Compare And Contrast Kennedy And Ronald Reagan

The speech that George W. Bush gave after the attacks on September 11th, 2001 was not only comforting, like the speech given by Ronald Reagan after the Challenger Tragedy, or the impromptu speech given by Robert Kennedy after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., but also blazing with the clear message that America is strong, and that no matter what, we would overcome.
While Ronald Reagan made clear the specific audiences he was addressing, George Bush made a bigger point of addressing the entire American nation, from the children of the victims, to the adults whose faith in this country had been so badly shaken. He wanted Americans to keep strong faith in our country, and not to worry about what was going to happen next. Reagan made many points in his speech about the bravery of the fallen astronauts, as well as the importance of the quest into unknown frontiers. Bush and Reagan both really tried to stress the importance of American people standing strong together, believing in our country, and not recoiling in the face of adversity. Both presidents not only had very strongly worded speeches, but well delivered performances of them as well, (especially Reagan, whose background as an actor always helped his charisma in front of the camera.)
President Bush went in sort of a different direction: The American people would stay strong together, and bring down any enemy that threatened our freedom or safety. Robert Kennedy was addressing tension between black people and white people living in the same country, while President Bush was addressing the American citizens in the face of an overwhelming attack from a foreign country. Kennedy’s message was one centering on love, compassion and understanding, while Bush was stressing the importance of freedom, American pride, and most importantly,