Presidential Speech Essays (Examples)

310+ documents containing “presidential speech”.
Sort By:
By Keywords
Reset Filters

Example Essays

Essay
Presidential Speech Speech War on
Pages: 4 Words: 1378

I call upon you, citizens of America and of the democratic world, to take arms against every evil force that threatens our beautiful country.
Of course such a call to arms does not come without sacrifices. I understand the suffering caused by this threat. Some have themselves been threatened by invasive or abusive actions. Citizens have become paranoid on the basis of skin color or religion. Others have been victims of unfair discrimination at airports. Such actions cannot be tolerated within our beautiful country. We are members of the same nation, with the same rights and the same freedoms. Inter-citizen conflict of this kind is unacceptable. Instead, let us focus on the actions that will bring us closer to eradicating the real threat of terrorism from outside the country. Let us focus on building our relationships as American citizens, rather than members of different ethnic nations and groups. Let us…...

Essay
Presidential Speeches Similar Purposes Different
Pages: 2 Words: 798

He continues, not by discussing the seriousness of the war or likelihood of the terrorists attacking again, but instead by praising the United States, advocating its positive aspects. This style of appealing to his audience is evident, once again, in his speech to the American people on the anniversary of the attacks in 2006. In this speech, Bush discusses the children who "still long for the daddies who will never cradle them in their arms," but who cannot be consoled because their fathers have been killed by terrorists. Thus, Bush also asks for Congress and the American people to support him going to war, but by using a much different technique than Roosevelt.
The difference in technique between Roosevelt's speech, which was delivered in 1941, and Bush's two speeches, delivered in 2001 and 2006, suggest a difference in American Values. When Roosevelt presents a logical argument, drawing attention to the…...

mla

President George W. Bush's purpose is the same, though he achieves it in a different way. Instead of beginning his speech with logical reasoning, showing how the terrorist attacks were wrong, premeditated, and likely to expand into further conflict, he appeals to the emotions of his listeners. In a style much different then Roosevelt's, Bush paints images of horrific deaths, and seeks to win his audience's emotions by calling the victims "moms and dads," as well as "friends and neighbors" (Bush). He continues, not by discussing the seriousness of the war or likelihood of the terrorists attacking again, but instead by praising the United States, advocating its positive aspects. This style of appealing to his audience is evident, once again, in his speech to the American people on the anniversary of the attacks in 2006. In this speech, Bush discusses the children who "still long for the daddies who will never cradle them in their arms," but who cannot be consoled because their fathers have been killed by terrorists. Thus, Bush also asks for Congress and the American people to support him going to war, but by using a much different technique than Roosevelt.

The difference in technique between Roosevelt's speech, which was delivered in 1941, and Bush's two speeches, delivered in 2001 and 2006, suggest a difference in American Values. When Roosevelt presents a logical argument, drawing attention to the ways in which the Japanese will continue to harm unless they are stopped, he suggests knowledge of his audience. Knowing that his audience will respond to this kind of logical appeal, he uses this to gain their support. When Bush uses his emotional appeal, he suggests a similar knowledge of his audience, but acknowledges that his audience's values are different -- they value emotion and emotional arguments, rather than logical ones.

Thus, both Theodore Roosevelt and George W. Bush advocated similar actions when they delivered their speeches after the two "day[s] which will live in infamy" (Roosevelt); they both wanted citizens and Congress to support the United States' entry into war. The fact that they went about this in two different ways -- logic vs. emotion -- however, suggests different American values. But even though these speeches suggest that Americans today value emotion over logic, this is still a point of contention. Will Americans be more likely to act if they are given emotional arguments rather than logical ones? Television commercials that show the sad faces of children or animals and ask for donations, sad stories about victims of disease that contain requests for volunteers, and smiling, happy people on the cover of clothes catalogs certainly suggest that those doing the advertising in the United States feel this way. But do U.S. citizens also fall for the well-founded, logical argument? Maybe, but the differences between Roosevelt and Bush's speeches suggest otherwise.

Essay
Persuasion Features of Presidential Scandal Speeches
Pages: 10 Words: 2997

Presidential Speech
The Presidents accused of scandals in the history of American politics have been known to make memorable apology speeches. Even though, the speech that the Presidents made were done by different people and in different times, marked similarities and patterns have been noted. The Lewinsky scandal was basically a political sex scandal that occurred in 1999. This scandal came out because the President was accused of having a sexual relationship with an intern in the White House, Monica Lewinsky. The Watergate scandal occurred in 1970 because five men were caught at the Democratic National Committee and further investigations led to President Nixon being found guilty of committing fraud. Another fraud that highlighted a President as the causative agent was the Iran Arms and Contra Aid Controversy. This scandal occurred when President Reagan was in the administration and the officials in charge were accused of selling arms to Iran secretly.…...

