Richard Nixon gives the speech “The Greatest Silent Majority” during the Vietnamese war to convince Americans to support South Vietnam in their war against the communist takeover from North Vietnam. To specify, the speech directs primarily to the Silent Majority, the people who oppose the Vietnamese war. Throughout the speech, Nixon uses rhetorical appeals to support the freedom of South Vietnam state the reasons why America should remain in the war. In 1955, communist North Vietnam wants to reunite the North and South and has the support of China along with the rebellious South Vietnam army creating a war in Asia. In 1969, Nixon became the thirty-seventh president. Fourteen years into the war, some Americans want Nixon to end United States …show more content…
When speaking about North Vietnam, he says “They murdered more than 50,000 people, and hundreds of thousands more died in slave labor camps” (Nixon). He specifically uses this fact because it is tragic and he hopes that Americans will stand with him. He urges Americans to stop the “bloody reign of terror” that the North has brought by villainizing North Vietnam, making Americans want to siege their power. (Nixon). Nixon says, “3,000 civilians were clubbed, shot to death, and buried in the mass grave” expose the way South Vietnamese people are treated so that Americans will want to help those suffering. Nixon gives horrifying imagery to create sadness in the audience members. Nixon expects that audience members will feel ethically pushed to help the suffering people. To describe the effects of leaving war, he says “This would cost more lives. It would not bring peace. It would bring more war” (Nixon). Nixon says “The more support I can have from the American people, the sooner that pledge can be redeemed”, claiming that the war will be ended sooner if Americans support his decisions using the people's’ interest of ending the war quickly to receive support. Nixon the feeling of patriotism to rally the audience members. The word “Americans” creates a sense of nationalistic pride in the audience along with the phrase “We Americans” (Nixon). These phrases distinguishes the United States from other countries by suggesting that America is unique and capable. Nixon later uses the glittering generalities “peace” and “freedom” to emphasize that South Vietnamese people want something that is ethically
As Johnson’s presidency ended, the Republican Party won and representing President Richard Nixon. On 1973, the United States Air Forced received an orders from President Nixon to decimate the industrial and military target in North Vietnam. As the North Vietnamese attended the Paris Peace Talks the United States granted their promising words of stopping the bomb. Few months later, President Nixon delivered a speech to the nation stating that United States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the Viet Cong were at peace because of signing the Paris Peace Accords. On the brighter side, the accords was a victory to the United States and South Vietnam which it was known as the V-Day.
The Ohio National Guard shot 13 students that day(PUBLISHED). In 1968, President Richard Nixon was elected because he made promises that he would stop the Vietnam war(PUBLISHED). During the first year of his presidency America’s involvement in the Vietnam war seemed to be winding down(PUBLISHED). Though
This had to be an optimistic outlook for Americans because they had experienced the secrecy of the Nixon administration and high spending on the Vietnam War. Carter assured the people at the convention that he would invest “in people and not in buildings and weapons,” which also had to be inspiring to a country who kept spending money on the nuclear weapons arms race with the USSR. Finally, he was optimistic about what America could become during his presidency. Carter said that “we can have an America that provides excellence in education…, encourages ethnic diversity…, and an American government that does not spy on its own people.”
Nixon’s use of rhetoric devices underscore that he is relatable and trusting. He announces that he has not taken anything anyone has given him for his personal use except a dog from a man in Texas for his family. “It was a little cocker spaniel dog... black and white, spotted, and our little girl Tricia, the six year old, named it Checkers. And you know, the kids, like all kids, loved the dog, and I just want to say this, right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we are going to keep it”(Nixon para.
One of the reasons Nixon’s speech helped him out so much was the use of pathos that he had used to get people's emotions. When Nixon said “During their brief rule there, there was a bloody reign of terror in which 3,000 civilians were clubbed, shot to death, and buried in mass graves” (The Silent Majority). During the Silent Majority speech he was using pathos by making the audience feel emotion about the civilians that were killed. Another persuasive technique that Nixon had used during his speech that made it effective was repetition. Nixon said “Ultimately, this would cost more lives.
