All, your assignment tonight was to watch the "State of the Union Address". After you have done this, please click the link below and read the article enclosed. It is a fascinating study on how the words used during the "State of the Union" reflects the cultural and political climate of a given time period. Please choose at least five different presidents and answer the question "What does the frequency with which this word was used during the State of the Union indicate about the audience for the speech and the context in which it was delivered?" Leave your answers in the comments.
Thanks.
Ms. Mack
"The Language of the State of the Union"
College – Obama has said this word more than any other president. This indicates that he is talking to a country that prides in higher education to educate the future workforce. Recently and in the State of the Union Address, Obama has spoken on making two years of community college free, which he says will make it easier for hardworking students to work towards a future career. Obama prides in college because he sees it as a necessary part of life for hardworking Americans to contribute to the economy and be able to financially support themselves. College has become much more of an option for all Americans since America was founded, which explains why college is being spoken about more in addressing the whole country.
ReplyDeleteSlavery – It’s no doubt that Lincoln said this word a lot during his presidency. He was speaking to a country completely split on the issue of slavery, and Americans were waiting for something to be done about slavery, either to abolish it or protect it. America was on the brink of the Civil War, and it revolved around the issue of slavery. To ignore this topic would mean to be careless with the underlying issues that plagued America at the time, and Lincoln had no choice but to address it. Lincoln saw slavery as a negative thing but first wanted to just contain slavery in the southern states. As America got closer and closer to the war, Lincoln realized that abolition was needed, so slavery became much more of a dramatic and heated subject.
Mexico – Polk said this word a lot during his presidency because it was right before and during the Mexican-American War. Conflicts between the two countries over Texas, the southern border, and the western region of the continent made up what became the Mexican-American War. It was Polk’s job to address this conflict and prepare the country for war, and the American people were counting on him to address it as the president of the United States.
Program – Truman said this word the most times of any president, mainly because he was tasked with carrying along many of FDR’s programs to help get America out of the Great Depression, as in the New Deal. FDR introduced many of these programs during his presidency, but Truman had to carry them on because FDR died in office. He also created more programs himself after FDR once seeing how they benefitted America. Truman was speaking to a country strengthened by the post – WWII America that still needed support from federal programs, and it was on him to address these programs and tell the people how they would benefit from said programs.
Indians – George Washington spoke about Indians, as in Native Americans the most out of all presidents. He was speaking to a brand new country that had to deal with the native peoples residing in the new country and at its western borders. Americans saw these people as a threat to the American experiment and George Washington sought to address them as a conflict within America after defeating the British in the Revolutionary War. Washington saw them as a dying people that were below America’s European roots, and that they would eventually assimilate to the United States. The executive branch must deal a lot with federal issues and foreign issues, and Indians were seen as separate nations to the United States. Washington worked with Indians on treaties throughout his president, which he had to address to the nation.
In the State of the Union address, President Barack Obama repeatedly used the word “college.” This is supported by the article, which indicates that Obama mentioned “college” more frequently than any other president in the past. Obama, who gathered the interests of numerous young people during his elections, seeks to influence his audience of college students. Obama wants more students to go to college and believes that community college should be free to give everyone opportunities to shape their lives. Currently, in the 21st century, countless numbers of college students find themselves drowning in debt, so Obama emphasizes “college” to reflect on the current status of Americans and how much he wants to support them.
ReplyDeleteHerbert Hoover frequently used the word “employment” in his State of the Union addresses. The United States was suffering from the Great Depression during his presidency, so he was pressured to take actions to create more jobs for people and improve the economy. His audience were Americans who were struggling with their financial situations in the declining economy, making clear why he chose to emphasize “employment” in his addresses. However, despite his attempts to appeal to the emotions of Americans, his actions failed to improve the situation in the United States.
The word “slavery” appeared most often in James Buchanan’s and Abraham Lincoln’s State of the Union addresses, and this is understandable due to America’s disputes over slavery at that time. Their presidencies were only a few years before or during the Civil War, so the tensions between the North and the South escalated to the point that a war over slavery was inevitable. The audience were Americans who had intense feelings about slavery, whether they wanted to maintain, contain, or abolish it, so their decisions to stress the subject of “slavery” were appropriate for that time period.
“Mexico” appeared most often in James Polk’s State of the Union addresses. Polk presided over the Mexican-American War. The United States’s relationship with Mexico was at the top of Americans’ concerns, so the audience were those who sought for solutions to the escalating conflict between Mexico and the United States. Polk supported westward expansion, so he emphasized “Mexico” in his addresses to convince people to support his goals.
The word “Constitution” was one of the most prominent in Andrew Johnson’s State of the Union addresses. He was the first president during Reconstruction, so there was tension over how Southern states should be ruled and readmitted to the Union. Johnson’s policies clashed with those of Radical Republicans, who wanted stricter regulations. He also removed Secretary of War Edwin Stanton from his cabinet without the consent of Congress. As a result, there was controversy over the constitutionality of plans for Reconstruction as well as his own actions. The audience were those familiar with Johnson’s view of Reconstruction, since he wanted the support of more Americans. Johnson was eventually impeached but not convicted, which tarnished his reputation.