Essay
Presidential Race Wednesday April 16
Pages: 3 Words: 886

Some critics feel that cCain needs to be more actively involved in the bill
Anyone with an interest in Veteran's benefits would be able to get some information about cCain's views. These might help a voter make a decision.

onday, April 14, 2008; Washington Post

The article deals with support that Obama is getting from both abortion foes and advocates. It gives details about his views concerning abortion and how others have responded to these views. Both pro-choice and abortion critics are interviewed for their response.

If the voter has a special interest in the abortion issue, this article might help him or her sort out the various details.

Saturday, April 26, 2008; the News & Observer

The article reports on a photo opportunity that involved John cCain, and whether it was a positive or negative situation. This and other controversial campaign visits/speeches are being called hypocritical by the Democrats. His spending plans seem to…...

mla

Monday, April 7, 2008; Washington Post

This article was written following the resignation of Clinton's chief strategist. It discusses the reasons for the resignation with quotes from a number of involved parties.

This will not assist anyone is choosing a candidate. It only presents information about Clinton's campaign staff.

Essay
Presidential Candidates the Three Presidential
Pages: 1 Words: 379

Still, one has to wonder if the poor will move forward with insurance even with the subsidies. Certainly, many of these individuals will make poor healthcare decisions without federal mandates for healthcare.
Clinton's plan is the best because in mandates individual coverage for all Americans. Like Obama's plan, Clinton would provide tax credits for working families to help them cover their costs. Just like individuals need to buy automobile insurance to cover their bills if they are in an accident, they should have to buy health insurance to cover their medical bills if they become sick. This is only common sense given that an illness can quickly bankrupt a family. Clinton's plan is also that only one that makes people do the right thing rather than relying on individuals to behave responsibly.

ibliography

McCain's health care proposal emphasizes 'freedom'. (2007, October 11). CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/11/mccain.healthcare.ap/index.html

Providing affordable and accessible healthcare. http://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/healthcare/

The time has come…...

mla

Bibliography

McCain's health care proposal emphasizes 'freedom'. (2007, October 11). CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/11/mccain.healthcare.ap/index.html

Providing affordable and accessible healthcare. http://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/healthcare/

The time has come for universal healthcare (2007, January 25). http://obama.senate.gov/speech/070125-the_time_has_co

Essay
Presidential Character by James Barber
Pages: 5 Words: 1550

He seems to draw easy causal connections between policy and personality that deny the exterior circumstances of history. For example, he suggests that Hoover's rigid personality made him unable to accept changes in classical economic theory during the beginning of the Great Depression, and to adopt a more Keynesian approach. Barber asserts that it was not the conventional wisdom of the time that hampered Hoover as much as his own character, despite the fact that few people really could assuredly state they had the 'answer' to the financial crisis at that time. The adaptive-negative aspects of Johnson's personality made that president similarly resistant to the idea of pulling out of Vietnam, and his egoism made him unwilling to be seen as 'losing' the war -- but what about the pressures of the Cold War during that era? Historians also might find some objection to Barber's psychoanalyzing so many major…...

Essay
Presidential Election of 2008 in
Pages: 1 Words: 350

Another Wall Street Journal article (April 2, 2007) explains that Senator Hillary Clinton is the current top fundraiser among Democratic candidates for president.
n the Washington Post (March 29, 2007), former presidential candidate Steve Forbes has decided not to run again, but he threw his endorsement over to Republican Rudy Giuliani. Senator Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, picked up the endorsement of owa Governor Tom Vilsack, according to the New York Times (March 24, 2007). n the March 19, 2007 edition of the Washington Post, it is reported that presidential candidates will continue to receive Secret Service security protection. The Los Angeles Times (March 18, 2007) reports that Senator Clinton is running as "the female-warrior" candidate and Barak Obama is running as the "black-white-immigrant" candidate. And the Washington Post reports on March 18, 2007 that the excellence of the speechwriters for Democratic Senator Chris…...

mla

In the New York Times on March 13, 2007, it is reported that Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel has decided not to run for the presidency on the Republican ticket. Although the senator was not in a financial position to compete against better-funded candidates - and his position against continuing the Iraq war might find favor with voters - Senator John McCain thought that Hagel could have made inroads. The New York Times reported on March 22 that New York State legislators have set next February 5, 2008, as the date for their presidential primary.

