or the freedom of expression that should be allotted to every human being. They were subjected to endless economic and social prejudice. While at the same time being refused the decencies all American citizen deserved. But most importantly, African Americans were denied the right to decide how their country was controlled and in turn their “liberty”. These atrocities prove that the reform introduced during the Reconstruction era did little to resolve the problems plaguing African Americans or improve their quality of life.

Throughout America’s history the franchise has been withheld from different groups. This has been possible due to weakly written laws that do not provide adequate protections. In 1965 PL 89-110 was passed, this law, commonly known as the Voting Rights Act of 1965, finally provided real protections for minorities living in southern states. In recent years the language of the law was modified within the Supreme Court to take away the law’s primary power. In the following mock Congressional testimony we will go back to 1848, 13 years before the American Civil War, and provide evidence of why a law like PL 89-110 is necessary and commendable.

In this paper I am going to discuss the rhetorical appeals, as well as the argumentative structure, audience and purpose set forth by George W. Bush in his September 27 speech in Flagstaff, Arizona. More specifically I will refer to the rhetorical appeals of ethos, pathos and logos, and explain how they are used to gain the support and attention of the audience and further the further the purpose of the speech. As I explain these appeals I will also give an insight into the argumentative structure and why it is apparent in this particular speech.

“What I told you is what your grandparents tried to tell me: that this is your country, that this is your world, that this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” (Coates). This powerful quote exemplifies the mistreatment of blacks in America as something that has been prevalent throughout our nation’s history and is still present in our contemporary world. Our national founding document promised that “All men are created equal”. As a nation we have never achieved the goal of equality largely because of the institution of slavery and its continuing repercussions on American society.

During Reconstruction, African Americans’ freedoms were very restricted. There were strict regulations on voting, relationships, employment, firearms, and other freedoms that white people had. African American faced disenfranchisement for years after being freed and becoming citizens. In What a Black Man Wants by Frederick Douglass, Douglass angrily demands the freedom to vote that every American deserved. He assesses the black man’s contribution to society and wonders why this contribution has not led to more rights. Those who were supposed to be fighting for the rights of freed slaves were not speaking up. Even the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society was not fighting for the rights of the freed slaves. Because of the restrictions on voting, African Americans did not have the same power over their own lives that white people had. Disenfranchisement is just one way white people limited freedoms of freed slaves.

This statement shows how black people are discriminated in the term of job opportunities. Black people do not have the same opportunity like white people. As superior group, only white people that will have job in the area of government. While, the job opportunities of black people is only in the area of agriculture and familiy because it need less skill and training. That is why when Atticus talk about black full civil rights, he does not agree. He does not want black people to have full civil rights because their knowledge and capability in politics is none. White people do not want black people to contribute in the government area, so that they limit black people's job opportunies.

“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is in an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob, and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe”- Frederick Douglass