In the 1960’s, civil rights were becoming a very present and evident concern to the people of America once again. Issues were being brought up to leaders that could and had the authority to actually help out and do something about these said issues. John F. Kennedy was elected in 1961, and the state our country was in was not as great as it could have been. In fact, it was not good at all. In North America, African Americans were discriminated against in many areas including education, work opportunities, and housing. In South America, African Americans were denied the right to vote, they suffered from insults, public humiliation and violence, and courts would also treat them unfairly. Martin Luther King Jr. was also a very influential, if not the most influential when it came to bringing awareness to the injustices his people were dealing with daily. The people of America knew that it was time for change, and it was slowly coming along. Two people who left a legacy when it came to civil rights were John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. both rose up to the challenge of presenting the ideas of equality for all people around the same time, using great rhetorical strategies. In each of their speeches, you can point out the various uses of pathos, ethos, and logos.
In John F. Kennedy’s Presidential Inauguration Speech, he uses rhetoric to capture his audience, and keep their attention as well.
“We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans -- born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and