In the Los Angeles Times (January 25, 2007) it was reported that U.S. Senator John Kerry had decided not to make another run for the White House. Kerry was apparently not "position well" in contrast to some of the other Democratic candidates, and additionally, he said he wants to put "my energy to work as part of the majority in the Senate...to end this war." An editorial in the Wall Street Journal on April 3, 2007, reported that the Commission on Presidential Debates should create a presidential debate system whereby final presidential candidates from both parties would debate "at least once a week" from Labor Day to the November election. Another Wall Street Journal article (April 2, 2007) explains that Senator Hillary Clinton is the current top fundraiser among Democratic candidates for president.

In the Washington Post (March 29, 2007), former presidential candidate Steve Forbes has decided not to run again, but he threw his endorsement over to Republican Rudy Giuliani. Senator Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, picked up the endorsement of Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, according to the New York Times (March 24, 2007). In the March 19, 2007 edition of the Washington Post, it is reported that presidential candidates will continue to receive Secret Service security protection. The Los Angeles Times (March 18, 2007) reports that Senator Clinton is running as "the female-warrior" candidate and Barak Obama is running as the "black-white-immigrant" candidate. And the Washington Post reports on March 18, 2007 that the excellence of the speechwriters for Democratic Senator Chris Dodd is evident; Dodd has received "rave reviews" from a speech he gave to the International Association of Fire Fighters.

Essay
Victory Speech Offer Close Readings of Presidential
Pages: 2 Words: 685

Victory speech" offer close readings of presidential speeches given during times of crisis. Safire's essay analyzes Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address," which was delivered during a commemoration ceremony soon after one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil ar. ood's essay analyzes Barak Obama's victory speech after Obama won the presidency in 2008. Obama, the first African-American elected to the office of the presidency, took power during a time when America was at war and facing its deepest financial crisis since the Great Depression.
Safire analyzes the Gettysburg Address to encourage the reader reconsider the speech in a new way, given that the Address has become a kind of cliche, rather than a living, breathing document that inspires people. Safire notes the number of times the word 'dedicate' is articulated in the speech, and the determination and self-sacrifice called upon by Lincoln. He analyzes how the speech is broken down, paragraph…...

mla

Works Cited

Safire, William. "A spirit reborn." The New York Times. September 9, 2002. [March 24, 2011]

 http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/09/opinion/a-spirit-reborn.html 

Wood, Victor. "A spirit reborn." The New Yorker. November 17, 2008. [March 24,

2011]  http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2008/11/17/081117ta_talk_wood

Essay
Speech or Letter Currently There Is a
Pages: 2 Words: 864

Speech or Letter
Currently there is a great deal of controversy surrounding the issue of the reinstatement of the draft in the United States. There are rumors and whispers rampantly floating through the media that are frightening the general public, while the officials who are actually in the know about the subject are categorically denying such intentions. In an article written just a few days ago the Coastal Post (with no byline) contends that a military and civilian draft is inevitable by spring 2005. (Coastal Post nline (http://www.coastalpost.com/04/07/01.htm)

The title of the article in and of itself is inflammatory "Military and Civilian Draft Expected in 2005 For 18- to 25-year-olds." The article goes on to state that there are two pending bills in the House and Senate (twin bills: S. 89 and HR 163) meaning Senate bill 89 and House of Representatives bill 163. The article states that those two bills,…...

mla

One of the last bits of evidence offered by the unknown author is associated with the language of the proposed (and historically unsupported unpopular) legislation, "Congress brought twin bills, S. 89 and HR 163 forward this year...entitled the Universal National Service Act of 2003, "to provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons [age 18 -- 26] in the United States, including women, perform a period of military service or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes." This is not a bill to reinstate a draft it is an unpopular and historically unsupported demand for compulsory military service. Voluntary service has been the popular stance since the Vietnam Era.

This work is obviously and inflammatory and unconvincing attempt at persuasion, written by someone who will remain anonymous. It dismisses the opposition by taking away its voice and clearly does not deal with counter evidence. The rhetorical appeals of the work are associated with highly emotional and trigger happy conspiracy theories, and unknown sources and experts. The article on a whole is not persuasive and despite its strong title it did not scare me at all.

