[This is a long posting so feel free to scroll around to find what interests you]
Officially the inauguration takes place on 20th
January but since this year it was on a Sunday President Obama took part in a short
ceremony on Sunday with the public one on Monday.
The 2nd inauguration speeches was President Lincoln’s was short and succinct compared to President Obama's of 18 minutes. Lincoln's is worth
reading both for its great elegance and that in no small way it was the
harbinger of the day that a black man who became president also won a second
time.
I have put some photos of Uk connections which might interest readers.
I have also marked up and highlighted some important techniques used . Quotes , Patterns of three, Use of metaphor etc
For those who have to speak in public there is much to study
and learn from in both speeches.
Lincoln successfully led the United States through its
greatest constitutional, military, and moral crisis – the American Civil War –
preserving the Union while ending slavery and promoting economic and financial
modernisation
Lincoln is back in the news also because on the new film
(movie) shortly to be released in the UK. It is tipped to be serious Oscar contender. I understand that an extract of the speech is used at the end of the movie.
Second Inaugural Address. Delivered at Washington, D. C. March 4, 1865. He
was assassinated on April 15th
1865
“Fellow-countrymen: At this second appearing to take the
oath of the presidential office, there is less occasion for an extended address
than there was at the first. Then a statement, somewhat in detail, of a course
to be pursued, seemed fitting and proper. Now, at the expiration of four years,
during which public declarations have been constantly called forth on every
point and phase of the great contest which still absorbs the attention and engrosses
the energies of the nation, little that is new could be presented. The progress
of our arms, upon which all else chiefly depends, is as well known to the
public as to myself; and it is, I trust, reasonably satisfactory and
encouraging to all. With high hope for the future, no prediction in regard to
it is ventured.
 |
Medieval Tower of All Saints church , Fulham
which Granville Sharpe 1713-1813 abolitionist would have known.
He is buried in the Churchyard |
On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago, all
thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. All dreaded it—all sought to avert it. While
the inaugural address was being delivered from this place, devoted altogether
to saving the Union without war, insurgent agents were in the city seeking to
destroy it without war—seeking to dissolve the Union, and divide effects, by
negotiation. Both parties deprecated war; but one of them would make war rather
than let the nation survive; and the other would accept war rather than let it
perish. And the war came.
One-eighth of the whole population were coloured slaves, not
distributed generally over the Union, but localised in the Southern part of it.
These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this
interest was, somehow, the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which
the insurgents would rend the Union, even by war; while the government claimed
no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it.
 |
Granville Sharpe and early campaigner for abolition of slavery
in the famous Zoffany Portrait of the Sharpe family,
All Saints Church Fulham in the background ( below the words Zoffany)
Poster form Summer 2012 Royal Accademy, London |
Neither
party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already
attained. Neither
anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with, or even before,
the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a
result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible, and pray to
the same God; and each invokes his aid against the other. It may seem strange
that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread
from the sweat of other men's faces; but let us judge not, that we be not
judged. The prayers of both could not be answered—that of neither has been answered
fully.
The Almighty has his own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offences! for it
must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence
cometh." If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those
offences which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having
continued through his appointed time, he now wills to remove, and that he gives
to both North and South this terrible war, as the woe due to those by whom the
offence came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine
attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to him? Fondly do we hope—fervently do we pray—that
this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills
that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondman's two hundred and
fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood
drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said
three thousand years ago, so still it must be said, "The judgements of the Lord are true and righteous
altogether."
With
malice toward none; with
charity for all; with
firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive
on to finish the work
we are in; to bind up
the nation's wounds; to care
for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his
orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among
ourselves, and with all nations”
Drawing on
Bible Pattern of twos
Pattern of threes
Barak Obama’s 2nd Inauguration Speech
(Resting his hand on a bible used for many years by his
wife's family, Mr Obama vowed "to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States")
Many expert
speech writers would have worked on this speech that President Obama delivered.
Why not use its structure as a template for
all leaders who wish to appeal to the team members . Who have to appeal for
change and who must convey they are in
it as much as everyone.
