What Makes a Good Inaugural Address
Historian and author Michael Beschloss used examples of five historic inaugural addresses to discuss what makes an effective inaugural address. He cited the inaugural address of Lincoln (1865), Roosevelt (1933), Kennedy(1961), Reagan 1981, Bush (2001), and Obama (2009).
Description
Historian and author Michael Beschloss used examples of five historic inaugural addresses to discuss what makes an effective inaugural address. He cited the inaugural address of Lincoln (1865), Roosevelt (1933), Kennedy (1961), Reagan (1981), Bush (2001), and Obama (2009).
Bell Ringer Assignment
- What challenges faced Franklin Roosevelt in 1933? How did he use his inaugural speech to address these challenges?
- According to Michael Bechloss, what makes a good speech?
- How did Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address in 1865 meet the challenges of the time?
- Why was the date of inauguration changed after the 1933 inauguration?
- What was the focus of John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address? Why did he do this?
- What similarities exist between the inaugural addresses discussed by Michael Bechloss?
- Why is an understanding of history important to writing an effective inaugural address?
- Based on this information, what advice would you give to an incoming president as they write their inaugural address?
Additional Resources
Participants
Vocabulary
- 20th Amendment
- Abraham Lincoln
- Cold War
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Great Depression
- Inaugural Address
- John Kennedy
- Rhetoric
- Speechwriter