Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address came at the height of the Great Depression in 1933. People were struggling and overall pessimistic about the future, but they hoped that their recent election of a new president might change how things were going. After winning by a relatively large margin, FDR was ready to transition from campaigning to announcing his plan to take action as the newly elected official. His First Inaugural Address was the first speech he made to the American people as President. Ready to take on the challenges the country was facing, FDR included emotional sentiments by imploring the American people to look to the future and his new administration with hope. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address articulates powerful examples of strong emotional appeals of confidence and hope, the Kairos of the tense political atmosphere of 1933, and the commonplace that an inaugural address usually lays out the President’s promises and intentions for the upcoming term. Meanwhile, how does this address compare to FDR’s Second Inaugural Address? The people were already accustomed to his presidency and were not as concerned with the depression anymore. Even so, new challenges faced them, resulting in a shift toward focusing on improving life for the working class. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s first and second inaugural speech differently approach these commonplaces, rhetorical situations in which these speeches arose, and the use of ethos and pathos.
The kairotic moments of the time period are capitalized upon in both President FDR’s First and Second Inaugural Address. March of 1933 was close to the end of the Great Depression, but no one knew that yet. Instead, the people of America faced distress as they had to survive without their jobs and stability. FDR’s First Inaugural Speech emerged at this time following his election, and he focused this address around the current problems America was facing, specifically the Great Depression. President FDR also used this event and speech as an opportunity to blame these American struggles on the last administration of President Hoover, capitalizing on the fact that he had just been removed from office after one term. FDR utilized similar tactics with his Second Inaugural Address, yet on a less extreme level. In 1937, the Great Depression was no longer a concern to most Americans, and they were already aware of how FDR ran his administration. FDR instead focused on the fact that he had won this election by an unbelievable margin, especially from lower and middle-class voters. He addresses this event in his speech, which leads him to mention the conditions these ordinary people live in every day, drawing attention to their situations. Either way, both speeches take advantage of the kairotic moment that is an election, inauguration, and public speech to contextualize the problems facing America.
To engage the American listeners most effectively, President FDR’s First and Second Inaugural Addresses both consider commonplaces associated with presenting an inaugural address and the roles of the presidency in America. These inaugural speeches are known for targeting the emotions and desires of the audience, but FDR’s First Inaugural Address slightly strays from this model. Not only does he include emotionally pulling sentiments, but he also includes direct initiatives he plans to pass through Congress. This aspect also ties into the notion that the inaugural speech allows the President to speak to the American people without campaigning. This deviation from the typical inaugural speech is not present in his Second Inaugural Address. Instead, he follows the commonplaces to address the problems of the country and give the people hope, all without offering much or any concrete legislation. To add, another commonplace is that the President comes from a well-off family, yet is still expected to understand the needs of everyday Americans as the man of the people. He follows this idea in both of his speeches by coming off as a relatable figure that understands the struggles facing the middle and lower classes.
Both of these speeches heavily rely on emotional appeal to ensure their message is received, but they do so in differing ways. FDR’s first speech tries to uplift the American people and inspire them towards an improved future, and that his new administration would solve the “evils of the old order,” referring to President Hoover’s administration. The language chosen in this speech emphasizes a call to action as well as vivid imagery of breaking free from the horrible evils that have held America back. The famous quote, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself,” then goes on to describe the terrifying nature of fear, calling it “nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts”. FDR is quite literally implanting this fear of fear so that people break free and inspire them to move on from it. Similarly, FDR’s Second Inaugural Address depends on strong sentiment. However, for this speech, he relies on strong imagery not to inspire people, but to open their eyes to the struggles of the working and lower classes. He chooses to go on to “paint a picture” as he puts it, of the things he sees millions of families struggle with, including terrible working conditions, inadequate education opportunities, and malnourishment. Although his ultimate goal is to instill hope in the American people, this time, he does it by raising awareness of the real atrocities in their backyard, not just a figurative image of “fear”.
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