I have
highlighted skills such as pattern of threes, subtle appeals to resonances to
history , the constitution, the Declaration of rights.)
The transcript also mentions the applause breaks which is impot for speakers to know how to work. ]
PRESIDENT
OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much.
Vice President
Biden, Mr Chief Justice, members of the United States Congress, distinguished
guests, and fellow citizens, each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we
bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution. We affirm the
promise of our democracy. We recall that what binds this nation together is not
the colours of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names.
[Statement with of core values of speech]
OBAMA: What
makes us exceptional, what makes us America is our allegiance to an idea
articulated in a declaration
made more than two centuries ago. We
hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. {History attention getter and quote from the
Constitution ‘self evident’ ‘created
equal’]
(APPLAUSE)
That they are
endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, and among these are
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Today we continue a never ending
journey to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time.
For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they’ve never
been self-executing. That while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured
by his people here on earth. { Declaration of Rights – will resonate with
American audience]
OBAMA: The patriots of 1776 did not
fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few, or the
rule of a mob. They gave to us a republic, a government of, and by, and for the
people. Entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed. And for
more than 200 years we have. Through blood drawn by lash, and blood drawn by sword, we noted that
no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half slave, and half free.
OBAMA: We
made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together.
Together we
determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed
travel and commerce, schools and colleges to train our workers. Together we discovered
that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and
fair play. Together we
resolve that a great nation must care for the vulnerable and protect its people
from life’s worst hazards and misfortune.
Through it
all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority, nor have
we succumbed to the fiction that all societies ills can be cured through
government alone. Our celebration of initiative and enterprise, our insistence
on hard work and personal responsibility, these are constants in our character.
For we have
always understood that when times change, so must we, that
fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges,
that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action.
For the
American people can no more meet the demands of today’s world by acting alone
than American soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets
and militias. No single
person can train all the math and science teachers we’ll need to equip our
children for the future. Or build
the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and
businesses to our shores. r, [ Some may remember one of the TV debates where
Obama scored over Romney]
OBAMA: Now, more than ever, we must do these
things together as one nation, and one people.
(APPLAUSE)
This
generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled (ph) our resolve
and proved
our resilience. A decade of war is now ending. [resonance to Lincoln’s second inauguration War and Civil war] { The language of metal working works well
with tested and has Biblical resonances]
(APPLAUSE)
And economic
recovery has begun.
(APPLAUSE)
America’s
possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world
without boundaries demands: youth and
drive, diversity and openness,
of endless capacity for risk and a gift
for reinvention.
My fellow
Americans, we are made for this moment and we will seize it, so long as we
seize it together. { Carpe diem appeals to audience]
(APPLAUSE)
For we,
the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking
few do very well and a growing many barely make it. [Resonance of Declaration]
(APPLAUSE)
We believe
that America’s prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle
class. We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and
pride in their work, when the wages of honest labor will liberate families from
the brink of hardship.
OBAMA: We are
true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that
she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else because she is an American,
she is free, and she is equal not just in the eyes of God but also in our own.
(APPLAUSE)
We understand
that outworn (ph) programs are
inadequate to the needs of our time. So we must harness new ideas and
technology to remake
our government, revamp
our tax code, reform
our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work hard or learn more, reach higher.
[re words remake, revamp and reform]
But while the
means will change, our purpose endures.
A nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single American,
that is what this moment requires. That is what will give real meaning to our
creed.
We, the people, still believe that every citizen
deserves a basic measure of security and dignity. We must make the hard choices
to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit.
(APPLAUSE)
But we reject
the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that
built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future.
[You can cut and eat the cake]
(APPLAUSE)
For we
remember the lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty and
parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn. We do not believe
that in this country freedom is reserved for the lucky or happiness for the
few. We recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of
us at any time may face a job loss or a sudden illness or a home swept away in
a terrible storm. The commitments we make to each other through Medicare and
Medicaid and Social Security, these things do not sap our initiative.
OBAMA: They
strengthen us.
