John F Kennedy Civil Rights Address - Research Paper Example

?John F Kennedy "Civil Rights Address" U.S. President John F. Kennedy's “Civil Rights Address” delivered to the nation on June 11, 1963 is regarded as a landmark in the nation’s pursuit towards abandoning racial discrimination and segregation. All throughout the speech, Kennedy persuades his listeners/audience to ensure civil rights, racial equality and equal treatment in the nation. The address is quite persuasive in nature and President Kennedy has successfully employed various rhetorical strategies all throughout the speech. No doubt, the speech appeals to the ethos, logos and pathos of the audience; stylistic features such as the use of imagery, appropriate language, and tone enhance the credibility and persuasive nature of the discourse. The speech can also be understood as President Kennedy’s attempt to defend and justify his controversial decision to admit two qualified Negroes into the University of Alabama in Birmingham. One also needs to keep in mind there were ongoing demonstrations, parades and rallies for equal civil rights within the nation. The speech clearly points out two key issues that haunt the American society-racism and prejudice. Thus, the speech offers the audience a thorough understanding of the speaker’s concern over the current issue of segregation in the nation. This paper tries to identify the specific rhetorical aspects of Kennedy’s speech and in doing so the paper seeks to draw evidences from the address as well. President Kennedy addresses his audience as “my fellow citizens” and he begins his speech by bringing the audience’s attention towards the admission of two Negro boys to the University of Alabama. He exhorts every American to examine his conscience and thus exposes the issues of racial discrimination and civil rights to the audience. He makes it clear that the black people in the nation are ill-treated only because they happened to be born as Negros and makes his oft-quoted statement that “all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened” (Kennedy). Thus, one can find the speaker’s conscious efforts to appeal to the social evil that dominate the American society-racial discrimination. Kennedy then refers to the worldwide struggle towards equal rights and goes on to argue that all Americans irrespective of their color should be offered equal treatment in places of public accommodation. He purports that every American has a moral obligation to be treated equally. It can also be observed that rhetorical devices such as the choice of diction, imageries, statistical data, and tone contribute to the persuasiveness of the speech. For instance, the use of phrases such as “ought to be possible” and “ought to have the right” clearly emphasize this sense of moral responsibility towards equal treatment and freedom. This has been aptly suggested by Newman when the author states: “the repetitive use of "it ought to be possible" is an effective way to point out the different levels of freedom that restricted the average Negro citizen” (Newman). Kennedy also seeks the help of statistical data (such as ‘one-half’, ‘one-third’, ‘twice as much’, and ‘half as much’) to convince his audience the white-black disparity that governs the society. Similarly, in his speech, Kennedy offers a number of instances where unequal treatment and discrimination is shown toward the Negros. These instances are capable of creating so many vivid images or mental pictures in the minds of the audience. President Kennedy then directs his audience towards the depth of the issue and leads the audience to think about the possible solutions. He makes it clear that segregation and discrimination is prevalent in almost all states of America and calls for the need to frame new legislations to tackle the issue. However, he warns his white audience that the nation is ‘confronted primarily with a moral issue’ and exhorts everyone to ask their conscience whether they are able to grant ‘equal rights and equal opportunities’ to their black American citizens. Similarly, his he refers to President Lincoln and his remark that the blacks still live in the bonds of injustice and oppression would stir the minds of his audience. Thus, it can be seen that Kennedy is trying to turn the minds of audience in favor of the Negro community. One can also find President Kennedy’s strong criticism towards the false sense of freedom cherished by the American citizens. He warns his audience that the nation’s hopes and all its boasts are quite meaningless unless and until all its citizens enjoy absolute freedom. He also postulates that there should be no second-class citizens or master races within the nation. Kennedy was quite sure that the demonstrations and cries for equality could no longer be suppressed or ignored and he also expresses his concern that these would unwanted tensions and trigger violence. He makes it clear that neither police action nor negotiations could suppress this struggle for civil rights and equality of treatment. He also condemns segregation in the public education system. He exhorts his audience to perceive the issue of racial discrimination or rather negation of civil rights as a moral crisis that the nation and its citizens face. Instead of suggesting any explicit solutions Kennedy prompts the audience to initiate a peaceful and constructive change within the nation. After having prepared the minds of his audience towards a possible change, the President boldly announces that the Congress of the United States will see that ‘race has no place in American life or law.’ He thus reinstates that a nationwide legislation is the only possible solution to wipe out racial discrimination from the American society. Kennedy concludes his speech by pointing out that legislation alone cannot solve the issue of discrimination and inequality from the American society. On the other hand, he asks each American to wipe away traces of inequality from individual homes and communities across the nation. He reminds his audience that the black community has got equal civil rights for freedom of all sorts and no one can take away this privilege from them. While guaranteeing equal civil rights and equality of treatment to the Negro Community Kennedy never forgets to advise them to uphold law and be responsible. Thus, the diplomatic tone maintained throughout the speech is quite evident. To conclude, it can be stated that the ultimate aim of President John F. Kennedy's “Civil Rights Address” is to turn public opinion in favor of a nationwide legislation towards abandoning racial discrimination. For this, Kennedy prepares the minds of his audience through appropriate rhetorical devices. It is quite observable that all throughout the speech Kennedy makes conscious efforts to depict discrimination and segregation as a moral issue rather than a social or legal one. The actual significance of Kennedy’s speech is that it was his conception of the comprehensive civil rights bill that later President Lyndon B. Johnson converted into law in 1964 which ultimately put an end to the racial segregation in the South (Meagher & Gragg 161). Thus, it can be concluded that Kennedy's “Civil Rights Address” blends a variety of rhetorical elements and it is this address which paved the way for equal civil rights in America. Works cited Kennedy, John F. Civil Rights Address. 11 June 1963. Web. 24 February 2012. Meagher, Michael & Gragg, Larry D. John F. Kennedy: A Biography. Illustrated ed: ABC-CLIO, 2011. Print. Newman. John F. Kennedy’s “Civil Rights Address” Analysis. Mr. Newman's Digital Rhetorical Symposium. October 5, 2010. Web. 24 February 2012. Read More