Elizabeth Rothenberger CAS 137H 10 October 2013 Lyndon B.

Johnsons We Shall Overcome During the 1960s, America was divided over the voting rights of African Americans, who had won their freedom from slavery a century before but had not yet gained the right to vote. This was a time of racial unrest, as well as a time of political unrest, as the current president, Lyndon B. Johnson encouraged Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act. His desire to have this act passed is expressed through his speech, We Shall Overcome, which was delivered to Congress on March 16, 1965. In doing this, Johnson broke many boundaries that had previously been set by his predecessors. Johnsons goal of passing the Voting Rights Act through his speech We Shall Overcome was especially effective due to his willingness to exceed the boundaries of his predecessors. Johnsons specific audience to which he is speaking is members of Congress; however, there is an implied audience of every American. In his words to Congress, he is asking not only for the support of Congress in passing this act but also for the support of the American public. At one point, he directs a comment to both the members of Congress and the others who were present, as well as to all in the Nation tonight. This shows that Johnson not only wants the act to be passed by Congress, but he, again, wants the support of all Americans. He hopes to show that he is not just concerned about the legislative aspect of this civil rights issue but that he is also concerned with the ethical

issues of the situation. In attempting to rally the support of the American people, Johnson breaks many barriers in showing that this issue is about more than just a law. Throughout the speech, Johnson uses a great deal of pathos to rally more support for his cause. He often mentions the very recent violence that occurred in Selma, Alabama, when men and women were protesting the fact that their right to vote had been denied. Johnson takes the opportunity that arises with this particular exigence to allow for a rhetorical conversation to take place. In this sense, he is appealing to the emotions of many American people, both Congressmen and ordinary citizens, to encourage them to support his cause. Without mentioning this violent event that had occurred a week prior to his delivery of the speech, there would not be much timeliness to his argument, and it would not have been nearly as effective. Furthermore, the timeliness used in his speech contributed to the pathos that he was able to utilize throughout the speech. By purging his emotions to the American people, he was able to encourage more support for his cause. The timeliness of his argument gave the speech a great deal more meaning, and it heightened the emotions of many who heard or read it. This speech broke a very strong contextual constraint in the precedents set by the presidents who had served the country prior to Johnsons time in office. It was extremely rare for presidents to address Congress in person to advocate for a legislative bill. It was even more rare for a president to do so on domestic issues (Pauley, par 11). In addition, none of his predecessors had ever taken such a strong stance in the fight for civil rights legislation. In the past, most presidents did not take any stand on such issues, and if they did, they did not take a strong or passionate stand. Johnson, though, was able to break

this constraint of his predecessors. He was especially effective in promoting his ideas because it was something that he was passionate about promoting. In addition to putting his own passion into the speech, he also put himself as a human being into the speech. His rhetoric implies that he is a part of the American people. He did not see himself as just a leader of a country, but he saw himself as part of America. The speech is not entitled This Country Shall Overcome. Instead, it is entitled, We Shall Overcome. That simple word we changes the meaning of the entire speech. This again broke many contextual constraints in that he was considering himself as a part of the many people of the United States of America. He put himself with the rest of the American people in saying that he was demanding change. In this way, Johnson implied that it was a general feeling of American citizens that something needed to be done about the current situation of voting rights for African Americans. This adds to the pathos of the entire speech because he includes his own emotions in the generalized emotions of the general public. Another aspect of this speech that is important to consider when examining the context surrounding the speech is Johnsons past as a politician. When Johnson was the Majority Leader in Senate, he worked to weaken different aspects of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Then, as president, he decided that America needed to be rid of its racial discrimination (And We Shall Overcome, par 1). This is just another way that Johnson broke barriers of the time period. He not only broke the constraints of his own self by changing his mind, but it was also generally uncommon for politicians to change their mind so dramatically. This was especially true when it came to civil rights issues such as this one and especially during a time when tensions were high between races and between

political parties over such issues. In this way, constraints were broken, and Johnson, as president, had the ability and power to overcome these restraints. In We Shall Overcome, Johnson often alludes to different texts from American history. For example, he gives examples from both the Constitution and the Emancipation Proclamation to support his ideas and arguments. He even references a quote from the seal of the United States of America. In doing this, he is not only backing up his ideas, but he is also connecting the dots between different contexts and periods of time. When he quotes a few lines of the Constitution, he allows people to understand the lines that can be drawn from the quotes context both when it was written in 1987 and in 1965, when Johnson gave this speech. This is extremely important to the interpretation of the speechs text because it shows the members of Congress, as well as the general public, that Johnson feels that these texts still have relevance today and that they should still be used when governing the country. Johnson broke many constraints of the time period throughout the course of this speech. He was more publicly passionate about this civil rights issue than most of his recent predecessors had cared to show. In many ways he risked losing the support of many Americans by showing his support for an act on a topic that was very controversial at the time. He was very successful in presenting his arguments, though, as Congress did eventually pass this Civil Rights Act. Johnsons breaking of contextual constraints led the way towards a new aspect of presidency in supporting civil rights movements and other ethical ideals, which was not by any means common for presidents during the time period.

WORKS CITED "And We Shall Overcome": President Lyndon B. Johnson's Special Message to Congress." "And We Shall Overcome": President Lyndon B. Johnson's Special Message to Congress. History Matters, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2013. Pauley, Garth E. Lyndon B. Johnson, "We Shall Overcome" (15 March 1965). N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2013.