(APPLAUSE)
They do not
make us a nation of takers. They free us to take the risks that make this
country great.
(APPLAUSE)
We, the people, still believe that our obligations
as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond
to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray
our children and future generations.
(APPLAUSE)
Some may
still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the
devastating impact of raging
fires, and crippling
drought, and more
powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be
long and sometimes difficult. But American cannot
resist this transition. We must lead it
(APPLAUSE)
We cannot
cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new
industries. We must claim its promise. That’s how we will maintain our economic
vitality and our national treasure, our forests and waterways, our crop lands
and snow capped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to
our care by God. That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once
declared. [ emotive inclusion of many things that make up the country – Your
company department]
OBAMA: We, the people, still believe that
enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war.
(APPLAUSE)
Our brave men
and women in uniform tempered by the flames of battle are unmatched in skill
and courage.
(APPLAUSE)
Our citizens
seared by the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is
paid for liberty. The knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever
vigilant against those who would do us harm. But we are also heirs to those who
won the peace, and not just the war. Who turn sworn enemies into the surest of
friends. And we must carry those lessons into this time as well. We will defend
our people, and uphold our values through strength of arms, and the rule of
law.
We will show
the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully.
Not because we are naive about the dangers we face, but because engagement can
more durably lift suspicion and fear.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA:
America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the
globe. And we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage
crisis abroad. For no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most
powerful nation. We will support democracy from Asia to Africa, from the
Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us
to act on behalf of those who long for freedom. And we must be a source of hope
to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice. [Global
appeal]
OBAMA: Not
out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant
advance of those principles that our common creed describes; tolerance and opportunity, human dignity and justice. We the people declare today that the
most evident of truth that all of us
are created equal -- is the star that
guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls and
Selma and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and
unsung, who left footprints along this great mall, to hear a preacher say that
we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is
inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth. [Christian resonance
in the season of Christmas / epiphany the guiding star – pioneering spirit]
(APPLAUSE)
It is now our
generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers
began, for our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers and
daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. [Gender quality]
(APPLAUSE)
Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are
treated like anyone else under the law, for if we are truly created equal, then
surely the love we commit to one another must be equal, as well.
(APPLAUSE)
Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for
hours to exercise the right to vote.
(APPLAUSE)
Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the
striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity,
until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather
than expelled from our countr
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Our journey is not complete until all
our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the
quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for and cherished and always
safe from harm.
OBAMA: That
is our generation’s task, to make these works, these rights, these values of
life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness real for every American.
Being true to
our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life.
It does not mean we all define liberty in exactly the same way or follow the
same precise path to happiness.
Progress does
not compel us to settle century’s long debates about the role of government for
all time, but it does require us to act in our time.
(APPLAUSE)
For now,
decisions are upon us and we cannot afford delay. We cannot mistake absolutism
for principle or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as
reasoned debate.
(APPLAUSE)
We must act.
We must act knowing
that our work will be imperfect (ph). We must act knowing that today’s victories will be
only partial, and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years and
40 years and 400 years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to
us in a spare Philadelphia hall. [
Declaration]
OBAMA: My
fellow Americans, the oath I have
sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this
Capitol, was an oath to God and country, not party or faction.
And we must
faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of our service. But the
words I spoke today are not so different from the oath that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty, or an
immigrant realizes her dream.
My oath is not so different from the pledge
we all make to the flag that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride.
They are the words of citizens, and they represent our greatest hope. You and I, as citizens, have the power
to set this country’s course. You and I,
as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time, not only
with the votes we cast, but the voices we lift in defence of our most ancient
values and enduring ideas.
(APPLAUSE)
Let us each
of us now embrace with solemn duty, and awesome joy, what is our lasting
birthright. With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication,
let us answer the call of history and carry into an uncertain future that
precious light of freedom. [ Appeal close]
Thank you.
God bless
you.
And may He
forever bless these United States of America.
END
Related Links to study
Victory Speech Novemebr 2012
Conservative UK Party Conference Speech Autumn 2012
Transcript
from Washington Post.
