Barack Obama - Barack Obama Speeches

Canterbury Classics An imprint of Printers Row Publishing Group 10350 Barnes Canyon Road, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92121

Compilation 2020 Canterbury Classics

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Publisher: Peter Norton Associate Publisher: Ana Parker
Senior Developmental Editor: April Graham Farr
Editor: Traci Douglas
Production Team: Jonathan Lopes, Rusty von Dyl

Cover design: James Dean Johns and Rusty von Dyl

Photo used in front cover design: AP Photo/Mannie Garcia
Photo for endpapers: Brooks Kraft/Corbis Historical via Getty Images

eBook ISBN: 978-1-64517-423-3
eBook Edition: October 2020

Editors Note: The pieces in this book have been published in their original form to preserve the authors intent and style.

CONTENTS

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T he rise of Barack Obama on Americas political stage was nothing less than meteoric. It began in the 2004 United States Senate Democratic primaries when he received more than 52 percent of the vote, far ahead of his closest Democratic rival. If that wasnt impressive enough, in November that year, Obama won the U.S. Senate seat with an overwhelming 70 percent of the vote, the largest victory margin in Illinois history. Only three years later, he became the first African American to secure from a major political party the nomination for president. He won the nomination by a narrower margin, but was chosen over a formidable opponentSenator Hillary Clinton. Like the Founding Fathers he often references, his place in the history books was assured in 2008 when he became the first African American to be elected president of the United States.

Through the years, Obamas vision for a more perfect union was masterfully conveyed to the public through the strength of his writing and oration. Although he had speechwriters on his staff, few Americans may realize how much time the President himself dedicated to getting the words just right. In media interviews, Jon Favreau, former Director of Speechwriting, reflects on late nights spent with the President discussing ideas and making edits before a big speech, and last-minute adjustments in the motorcade. Campaign posters focused on optimism rose up from independent artist Shepard Fairey and were approved by the Obama campaign, forever linking Obamas name to the words hope and change. Obamas oratory compelled all Americans to embody those words in their desire for the future, whether for economic security, social equality, universal health care, or another poetic cause. His messages of unity, compassion, patriotism, and the need for action from a more positive perspective consistently reached out and asked all citizens and civil servants to examine who they were as individuals, then make decisions that reflected the best version of our nation as a whole.

You may view the volume you hold in your hands as a collection of speeches, but it is also a book of storiestales of individual American citizens, as well as the nation as a wholecovering more than a decade of our history. Obama often kept his audiences engaged by relating the points of his speeches to stories of everyday Americans, past and present, and their struggles to reach higher ideals. It is said that his mastery of human anecdotes will prove an important part of his legacy, as engaging stories tend to be remembered and retold, changing minds and influencing opinionssomething politicians with lesser speaking skills rarely accomplish long-term. Who doesnt relish a layered tale of heroism relating a journey with highs and lows, surprises, and a happy ending? The way Obama tells it, every U.S. citizen is a hero on a journey.

Right from the beginning, in his 2004 acceptance speech for the U.S. Senate () related the story of John Lewis, who led peaceful protestors across a bridge to a more just and inclusive America. Each one of Obamas speeches, and the stories of heroic citizens contained therein, have inspired enormous faith in our country, and in our fellow countrymen.

One of the five youngest presidents to grace the White House, Obamas amiable nature and sense of humor shone in many of his addresses, especially those given to university crowds. Not one to pass up a dad joke or a good pun, he and speechwriter David Litt ensured each dissertation was entertaining as well as informative. Events such as Obamas address on Fathers Day (), or some of the memorials at which he spoke, Obama knew just how to relieve the tension by inspiring smiles.

Barack Obama was a unique president, not just for being the first African American to hold the highest political office in our nation, nor for his bipartisan peacemaking abilities, nor even for his masterful storytelling skills, but for his unwavering vision of an optimistic America where every citizen enjoys the freedoms set forth in our Constitution. In his 2014 speech on preparing for college (), he states:

Theres no limit to what you can do. Thats what America is all about.

The speeches contained in this volume are a tribute to his view of E pluribus unumout of many, one. They are reminders that in each of us there is a neighbor, a friend, a family member, a good Samaritanwe can each make a difference in the lives of others simply through our hope and our choices. They are reminders of Obamas belief in our ability to bring about changethat together, we can do great things.

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T he presidency of Barack Obama was simultaneously one of the most hopeful and one of the most divisive periods in recent American history. While successfully shoring up the nations economy through a major recession, weathering storms in foreign policy, and attempting widespread structural reformsmost notably in healthcareObama led a house divided against itself. America from 2008 to 2016 was a nation wrestling with questions of national identity; a changing economy; a dragging war in the Middle East; and a public discourse increasingly characterized by demagoguery, tribalism, and snap reactions on social media over reason, universalism, and careful discussion. These led to his spending much of his term of office fighting an obstructionist Congress that sought to thwart his policy initiatives. Moreover, the election of the first African American president proved not to be the hoped-for balm to heal the race wound inflicted on the United States at its founding; though the injury seemed to have superficially healed over, a fever still raged inside, and the systemic injustice of the American system that infected the public has resisted all healing attempts.