Inaugurations Bring Us Together

I thought it was interesting that most of the presidents used words like nation and government. They seem like obvious words to use while addressing the nation during the inauguration, but most of the presidents used the words differently than you’d expect. Many used the word government by saying that it almost isn’t important, but we the people are more important and self-government is way more important. Regan used this a lot in his speeches for example : “we are a nation that has a government- not the other way around.” He is clearly trying to make us feel more together and that the citizens of this country mean more than the government. A lot of the presidents also talk about the nation as a whole and trying to make us feel like a giant team and that we are all on one side. A direct quote from Clinton : “…of our past remains the challenge of our future –will we be one nation, one people, with one common destiny or not?” By addressing the whole nation no one feels left out.

Personally I think all these words that are used so much in inaugural speeches are so popular because you can use these words in ways to make the country come together. After candidates are elected it is almost their job to try to make the losing party feel better and come on board with their ideas and to trust them. After many debates and elections the nation feels split into left and right and the inaugural speech needs to bring everyone together again to look toward common goals and work as a team. It doesn’t always work but with the help of these words it can make people feel more comfortable again and remember we are all citizens of this country and we need to work together.