Coastal Post Online "Military and Civilian Draft Expected in 2005 For 18- to 25-year-olds," July 13, 2004 at  http://www.coastalpost.com/04/07/01.htm

Essay
Presidential History
Pages: 3 Words: 1459

Shakespeare structures his play King Lear, the first scene reveals how frustrated Lear is with his younger daughter Cordelia, who cannot find the words on command to express her love for him.
This sets Lear up to place his trust in her two older and conniving sister, Goneril and Regan.

In the second scene, a similar situation begins to develop for the Earl of Gloucester, who has two sons.

His situation is more complicated.

All three of King Lear's daughters are born legitimately (within marriage) to him.

However, the Earl has one legitimate and one illegitimate son.

The legitimate son, Edgar, stands to inherit his father's title and property.

Edmund, as a bastard son, is not likely to inherit anything.

The Earl has not denied Edmund's parentage, but Edmund is painfully aware, and resentful of, his second class status.

As Scene ii of Act I opens, Edmund is in his father's castle, he speaks the following words:

Thou, nature,…...

Essay
Historical Speech
Pages: 3 Words: 987

Speech
For the first part of this exercise, I will dwell on Lou Gehrig's speech. The speech in question has featured prominently in quite a number of speech collections as a truly historical speech, alongside those given by the likes of Martin Luther King and Winston Churchill. Commonly referred to as the Iron Horse due to both his commitment and durability as far as baseball is concerned, Gehrig was at the prime age of 36 when he was struck by what has now come to be referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease. The disease effectively ended his long and illustrious career in baseball. This speech, which I will rewrite to convey the opposite message, was delivered by Gehrig during a ceremony held in his honor by his friends and team mates. Given his circumstances at the time, one would have expected the speech to be self-defeating and perhaps full of pity.…...

mla

References

American Rhetoric (2013). Lou Gehrig: Farewell to Baseball Address. Retrieved from http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/lougehrigfarewelltobaseball.htm

Natural Resources Defense Council (2012). The Consequences of Global Warming on Weather Patterns. Retrieved from  http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/fcons/fcons1.asp 

Union of Concerned Scientists (2011). Climate Hot Map: Global Warming Effects around the World -- Solutions to Global Warming. Retrieved from  http://www.climatehotmap.org/global-warming-solutions/

Essay
Poll Data to Help Predict Outcome of 2012 Presidential Race
Pages: 3 Words: 823

Presidential Election Poll Data 2012
National Poll Data: 2012 Presidential Election

We are waist deep into election season. Now is the time for frantic fundraising, polling, and campaigning. ecent polls show a lot about the political beliefs and behavior of upcoming American voters. Analyzing poll results can help forecast the next president of the United States. After examining three polls in particular, a strong prediction can be made showing now President Barack Obama as the next likely president of the United States.

One ongoing poll helps paint a very detailed picture of how the two candidates are fairing within the American presidential race of 2012. This was a detailed poll that is continuously producing numbers base don interviewing registered voters. It is being conducted by Gallup Politics. Beginning in April 2012, representatives from Gallup Politics have asked registered voters "Suppose the presidential election were held today, if Barack Obama were the Democratic Party's…...

mla

References

Elliott, Scott. (2012). Latest polls & pundit ratings changes. Election Projection. Web. Retrieved September 29, 2012 from  http://www.electionprojection.com/2012elections/polls/ 

Gallop Politics. (2012). Election 2012 Trial Heat. Obama vs. Romney among registered voters. Polls. Web. Retrieved September 29, 2012 from  http://www.gallup.com/poll/150743/Obama-Romney.aspx 

Rainey, James. (2012). Mitt Romney's 47% comment alienated undecided voters: Poll. Los Angeles Times. Web. Retrieved September 29, 2012 from  http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-mitt-romneys-47-percent-poll-20120925,0,5822326.story

Essay
US Presidential Elections
Pages: 6 Words: 2409

Presidential Elections
Because of the extreme conditions of the 1930s depression, the New Deal under Franklin Roosevelt went further in expanding the powers of the federal government than any previous administration in history, certainly far beyond the very limited role permitted to it by the conservative administrations of arren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover in 1921-33. It was the worst depression in U.S. history, and led not only to the complete collapse of all Street and the financial system, but of industrial production as well, which fell 85% in 1929-33, while the Gross National Project fell by half and in some cities like Chicago the unemployment rate rose as high as 50-60%. At the same time, the entire banking system collapsed by 1933, as did agricultural prices, and money stopped circulating. John Maynard Keynes and other economists blamed this severe contraction on low incomes, unequal distribution of wealth, weak…...

mla

WORKS CITED

Clarke, P. Keynes: The Rise, Fall and Return of the 20th Century's Most Influential Economist. Bloomsbury Press, 2009.

