In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Article. So, everything in this speech becomes about the imperfection of the Union of the United States of America ,and the collective journey every citizen has to make, to more towards a more perfect union. But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. Choose your writer among 300 professionals! Delegates from larger states wanted population to determine how many representatives a state could send to Congress, while small states called for equal representation. WebRead the preamble to the Constitution. The oratorical resonance of parallel constructions. Americas first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, was ratified in 1781, a time when the nation was a loose confederation of states, each operating like independent countries. "survived a Depression." It's a racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years. 2. Anyway, Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they're supporting the campaign. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so nave as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own. Rhetorical Analysis Of A More Perfect Union By Peter Clark We`ll do boring work for you. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible. Clark makes references and comparisons to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and W.EB. The profound mistake of Reverend Wright's sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society. Legalized discrimination where blacks were prevented, often through violence, from owning property, or loans were not granted to African-American business owners, or black homeowners could not access FHA mortgages, or blacks were excluded from unions or the police force or the fire department meant that black families could not amass any meaningful wealth to bequeath to future generations. startxref But what my former pastor too often failed to understand is that embarking on a program of self-help also requires a belief that society can change. They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pensions dumped after a lifetime of labor. Cumulative Exam Flashcards | Quizlet He also states that I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveownersan inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters (Obama P8), further connecting him to the African-American population. I have learned more from those 112 words than from most book-length studies of the subject: After the Egyptian and Indian, the Greek and Roman, the Teuton and Mongolian, the Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world, a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world. And yet, it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn. Link couldn't be copied to clipboard! In 1789, Madison, then a member of the newly established U.S. House of Representatives, introduced 19 amendments to the Constitution. George Washington, whod become a national hero after leading the Continental Army to victory during the American Revolution, was selected as president of the convention by unanimous vote. In this article, Clark talks about President Obamas known power and brilliance. He supports these reasons with some anecdotal evidence, but not much else, as is typical in speeches. Thus, Obama has aligned himself with both God and country, so Obama seems untouchable from a moral/religious level. But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren't simply controversial. Barack Hussein Obama II was born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii. That history helps explain the wealth and income gap between blacks and whites, and the concentrated pockets of poverty that persist in so many of today's urban and rural communities. ", Roy Peter Clark has taught writing at Poynter to students of all ages since 1979. It is not as well known as it should be that many black leaders, including Dr. King, use two different modes of discourse when addressing white vs. black audiences, an ignorance that has led to some of the hysteria over some of Rev. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the document, and it was subsequently agreed that government under the U.S. Constitution would begin on March 4, 1789. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election. Ten of these amendments, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, were ratified and became part of the Constitution on December 10, 1791. It's a story that hasn't made me the most conventional of candidates. In February 1788, a compromise was reached under which Massachusetts and other states would agree to ratify the document with the assurance that amendments would be immediately proposed. Explore our new 15-unit high school curriculum. She did this for a year until her mom got better. Understanding this reality requires a reminder of how we arrived at this point. And I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television sets and YouTube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react in much the same way. Barack Obama, a black man with an African father and an American mother, took the stage and delivered a speech that would paint the racial This time, we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can't learn; that those kids who don't look like us are somebody else's problem. This is also supported by his recall of seminal court cases like Brown v. Board of Education (Obama P29), and statements about the racial inequalities that are due to the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow (Obama, P29). And occasionally it finds voice in the church on Sunday morning, in the pulpit and in the pews. There has also been attention to the immediate purpose of the speech, which was to reassure white voters that they had nothing to fear from the congregant of a fiery African-American pastor, the Rev. This is the reality in which Reverend Wright and other African-Americans of his generation grew up. This time, we want to talk about the shuttered mills that once provided a decent life for men and women of every race, and the homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from every religion, every region, every walk of life. Jeremiah Wright, in which the minister lambasted America's foreign policies and treatment of minorities, especially African-Americans. And finally they come to this elderly black man who's been sitting there quietly the entire time. Without dwelling on it, Obama reminds us that his father was black and his mother white, that he came from Kenya, but she came from Kansas: "I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slave and slave owners an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), https://www.history.com/topics/united-states-constitution/constitution. Most memorable, of course, is the story at the end of the speech which is why it appears at the end. 0000004238 00000 n hide caption. In 1786, Alexander Hamilton, a lawyer and politician from New York, called for a constitutional convention to discuss the matter. It feels like the perfect time for a restart on a conversation about race. George Washington was initially reluctant to attend the Constitutional Convention. In fact, once you begin the search, it is remarkable how many examples of two-ness shine through: "through protests and struggles" "on the streets and in the courts" "through civil war and civil disobedience" "I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas." In addition, he is one out of the sixteen presidents in the Philippines and a former mayor of Davao City. In 1789, Madison, then a member of the newly established U.S. House of Representatives, introduced 19 amendments to the Constitution. ", "embracing the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past. A time before Colin Kaepernick took a knee except when he was tired. