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.
