The inaugural addresses by both Kennedy and Lincoln have over the years been considered as being masterpieces in America’s history. Lincoln’s speech came about 50th anniversary while Kennedy speech came at the 150th anniversary. Scholars have argued that the timing of the two inaugurals might have been a coincidence. This paper seeks to compare and contrast the two inaugural addressed. This paper also argues that unity and constitutionalism were the overarching themes in the both Kennedy and Lincoln’s inaugural addresses.
First of all, it is important to note that both Kennedy and Lincoln assumed office at a time when the United States was in need of cohesion and unity among its people to be able to successfully solve the problems of the time. At the time that Lincoln was assuming office, the United States was facing internal strife. The Unionists and the Confederates were at loggerheads over the future of the institution of slavery. The Unionists who were predominantly from the North were of the view that slavery should be abolished. They perceived slaves as being American citizens who had the right to enjoy constitutional freedoms that were enjoyed by mainstream America. On the contrary, the confederates were of the view that slaves were property. The Confederates sought to protect the institution of slavery on the grounds that slaves had not been accounted for the constitution. Many were of the view that even the founding fathers of the United States such as James Madison and George Washington were in possession of slaves. The Confederates interpreted the constitution as not being inclusive of slaves in the United States. Various scholars have argued that Lincoln’s speech made the most reference to the constitution compared to any other inaugural addresses that has been made in the United States since its first anniversary. Lincoln was of the view that the constitution of the United States was accommodative to the slaves of the United States. In his speech Lincoln explained that he hoped that “better angels of our nature” would help the Unionists succeed in their quest of promoting equality within the United States (Schlesinger 22). At the time Lincoln understood that if the country was going to be united and free from war and poverty, every American citizen had to be treated equally. It was two years after Lincoln’s assumption of office that slavery was terminated in 1863. Lincoln had to convince the electorate that he would unite the people and uphold the constitution of the United States. At the time, these were two key values that the American electorate was looking for in order to terminate the internal civil strife that had engulfed the country.
Similar to Lincoln, Kennedy was assuming office at a time that the United States was facing international strife between USSR and itself. Kennedy was assuming presidency at the height of the cold war. One of the things that Kennedy had to do at the time was to make sure that he respected the constitution and upheld the policy of containment. In this policy Kennedy had to make sure that he countered Russia’s growing influence and the spread of communism in different nations of the world. In his speech, Kennedy asked for the cooperation of nations in the world in the process of containing both war between nations and bad governance. Kennedy was of the perception that capitalism was the only way that could set man free. In his speech Kennedy says that “Fellow citizens of the world should consider what together we can do for the freedom of man” (Keneally 45). In this statement Kennedy was asserting the position of the United States in global politics. Kennedy understood that the United States would not be in a position to handle the Cold War on its own. It was therefore important that the United States allied with other nations that were inclined towards free market and democracy. In asking the cooperation of other nations in the world, Kennedy sought to expand the sphere of influence of the United States in a world where many countries were continuing to fall prey to communism. Considering the inaugural address was something that could be heard both within and without the United States, Kennedy was determined to encourage many countries to support the United States in its fight against communism. By so doing the countries would be in position to free themselves and their people from tyranny, bad governance and incompetent economic policies. Therefore, it is evident that Kennedy did not only reach out to people in the domestic sphere, but also asked for the Unity of the international community in fighting communism. It is evident in his speech that Kennedy like Lincoln is a constitutionalist who believed in the civil liberties and freedoms of man. Kennedy was of the view that even peoples in the international sphere also had the right to have good governance and enjoy their freedoms and civil liberties under a capitalism system.
In conclusion, both Kennedy’s and Lincoln’s speeches were based on two overarching themes unity and constitutionalism. Lincoln sought to create unity among the American people in being able to end slavery in the country. On the other hand, Kennedy asked for the cooperation of the international community in waging war against the cold war that was staged by the Soviet Union at the time.
Works Cited
"Abraham Lincoln: Second Inaugural Address. U.S. Inaugural Addresses. 1989." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and hundreds more. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2013. <http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres32.html>.
"John F. Kennedy: Inaugural Address. U.S. Inaugural Addresses. 1989." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and hundreds more. Web. 29 May 2013. <http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres56.html>.
Keneally, Thomas. Abraham Lincoln. New York: Lipper/Viking, 2003. Print.
Schlesinger, Arthur M.. A thousand days: John F. Kennedy in the White House. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965. Print.