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam. Jeremiah Wright. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Let us be our brother's keeper, scripture tells us. The document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. 4. With that purpose, Obama firmly states, we have no choice [other than to act now] if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union. With the exigence identified and the kairotic moment present, the speaker appeals to pathos by presenting examples of racial injustice that exist in our nation to further argue the necessity of change. On February 2, 1790, the U.S. Supreme Court held its first session, marking the date when the government was fully operative. In chronicling our journey, the stories and songs gave us a meaning to reclaim memories that we didn't need to feel shame about memories that all people might study and cherish, and with which we could start to rebuild.". 771 0 obj <>stream All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. On May 25, 1787, the Constitutional Convention opened in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence had been adopted 11 years earlier. The following is a transcript of the remarks of Democratic Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, delivered March 18, 2008, in Philadelphia at the Constitution Center. By using these techniques, Obama manages to establish that he is someone with a strong spiritual and intellectual foundation. A More Perfect Union Summary His major methods of development are narration and logical analysis. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. The National Conference of Teachers of English (NCTE) has declared today a National Day on Writing. What we have already achieved gives us hope the audacity to hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow. I celebrate such a day. On the other end, we've heard my former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation, and that rightly offend white and black alike. Transcript: Barack Obama's Speech on Race : NPR DuBois. . It is the story of Ashley Baia, a young, white, Obama volunteer from South Carolina, whose family was so poor she convinced her mother that her favorite meal was a mustard and relish sandwich. Painting by John Trumbull (1756-1843) photographed by Theodor Horydczak ca.1920-1950. Although I will admit, America was great, and many of these key values people had about America were true, A leader is defined as a person who leads or influence people to achieve the desired goals of an organization or country willingly and enthusiastically. A time just before the Great Recession. A More Perfect Union To remember how parallelism works, think of equal terms to express equal ideas. %PDF-1.4 % Then Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama delivers his speech 'A More Perfect Union,' in Philadelphia on March 18, 2008. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. Virginias Patrick Henry (1736-99) was chosen to be a delegate but refused to attend the convention because he didnt want to give the central government more power, fearing it would endanger the rights of states and individuals. Perhaps somebody told her along the way that the source of her mother's problems were blacks who were on welfare and too lazy to work, or Hispanics who were coming into the country illegally. It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. Updated: Apr 25th, 2023. Journalists need to pay closer attention to political language than ever before. Then, Professor Tracey Sharpley Whiting, who edited a book about the speech, talks about its impact today. Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen. By continuing, well assume you agree with our Cookies policy. (By the content of their character is parallel to by the color of their skin.). The effectiveness of Obama's speech rests upon four related rhetorical strategies: 1. "We the people, in order to form a more perfect union " 221 years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America's improbable experiment in democracy. These questions matter for us today as there are always situations, especially political ones, where we need to defend our own credibility in a competent manner. 1206 Words5 Pages. Wright has made inflammatory remarks about the United States and has accused the country of bringing on the Sept. 11 attacks by spreading terrorism. Why associate myself with Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? They are full of dancing and clapping and screaming and shouting that may seem jarring to the untrained ear. He contains within him the contradictions the good and the bad of the community that he has served diligently for so many years. The audience also resonated with the speech and it was generally well received, so it seems that they agree as well. Soon after America won its independence from Great Britain with its 1783 victory in the American Revolution, it became increasingly evident that the young republic needed a stronger central government in order to remain stable. His rhetoric, however, excludes audience members who are against racial unification, specifically groups of Americans that have views that still involve some form of segregationfor example, white supremacists. At the 1787 convention, delegates devised a plan for a stronger federal government with three branchesexecutive, legislative and judicialalong with a system of checks and balances to ensure no single branch would have too much power. There were 55 delegates in attendance, representing all 13 states except Rhode Island, which refused to send representatives because it did not want a powerful central government interfering in its economic business. In South Carolina, where the Confederate flag still flies, we built a powerful coalition of African-Americans and white Americans.