LA.7.2.2.1: The
student will locate, use, and analyze specific information from organizational
text features (e.g. table of contents, headings, captions, bold print, italics,
glossaries, indices, key/guide words).
“Poetry
and Power: John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address“
On January 20, 1961, a clerk of the U.S. Supreme Court held the
large, Fitzgerald family Bible as John F. Kennedy took the oath of office to become
the nation’s 35th president. Against
a backdrop of deep snow and sunshine, more than twenty thousand people huddled
in 20-degree temperatures on the east front of the Capitol to witness the
event. Kennedy, having removed his
topcoat, delivered what has become a landmark inaugural address.
His audience reached far beyond those gathered before him to
people around the world. In preparing for this moment, he sought both to
inspire the nation and to send a message abroad signaling the challenges
of the Cold War and his hope for peace in the nuclear age. He also wanted to be brief.
The finely-crafted speech had been revised and reworked numerous
times by Kennedy and his speech writer until the President-elect was satisfied.
Though not the shortest of inaugural addresses, Kennedy’s was shorter than most
at 1,355 words in length and was comprised of short phrases and words. In
addition to message, word choice and length, he recognized that captivating
his audience required a powerful delivery. On the day before and on the morning of Inauguration Day, he
kept a copy handy to take advantage of any spare moment to review it, even at
the breakfast table.
What many consider to be the most memorable and enduring
section of the speech came towards the end when Kennedy called on all Americans
to commit themselves to service and sacrifice:
“And so, my fellow
Americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for
your country.” He then continued by addressing his international audience:
“My fellow citizens of the world, ask not
what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of
man.”
Having won the election by one of the smallest popular vote margins
in history, Kennedy had known the great importance of this speech. People who witnessed the speech or
heard it broadcast over television and radio praised the new President. Even elementary school children wrote
to him with their reactions to his ideas.
Following his inaugural address, nearly 75% of Americans expressed
approval of President Kennedy.
Question for the
day
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Question
for day 1:
What did President Kennedy want to accomplish by
delivering this speech?
a)
Discourage peace in the new age
b)
Start
the next Nuclear War
c)
Challenge the country to a new Cold
War
d)
Inspire
the Nation
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Question
for day 2:
Which best explains the word captivating?
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Question
for day 3:
How
did the nation react to Kennedy’s inaugural address?
a)
Kennedy went in a different direction that they expected
b)
The nation was
disappointed in their choice
c)
The nation praised
him
d)
The speech was poorly written
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Question
for day 4:
Which of the following words best match
this definition: a promise to defend
the US Constitution and fulfill
the duties of the presidency?
a)
oath of
office
b)
inaugural
c)
margins
d)
enduring
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Quiz Day 5
Biography: Richard Henry Lee
A
Great Speaker
Tall,
thin, and aristocratic in appearance, Richard Henry Lee is described as having
a confrontational nature and a fiery, rebellious spirit. Those qualities, along
with his booming, musical voice brought him fame as a passionate orator and a
leading patriot of his day. His skills as an orator were considered second only
to Patrick Henry. He often waved his hand, wrapped in black silk to hide damage
from a hunting accident, for emphasis.
Born
on Stratford Plantation in Virginia to a wealthy, influential family, he was
educated first by private tutors at home and then sent to Wakefield Academy in
England. By the age of 26, he was a justice of the peace and a member of
Virginia’s House of Burgesses.
A
Progressive Leader
In
1759 in his first bill before the House of Burgesses, Richard Henry asked the
legislature to put such a heavy tax on the importation of slaves as to put an
end to “that iniquitous and disgraceful traffic within the colony of Virginia.”
Africans, he wrote, were equally entitled to “liberty and freedom by the great
law of nature.” His words are considered to be the most extreme antislavery
statements made before the nineteenth century.
Along
with Patrick Henry, he shared leadership of the “Progressive” faction in the
House and led the opposition against British taxes. He also achieved prominence
by exposing the embezzlement of public funds by the Speaker of the House, who,
for 30 years, had been using public money to finance his friends’ businesses.
Son
of Liberty
Between
1766 and 1776, his reputation spread throughout the colonies and he became
known as a flaming “Son of Liberty.” He drew up legislation protesting the
Stamp Act and endorsed Patrick Henry’s Virginia Resolves. Lee did not hesitate
to take direct action against the crown. He organized a boycott against
purchasing the stamps in Westmoreland County and led an armed party against the
local stamp distributor. He also encouraged the boycott of imported British
products and started making cloth and wine on his own plantation.
Lee
was one of the most active members of both the First and Second Continental
Congresses, serving on committees that drew up the Declaration of Rights, the
Address to the King, and the Memorial to the People of British America. Lee was
an Anti-Federalist who declined to be a delegate to the Constitutional
Convention because he
feared that too much power in a federal government would lead to despotism. He
pushed for a Bill of Rights and many of his suggestions are embodied in ours.
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1.
Based on information in the last paragraph of the
article, what does
“Anti-Federalist” MOST LIKELY
mean?
a. Against
the king
b. In
favor of a national constitution
c. Retired
from public service
d. Against
a powerful national government
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2.
In the fifth paragraph of the article, Lee is
described as a “flaming
‘Son of Liberty.’” What is
the meaning of “flaming”
in this sentence?
a. Extreme
b. Red-haired
c. Lit
on fire
d. Burned-out
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3.
Which details support the section heading
describing Lee as “A
Great Speaker”?
a. He
led the opposition to British taxes
b. He
had a booming, musical voice
c. He
feared a strong government
d. He
was educated in England
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4.
Which of these details would you MOST LIKELY
find under the heading
“Son of Liberty”?
a. Where
Lee was educated
b. Lee’s
opinion on slavery
c. Lee’s
opinion on the Stamp Act
d. When
Lee was first elected to public office
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