The Vietnam war had been nicknamed ‘Johnson’s war’, which automatically put Nixon at an advantage over Humphrey, who was Johnson’s Vice President and still supported the war. This influenced Nixon’s election as many democrats turned away from Humphrey and used Nixon as an anti-war alternative. Humphrey’s stance led Nixon’s popularity to increase nationwide as, although relatively anti-civil rights, Nixon appealed to Afro-Americans like Martin Luther King, who had clashed with Johnson over the war. Nixon’s anti-war policies caused him to gain support from many unlikely areas of the USA, along with those in the silent majority that he originally targeted, leading him to be elected as President in
The televised advertisement was very persuasive for voters of different ethnicities and backgrounds. He used the three different rhetorical appeals, ethological appeals, logistical appeals, and pathological appeals, to gain the votes, minds, and hearts of citizens. Nixon emotionally connected with American parents and future American parents as voters to gain their respect and trust with their children and their uncertain futures in a turbulent American society. He shows himself to be a respectful and knowledgeable man whom not only has experience as a leader and political figure, but also sees the people of America as people. He deems them more important than the American government system, and tries his best to ensure that they know that they will be taken care of by him if he becomes the President of the United States of America.
“I thought the Vietnam war was an utter, unmitigated disaster, so it was very hard for me to say anything good about it” - George McGovern. There are numerous controversial topics dispersed among the subject of American history due to the amount of unethical decisions that have been made in order to improve the lives of the people or keep America out of the clutches of war. Throughout American history, historians have debated the ethical impact that the Vietnam war had on the United States. Although some people may believe that the Vietnam War achieved the goal of avoiding communism and protecting the people, the overarching idea is that it was an unjust war because of the countless lives that were lost from the participating countries, the
The infamous checkers speech came as the result of an accusation of corruption, foreshadowing President Richard Nixon’s lengthy struggle with candor. 20 years prior to the scandal that changed the way the American people viewed the federal government, Nixon had the ability to utilize the modes of persuasion to his advantage, with few attempts being made at uncovering any discrepancies. This essay will explore his application of ethos and pathos in the first part of the checkers speech and how it enabled the American people to resonate with his narrative, with logos being far less of a factor. Establishing credibility in a case of potential corruption is seemingly impossible; however, President Nixon’s utilization of ethos throughout his
This scandal caused many Americans and Republican politicians to push Eisenhower to remove Nixon as his running mate and to question Nixon’s integrity. In rebuttal to the scandal, Nixon took the bull by the horns and defended himself by going on live national television and addressed the nation by giving the famous Checkers speech. The soon to be Vice-President articulated his speech with a perfect combination of Pathos, Ethos, and Logos to turn the tables from making everyone hate him to making the American People and Republican Politicians love him. Nixon’s integrity was
The feeling of wariness for those in politics was not always existent; although only three presidents have faced impeachment charger, only one president has left office. Richard Nixon was the thirty seventh president of the United States, a man in the public eye for many years as both a U.S. representative and Senator (“Richard”), well educated and around sixty when he resigned from the position as president. On the evening of August 8, 1974, Nixon delivered his resignation speech over a public broadcast from his Oval Office to the people of the United States. The former president gave this speech to inform the nation of the upcoming changing president; he also voiced his hopes for the country in future affairs, especially the foreign policies
Nixon successfully apologized to the country by using pathos, ethos, and logos, as well as other forms of rhetoric. In his speech, Nixon used forms of logos to appeal to people’s sense of logic. He wanted to give his reasoning of resigning in a way he knew people would understand. He said “It has become evident to me that i no longer have a strong enough political base in congress.”.
On August 8th, 1974 at exactly 9:01 pm, Richard Nixon--former President-- gave a speech that would affect both United States history and the american people. Richard Nixon’s argument and claim lay within the textual aspects, in other words, his tone, attitude, and the strategic ways of presenting to his audience. In this historical speech, Richard Nixon broadcasted his character, past decisions, and future advice to the people of the United States in order to justify his resignation from the presidential office. The rhetorical stylistic tools were effective and instrumental in backing up the argument. Recognition of audience was important, because it will determine his attitude and tone, which was innocence.
He increased the number of forces in South Vietnam. The war escalated then he decided to not run for reelection. Nixon used the war to his advantage. He promised to find a way to end the Vietnam War, pledging America would have “peace with honor”. Now he had to uphold this promise and implement a plan, but it didn’t work.
In his essay, Hills explains how Nixon evokes the intended response from the immediate audience by gaining support for the war. Nixon states in his speech, “tonight-to you, the great silent majority of my fellow Americans-I ask for your support.” Here, Nixon uses resentment in sacrifice in lives and finance, longing for some action in a marked direction were strategies used to gain support instead of “teaching.” This in turn allowed America to continue in the war which proves that he agrees with Foss for Nixon’s primary role was not that of a teacher or