Inaugural Speeches of President Abraham Lincoln and President Ronald Reagan

Every four years, the citizens of the United States of America vote to elect the President. After much preparation, hard work, and a grueling election, the President-elect is chosen. One of the first duties as President-elect is to write an inaugural address, or speech, to unite the citizens after months of competition and to give the citizens an idea of what he wants to accomplish during his time as President. No two Presidents are exactly alike; they all have their own way of thinking and doing things. However, there are some similar ideological strands and principals that all leaders of this great nation share. That being said, there are no two inaugural speeches that are exactly alike, as no two individuals are, but notable commonalities can be seen. For example, take the inaugural speeches of President Abraham Lincoln and President Ronald Reagan. There speeches contain may unique thoughts and ideas, but even men so separated by time, share common ideals.

Abraham Lincoln gave his first inauguration speech on the fourth of March in 1861. He gave his speech on the East Portico, the same location where he took his oath of office. The oath, administered by Chief Justice Roger Taney, came during a time when our country was split in two. Two weeks before Lincoln was elected by the Union, the Confederacy elected Jefferson Davis as their President ("Abraham Lincoln"). In Lincoln's speech, he stated that it was his duty to insure to the Union that he would do everything in his power to solve the dispute between the North and the South, even if that meant going to war. Furthermore, Lincoln's speech was one of motivation, persuasion, and inspiration. He rallied his followers into believing that his country and its constitution were doing right by law and religion ("Inaugural Speech by Abraham Lincoln").

Ronald Reagan, on the other hand, was first inaugurated on January 20, 1981. The inauguration ceremony took place at the West Front of the Capitol, on the terrace. Reagan was administered the oath of office by Chief Justice Warren Burger ("Ronald Reagan"). Reagan was also elected during a time of turmoil. President Carter, the President that came before Reagan, put our country into a recession with his tax-and-spend policies. It was said to be the worst recession since World War II ("Economic Performance"). Reagan's speech was also one of inspiration, motivation, and persuasion. His speech inspired the country and led them to believe that not all was lost and that there was still hope for the future. He also had to persuade the country that they made the right decision in electing him to help the nation rise from these set backs ("The First Inaugural Address speech by Ronald Reagan").

Both Lincoln and Reagan's speeches were inspirational, motivational, and persuasive, they tried to rally the citizens of their time to stay unified as a nation. Lincoln was trying to persuade the Confederacy that they were risking the freedom that they had just gained from Britain not even a hundred years before. They had built a strong nation and they were not going to lose it, fighting over something as frivolous as disagreeing with their fellow citizens. Where as, Reagan was trying to persuade the people that they were lending out to much money and there was no way for that money to be paid back ("Ronald Reagan: First Inaugural Address"). Reagan stated, "In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem" (Paragraph 9). He was convinced that the people depended on the government to solve their problems and that was not the case. He believed that it was time for the people to stand up and take action into their own hands. He tried using the words of the constitution to inspire the citizens to stand up to the government and take back the power that over the years they had lost. Reagan felt that the government was becoming too monopolized and that the people should have more say in the happenings of the country. In both speeches, the Presidents used the constitution to back the points they were trying to make.

Another similarity between these well known speeches of Lincoln and Reagan are that they are noted for their strong use of oral language. Both Presidents use dialect that captures and makes excellent use of the English language. Their words have power behind them and motivate their audiences into believing that they can accomplish anything.

One other similarity between these two Presidents is their ability to bring their listeners into their speeches. They have accomplished these incredible feats by asking their listeners direct questions. Lincoln is found doing this in paragraph twenty-two when he states a fact and then asks a question, "All profess to be content in the Union if all constitutional rights can be maintained. Is it true, then, that any right plainly written in the Constitution has been denied?" Reagan is shown doing a similar gesture in paragraph twenty when he asks, "How can we love our country and not love our countrymen, and loving them, reach out a hand when they fall, heal them when they are sick, and provide opportunities to make them self-sufficient so they will be equal in fact and not just in theory?" Both Presidents include their listeners in their speech, thus keeping them interested, listening to what they have to say, and including them in their thoughts and actions.

Even though both Presidents gave the same type of speech, the structures of them were drastically different from one another. The rugged and verbose style, tone and voice of Lincoln's speech made it difficult to understand. An example of such is;

"I now reiterate these sentiments, and in doing so I only press upon the public attention the most conclusive evidence of which the case is susceptible that the property, peace, and security of no section are to be in any wise endangered by the now incoming Administration. I add, too, that all the protection which, consistently with the Constitution and the laws, can be given will be cheerfully given to all the States when lawfully demanded, for whatever cause - as cheerfully to one section as to another" (Paragraph 5).

