Presidential Inaugural Addresses: An Essay Contest from Can We Talk?

The United States Constitution provides that every newly elected president should be sworn into office on January 20 of the year following the election. In a custom begun by George Washington, the new president then gives a speech to the nation, laying out broad goals or aspirations for their presidency. Over the years, several of these speeches have contained some of the most memorable words ever uttered on American soil.

This resource and essay contest from Can We Talk? presents excerpts from some of the most highly regarded inaugural addresses. Throughout each address, you'll notice that the skill of rhetoric - the art of speaking effectively and persuasively - is a key element of the presidential toolbox.  Rhetorical skill helps presidents rise to the moments of crisis they confront, helping them frame and explain these moments to the nation in a way that will live on.

This coming January 20th, Donald Trump will mount the Capitol steps to take the oath and speak to the nation in what is definitely a time of ferment and division. He has a challenge that we invited high school students to accept as well through a unique essay competition:

As a resident of this nation, what message would you like to hear from him? What words do you think would best meet this moment?  Let us know.  Write out one paragraph (at most two) that you would very much like to hear President Trump say on Jan. 20.

C70 received 34 essays from students across Pennsylvania. We are excited to share our winners: 

Grand Prize: Miriam Feday, senior, Whitehall-Coplay High School, Lehigh County

Runner Up: Synthia Layous, senior, Whitehall-Coplay High School, Lehigh County

Runner Up: Matt Torres, senior, Wissahickon High, Montgomery County

12 essays were deemed worthy of honorable mentions. You can read those and the other essays in this file.

Congratulations to our winners and a thank you to the students and teachers who participated!

Discussion Questions

Once your students read the passages from previous addresses, have them consider these discussion questions:

• Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt each gave their final inaugural addresses near a victorious end to a horrible war that had caused devastating losses and done serious damage to each man's health.  Each would die shortly after giving the speech, Lincoln to an assassin's bullet, FDR to a cerebral hemorrhage.  Despite the scope and toll of these conflicts,  each was able to sum up the lessons of "their" war in less than a thousand words. What similarities and differences do you see in the two speeches?
• John F. Kennedy's "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country" is one of the most famous lines from any presidential speech.  What does it mean to you, and do you find it inspiring or annoying?
• When Ronald Reagan said in his first inaugural address that government was "the problem" not "the solution," he reshaped American politics in ways that remain powerful through today. In what ways do you view government as a problem and in what ways as a solution?
• As you read through the different excerpts from Presidential inaugural addresses, did you notice any commonalities among any of the selections?  Any striking differences?  What do you make of those similarities or differences?
• Did one or more of these selections strike you as more motivating or inspiring than others?  Why do you think that might be? What does that tell you about the possibilities of presidential leadership?

Additional Resources

Here are several useful resources that teachers can use:

An archive of all presidential inaugural addresses.

Author Garry Wills on why Lincoln's second inaugural address is his greatest speech.

An historian's list of the five best addresses

A short history of the inaugural address

A Vanderbilt University historian on why presidential rhetoric matters