Fine, S. Sit-down: The General Motors Strike of 1936-37. University of Michigan Press, 1960.

Heinrichs, W. "Lyndon B. Johnson: Change and Continuity" in Warren I Cohen and Nancy Bernkopf Tucker (eds). Lyndon Johnson Confronts the World: American Foreign Policy, 1963-68. Cambridge, 1994: 9- 31.

Skidelsky, R. Keynes: The Return of the Master. Perseus Books Group, 2010.

Essay
Clinton's Speech After Lewinsky's Scandal
Pages: 15 Words: 4945

Clinton's Lewinsky Speech
Presidential scandal speeches should be considered a unique form of discoursed that follow a common pattern and have similar elements. All of these may not be found in every single speech but most certainly will, including ichard Nixon's Second Watergate Speech (1973), onald eagan's Iran-Contra Speech (1987), and Bill Clinton's Monica Lewinsky Speech (1998). All the presidents used strong, direct and active voice when making these speeches, with Clinton seeming to be particularly prone to narcissism and use of the first-person singular. A standard feature of all such speeches is for the president to take responsibility for what went wrong, express regret, and then call on the country to move on so the government can return to dealing with the nation's 'real' business. Both Nixon and Clinton also had a strong tendency to blame their political enemies for their predicament, and with good reason, although in Nixon's case…...

mla

REFERENCES

Clinton, B. (1998). Monica Lewinsky Speech.

 http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/08/17/speech/transcript.html 

Nixon, R. (1973). Second Watergate Speech.

 http://watergate.info/nixon/73-08-15watergate-speech.shtml

Essay
Lincoln's Speech Compared the Evolution of Lincoln's
Pages: 4 Words: 1602

Lincoln's Speech Compared
The Evolution of Lincoln's Thought in His Speeches

Abraham Lincoln is one of the most celebrated and popular Presidents in the history of the United States. Lincoln presided over the Presidency at a difficult time for the country, when the unity of the nation was at stake and the question of slavery deeply polarized the society into two. Lincoln was able to preserve the Union, but at a great cost which made him as controversial as he was popular. But it is uncontroversial among his contemporaries and the readers of his speeches today that the sixteenth President of the United States was a great orator, able to address a broad range of audience: rich and poor, literate and illiterate, freemen and slaves; and he possessed a rare skill of persuasion. Lincoln was able to address a divided nation with great care and measurement. He was reserved when he knew…...

mla

Works Cited

All the references come from The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, edited by Roy P. Basler, and is available online at (Accessed: February 19, 2011).

Q/A
How does the outline of The 9/11 Presidential Speech enhance its rhetorical impact?
Words: 649

I. Introduction

  1. Background of 9/11 Attacks

    1. Summary of events leading to the attacks
    2. Impact on the nation and the world
  2. Purpose of Presidential Speech

    1. To address the nation and provide reassurance
    2. To outline the governments response and action plan

II. Body

  1. Rhetorical Strategies Used

    1. Appeal to emotions through personal anecdotes
    2. Employment of patriotic imagery and language
  2. Calls to Action and Unity

    1. Encouraging citizens to remain resilient and united
    2. Urging support for military efforts and national security measures
  3. Acknowledgment of....

Q/A
How does the outline of The 9/11 Presidential Speech enhance its rhetorical impact?
Words: 386

I. Introduction

  1. Main Point: The Rhetorical Impact of the 9/11 Presidential Speech


    1. Subpoint: Outline as a Structural Foundation

    2. Subpoint: Organization and Flow of Arguments
  2. Main Point: Key Elements of the Speech's Outline


    1. Subpoint: Use of Repetition and Parallelism

    2. Subpoint: Strategic Placement of Emotional Appeals

II. Body

  1. Point: Emotional Appeals and Rhetorical Impact


    1. Subpoint: Empathy and Shared Grief

    2. Subpoint: Patriotism and Unity
  2. Point: Structure and Organization of the Speech


    1. Subpoint: Clear Beginning, Middle, and End

    2. Subpoint: Logical Progression of Ideas
  3. Point: Use of Rhetorical Devices


    1. Subpoint: Metaphors and Similes for Vivid Imagery

    2. Subpoint: Alliteration and Consonance....

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now