This example is hard to understand when first read. The sentence structure is drawn out and wordy, causing several ideas to run into each other.

In comparison to Lincoln, Reagan's speech was more fluent. The style, tone, and voice were simpler to comprehend. In the following passage you can clearly appreciate the conciseness of Reagan's wording;

"The business of our nation goes forward. These United States are confronted with an economic affliction of great proportions. We suffer from the longest and one of the worst sustained inflations in our national history. It distorts our economic decisions, penalizes thrift, and crushes the struggling young and the fixed-income elderly alike. It threatens to shatter the lives of millions of our people" (Paragraph 3).

Unlike Lincoln's passage, Reagan's wording is simple and to the point. It is easily read the first time through and there no possibility of misinterpretation.

In his speech, Lincoln favors repetition. One can often find instances where he repeats his thoughts several times, to get his points across. For example, in the following text, Lincoln repeats the same thought to stress its importance.

"No foresight can anticipate nor any document of reasonable length contain express provisions for all possible questions. Shall fugitives from labor be surrendered by national or by State authority? The Constitution does not expressly say. May Congress prohibit slavery in the Territories? The Constitution does not expressly say. Must Congress protect slavery in the Territories? The Constitution does not expressly say" (Paragraph 22).

He is stressing that nowhere in the constitution does it spell out any procedure in dealing with slavery and the territories.

Reagan does not necessarily use repetition to get his point across, but rather takes to the technique of clarifying himself, as stated in this excerpt:

"It is my intention to curb the size and influence of the Federal establishment and to demand recognition of the distinction between the powers granted to the Federal Government and those reserved to the States or to the people. All of us need to be reminded that the Federal Government did not create the States; the States created the Federal Government.

Now, so there will be no misunderstanding, it is not my intention to do away with government. It is, rather, to make it work-work with us, not over us; to stand by our side, not ride on our back. Government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it; foster productivity, not stifle it" (Paragraphs 14-15).

Reagan provides the point of view that he disagrees with the government and the actions it is taking. But to clarify his point and so that citizens do not misinterpret his words into believing that he is trying to eliminate the government, he explains his thoughts in detail.

One literary technique found in Reagan's work but is absent from Lincoln's address is that of idiomatic language. Idiomatic language is "an expression peculiar to itself grammatically or that cannot be understood if taken literally" ("Glossary"). Reagan uses the phrases "...work with us, not over us; to stand by our side, not ride on our back" to express the importance of the fact that the government does not rule the people, but represents them (Paragraph 15). He has no intention of making the assumption that the government is going to work on top of the people or ride on their backs.

Perhaps the most significant difference between these two speeches and times is the Presidents' view of the government. Lincoln took pride in the government. All throughout his speech he promoted the government and told the people to stick together and have faith in it. It would never let them down or lead them in the wrong direction. However, Reagan had the complete opposite view. In his speech he told the people that the government was becoming too powerful and taking all the power away from the people and the states. He felt that it was time to stand up and take that power back from them.

Take into consideration that these two speeches were written with over two hundred years between them. That may explain why their techniques and word usage are so diverse. It makes one wonder what would have been said if their positions in time were reversed. If their positions where switched, would Lincoln's speech still have been rugged and verbose, would Reagan's still have flowed with such fluency, or would their speeches have been composed in completely different aspects? Both Presidents were masterminds of their eras, each helped the country through struggles, and in turn helped the country become what it is today. The notoriety of a presidential term is not made in speeches or addresses. We remember both President Lincoln and President Reagan because they were more than men or words, they were men of action.

Works Cited

"Abraham Lincoln." Bartleby.com. 13 Jan 2009

"Abraham Lincoln." The White House. 13 Jan 2009

"Economic Performance." 18 Jan 2009

"Glossary." Academic Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.

"Inaugural Speech by Abraham Lincoln." 13 Jan 2009

Lincoln, Abraham. First Inaugural Speech. 1861.

Reagan, Ronald. First Inaugural Speech. 1981.

"Ronald Reagan." Bartleby.com. 09 Jan 2009

"Ronald Reagan: First Inaugural Address." 09 Jan 2009

"The First Inaugural Address speech by Ronald Reagan." 13 Jan 2009

"The Inaugural Address, Part 2." Daily Kos. 05 Jan 2009. 13 Jan 2009