Anthony Liu
ReplyDelete1 – 20 – 15
1. Thomas Jefferson often bragged about how he represented the “common man”, saying he was just an ordinary American. It’s no surprise then that one of his most used words was “fellow” because it’s consistent with the image of himself he always tried so hard to convey. He was speaking to an audience of farmers (Jefferson himself farmed), since most Americans during this time period lived agrarian lifestyles. Jefferson scored a big win for farmers towards the end of his first term, the Louisiana purchase. He must have spoken a lot about expanding westward beyond the Mississippi because he used “Mississippi” a lot in his speeches.
2. One of the principal issues of Andrew Jackson’s presidency was Nicholas Biddle’s bank, one of Jackson’s most used words. He likely spoke about his famous pet banks in his state of the union addresses, not knowing how terrible they’d be in practice. He also spoke a lot about “power”, something many Americans were worried about at this time because they felt the average person didn’t have enough of it. In this era, land was power, and with all of the irresponsible speculating that went on during this time period, normal Americans couldn’t afford to buy any.
3. Abraham Lincoln’s election guaranteed America’s Civil War, a war over slavery and the Union, two of his most used terms. Many people believe that the Civil War was fought exclusively to abolish slavery, but initially, Lincoln’s goal was to simply preserve the Union. Since the slave-holding South seceded from the Union, his state of the union addresses would have only been to northerners, so he was able to discuss slavery freely. Lincoln recognized that his audience would be on his side in this discussion, so he could safely include “emancipation” in his list of most frequently used words.
4. Unluckily for Herbert Hoover, he presided over the Nation during the start of the Great Depression. He believed that it was the people’s responsibility to take care of themselves, not the government, but he knew this message wouldn’t sit very well with a predominantly poor populace. He frequently used the word “economic” in his addresses, naturally, but what’s interesting is how often he referred to “construction”. The people desperately wanted to rebuild America, but Hoover had no intentions of instituting government policies to help them do so, instead prompting wealthy Americans to fund charities. In what must have been an attempt to calm Americans, Hoover used the word “temporary” a lot, referring to the Depression’s nearby end.
5. George W. Bush took office shortly before the September 11 terrorist attacks. When he gave his state of the union addresses, he was speaking to a country that needed assurance that America was still strong. Recognizing that skirting around and sugar-coating the issue of terrorism wouldn’t inspire confidence in anyone, he didn’t hesitate to use the word “terrorists” again and again in his addresses. He also emphasized “America” and “help” frequently, urging national unity in a time of crisis.
Word: War
ReplyDeleteJames Madison (1809-1817) - The word “war” appears to encourage people to support the War of 1812. President Madison urged the nation to support the war against Britain in order for American goods to be protected. At the time, Britain placed a tremendous amount of pressure on the American market. In this era, the word “war” appears to be used to encourage people to support their nation in the act of war which is a sign of patriotism.
Andrew Johnson (1865-1869) – In this era, the word “war” is used in the context to describe the recent Civil War. President Johnson proclaims now it is time to heal from the Civil War. In his speech, Johnson used war to also describe the losses as result of the Civil War. When he uses “war” to describe losses, it is implied that the audience is in despair and wish to recover from devastating losses from the War. The word “war” is not used to encourage war; rather, it is used to encourage people to get together as a society and heal the nation’s wounds. The term is used to describe recovery and moving on after suffering losses.
Harry S. Truman (1945-1953) – President Truman uses the word “war” to describe the recent World War II and also to describe business. Truman stated just how war helped Americans get together and support each other. The importance of war is emphasized in these speeches. The main audience appears to be the work force since Truman continuously mentions just how productive everyone is in the event of a war. In this era, war appeared to be a great thing for the American people. The term is used to describe productivity and business.
Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969) – The word “war” is used for multiple purposes in this era. Firstly, the word is used to describe the then War on Poverty. President Johnson urged communities to combat poverty and improve economic equality amongst themselves. The targeted audience appears to be those suffering in poverty itself. On the other note, President Johnson used the term to describe the Cold War and particularly the Vietnam War. Johnson uses the term to describe just how the world gets devastated through wars. President Johnson is addressing towards those who support international wars and urges them to refrain from going into war. The term is used to describe economic equality and destruction on socities.
George W. Bush (2001-2009) – President Bush uses the word “War” in order to describe the War on Terror. In this context, Bush uses the term “war” in order to describe the importance of security and protection of the American people after the 9/11 Attacks. Patriotism is common theme whenever “war” is mentioned. The targeted audience appears to be those in despair after suffering from terrorist attacks and President Bush urges to use war as a tool to protect one’s culture and values. The term attempts to give people hope.
-Matthew M.