Degree Type
Honors Capstone Project
Date of Submission
Spring 5-1-2018
Capstone Advisor
Amos Kiewe
Honors Reader
Lynn Greenky
Capstone Major
Communication and Rhetorical Studies
Capstone College
Visual and Performing Arts
Audio/Visual Component
no
Capstone Prize Winner
no
Won Capstone Funding
no
Honors Categories
Social Sciences
Subject Categories
Communication | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Speech and Rhetorical Studies
Abstract
Throughout his time as President, Obama was criticized for not speaking more openly on race relations or issues of systemic racism. This paper offers an extensive rhetorical analysis of four speeches, the 2004 DNC Speech, the A More Perfect Union Speech, the 2008 Victory Speech, and the Selma 50th Anniversary Speech, that collectively provide insight into Obama’s rhetoric on race. Analyzing these speeches, and assessing their overall impact, I determine what motivated him to speak out when he did, and why he chose to frame racial issues in the way that he did. The major finding of this study is that President Obama was careful and cautious in speaking about racial issues and that he only did so when the right situation arose. When he did address things typically considered to be racial issues, he would frame them as transcending race, problems that were critical because they affected all Americans, and presenting policy changes as solutions which would benefit all Americans.
Recommended Citation
Sweet, Jennifer, "Understanding Obama's Rhetoric on Race: A Critical Analysis of Key Speeches" (2018). Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All. 1191.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/1191
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
