Analysis Of Lyndon B. Johnson's Speech We Shall Overcome

Jeannette Shackelford
Duane Watson
Engl 1302
02Febuary 2015
Press Hard For the Power to Vote In the speech “We Shall Overcome”, the speech was written by Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, the speech was addressed to Congress on voting legislation and to the United States as a whole. The speech was given on March 15, 1965 in an era where there was much bigotry, racial violence against blacks. The speech was televised a week after the after math of the deadly violence that had erupted in Salem Alabama, which was supposed to be a peaceful protest, that was given by the Negros a protest for equal rights to vote, turned into a violent protest. Many people were brutally beaten and there were also some that lost their lives, because of it. Lyndon B Johnson begins his speech his by convincing his listener that he will flight for what is owed to the Negros. That is the equal right to vote regardless of your race. The speech “We Shall Overcome”, speech gets to the core of the problem within the Legislation itself. He wants to see that everyone will abide by the 15th Amendment that gives Negros the right and the privilege to vote without any recourse, without worrying

It appealed to a people that were protesting for equal rights, the activist, white people, Negros, to government to enforce the 15th Amendment and to people that were literally dying for the cause to enforce change within our constitution especially the fifth teen amendment, because there were people getting beat to dead for protesting for their rights. According to the 15th Amendment, it gives everyone the right to vote it did not matter the color of their skin. It was a right that was owed to the Negros, which gives them the right to vote. Negros was losing their lives protesting and fighting for a cause that belonged to them