The 1960’s were a very critical time for civil rights. A lot of injustices still existed in America, from colored water fountains to segregation on public transportation. Many African Americans were willing to march and protest and do whatever they could to fight for their rights. However, these rights could not be achieved without dangerous consequences. In the midst of a voting rights crisis containing the brutal riots in Selma, Alabama, President Lyndon B. Johnson creates a call to action and addresses the people in his speech, “We Shall Overcome”. This speech illustrates Johnson’s attempt to appease the African-Americans and create justice for them through connecting with American citizens as a whole. The President’s passionately portrays
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Johnson uses many strong rhetorical devices to convey an even stronger message and convince Americans to follow him and his call to action.
Johnson fortifies the urgency of his message about equal voting rights through the utilization of parallelism, focusing primarily on tricolon. Near the beginning of his speech, the president opens up by talking about democracy and focuses on the riots that prompted the speech. While introducing his call to action, he affirms through antithesis that “There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem.” This use of the increasing size demolishes the stereotype that white Americans do not have to worry about equal voting rights, and also highlights that the issue is on a grand scale. The short sentences increase the feeling of unity within the speech and Johnson’s ideas. Later in the speech, President Johnson emphasizes his points through the use of tricolon. When talking about the seriousness of the issue, he states “there must be no delay, or no hesitation, or no compromise with our purpose” and “we ought not, and we cannot, and we must not wait another eight months before we get a bill.” …show more content…
The constitution was the founding document that laid the groundwork for American and everything it stands for. Johnson emphasizes this fact by telling “the Constitution says that no person shall be kept from voting because of his race or his color” and “we all have sworn an oath before God to support and to defend that Constitution.” Bringing up these facts adds the credibility to his message by implying that the Founding Fathers would have approved and the right to vote is actually in the basis of the country’s values, which is a necessary support considering that most citizens had contrasting opinions due to racism. Similarly, Johnson repeatedly mentions facts surrounding the beliefs and founding of the country in order to further support his purpose. He states “Our mission is at once the oldest and the most basic of this country- to right wrong, to do justice, to serve man” and “This was the first nation in the history of the world to be founded with a purpose.” These patriotic statements plead to the national pride that all Americans share, and indicate that passing the new voting law is one of many things that the Founding Fathers intended for the purpose of the United States: To serve justice and help to be the voice and difference from the oppressive
Johnson uses many strong rhetorical devices to convey an even stronger message and convince Americans to follow him and his call to action.
Johnson fortifies the urgency of his message about equal voting rights through the utilization of parallelism, focusing primarily on tricolon. Near the beginning of his speech, the president opens up by talking about democracy and focuses on the riots that prompted the speech. While introducing his call to action, he affirms through antithesis that “There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem.” This use of the increasing size demolishes the stereotype that white Americans do not have to worry about equal voting rights, and also highlights that the issue is on a grand scale. The short sentences increase the feeling of unity within the speech and Johnson’s ideas. Later in the speech, President Johnson emphasizes his points through the use of tricolon. When talking about the seriousness of the issue, he states “there must be no delay, or no hesitation, or no compromise with our purpose” and “we ought not, and we cannot, and we must not wait another eight months before we get a bill.” …show more content…
The constitution was the founding document that laid the groundwork for American and everything it stands for. Johnson emphasizes this fact by telling “the Constitution says that no person shall be kept from voting because of his race or his color” and “we all have sworn an oath before God to support and to defend that Constitution.” Bringing up these facts adds the credibility to his message by implying that the Founding Fathers would have approved and the right to vote is actually in the basis of the country’s values, which is a necessary support considering that most citizens had contrasting opinions due to racism. Similarly, Johnson repeatedly mentions facts surrounding the beliefs and founding of the country in order to further support his purpose. He states “Our mission is at once the oldest and the most basic of this country- to right wrong, to do justice, to serve man” and “This was the first nation in the history of the world to be founded with a purpose.” These patriotic statements plead to the national pride that all Americans share, and indicate that passing the new voting law is one of many things that the Founding Fathers intended for the purpose of the United States: To serve justice and help to be the voice and difference from the oppressive