A More Perfect Union: Obama, Race, and the Necessity to Unite
Philadelphia, March 2008. Neither that city nor year suggests a crucial event in American racial history. It’s not Birmingham in 1961, or Washington, D.C. in 1963. However, on March 18, 2008, at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, soon-to-be President Barack Obama, a black man with an African father, took the stage and delivered a speech that would paint the racial landscape of his historic presidency. In his speech, Obama welds three distinctive rhetorical tactics to support his overarching argument that unity is compulsory in this country to produce racial equality. First, he opens with a personal and historical background to highlight the kairotic moment and exigence present, then appeals to pathos through multiple examples of racial injustice to indicate the necessity of such change, and finally uses his appeals to ethos to suggest, but not legislate, modes of change for black and white Americans. The speech was met with profound success: pundits from both the right and the left praised his bravery and oration, while, later that year, Obama defeated John McCain in a landslide victory to secure the presidency. To many, this speech was both a rhetorical and political turning point in the 2008 presidential campaign.
Obama begins his speech with his own and America’s racial history to highlight the importance of unity in anticipation of his election. He opens with the preamble to the United States Constitution (“We the people, in order to form a more perfect union”), then states that while this was the original goal of the founding fathers, “the document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. It was stained by this nation’s original sin of slavery,” and other racial injustices. He then incorporates his “own American story” in an effort to include himself as a character in the ongoing chronicle of race in America. He states, “I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather… I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue.”
Yet while Obama clearly paints his involvement in and passion towards the racial makeup of America, the reason for this rhetorical speech – the exigence – is not clear until he mentions his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. In the weeks prior to the speech Wright, an outspoken Chicago pastor, accused the government of committing hateful acts against black Americans. Conservatives flagged Wright as a militant black extremist, and, because he used to pray at his church, Obama was labeled similarly. In an effort to save face, while providing a more broad discourse on race in America, Obama had to act. As such, while Wright’s comments provided the exigence for this discourse, the urgency to both distance himself from his former pastor and call for racial unity in America served as the kairotic moment. With that purpose, Obama firmly states, “we have no choice [other than to act now] if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.”
With the exigence identified and the kairotic moment present, the speaker appeals to pathos by presenting examples of racial injustice that exist in our nation to further argue the necessity of change. He states that past legislation has done little, and that more exhaustive measures are needed. He opines, “Segregated schools were, and are, inferior schools; we still haven’t fixed them, fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, and the inferior education they provided, then and now, helps explain the pervasive achievement gap between today’s black and white students.” By painting an example of racial inequality – as well as its long-term effects – Obama effectively appeals to the emotions of his audience (the entire United States population) to emphasize the need for racial unity in America. As a result, generations of black failure build up, and, as demonstrated by the angry Reverend Wright, boil over. “The anger is real; it is powerful,” recites Obama, eyes locked on his crowd. “To simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.” Thus, by elucidating the racial inequality in America, Obama appeals to pathos as he plays off the emotions of his audience to further call for unity on the eve of his election.
Finally, Obama uses his strong appeals to ethos to suggest, but not force, modes of change for black and white Americas. His appeal to ethos lays in the fact that he has placed himself as a character in the racial history of America. He is of a mixed-race background and was raised surrounded by racial inequality. Yet he is also a polished politician with a first class education. As such, he is qualified to make his claims. And with force, he does. Obama urges black Americans to “embrace the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past.” The speaker knows these burdens – from facing prejudice while studying at Harvard to being questioned about his own American citizenship. Yet while he is qualified to make these claims, his suggestions have little backing. No one knows the key to racial equality, so why should a man only running for president tell us how to act? Obama swiftly evades this predicament by solely expressing broad suggestions instead of promising to enact certain legislation. As such, he evades over stepping his boundaries, while still making justifiable claims. In the end, he asks that Americans do “nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the world’s great religions demand – that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.” This is the great rhetorical accomplishment of his speech: Obama uses his appeal to ethos to demonstrate the need for change, and suggest broad changes, but never surpasses his authority with grandiose ideals.
Under great pressure and circumstance did Barack Obama assume the podium on the 28th of March 2008. After his former preacher, Jeremiah Wright, provided the exigence for this discourse by claiming the American government treated blacks unfairly, Obama was forced to respond. And with great confidence and rhetoric, he did. The soon to be president first set the grounds for his speech by putting himself into the racial context of American history, establishing the modern-day setting of a centuries-old fight. He then appealed to pathos by enlightening his audience with examples of racial unfairness to highlight the need for unity and change. And finally, he capitalized on these stimulated sentiments by appealing to ethos to advocate, but not dictate, modes of change. With the great success of this historic speech, Obama assumed a new podium in November of that same year, this time to accept his election as the President of the United States.
And with great confidence and rhetoric, he did. The soon to be president first set the grounds for his speech by putting himself into the racial context of American history, establishing the modern-day setting of a centuries-old fight. He then appealed to pathos by enlightening his audience with examples of racial unfairness to highlight the need for unity and change. And finally, he capitalized on these stimulated sentiments by appealing to ethos to advocate, but not dictate, modes of change. With the great success of this historic speech, Obama assumed a new podium in November of that same year, this time to accept his election as the President of the United States.