Though Lyndon Johnson developed a reputation as a rough-hewn,
arm-twisting deal-maker with a drawl, at a crucial moment in
history he delivered an address to Congress that moved Martin
Luther King Jr. to tears and earned praise from the media as the
best presidential speech in American history. Even today, his
voting rights address of 1965 ranks high not only in political
significance, but also as an example of leadership through oratory.
Garth E. Pauley carefully analyzes both the content and the
context of this historic speech. He begins with an analysis of the
less-than-linear path of voting rights in the United States, and
highlights the failures and limited successes of previous legislation.
Many commentators have seen Johnson's voting rights speech
as a response to the escalating protests in Selma, and Pauley
explores that connection. Did Johnson wait too long to address the
issue? Would he have championed voting rights without the
protests? Pauley traces the development of the speech and the
policy with these questions in mind. He situates the speech not
only within its immediate context but also within Johnson's
ideology and value system, tracing the influences on Johnson's
racial attitudes and describing the complex of policies he
developed to address issues of inequality.
Having set the stage for the address, Pauley then carefully
analyzes the text itself. He charts the "authorship" of the speech
through several drafts by aides, traces the purposefulness of the
allusions, and recounts the extemporizing Johnson introduced
when he actually delivered the address. He notes the idealistic,
even mythic dimensions of the speech, which contrast with its
plainspoken style.
Finally, Pauley gauges the effectiveness of the speech. He
reports the response to the address in the media, among civil rights
leaders, and in the general population. Pauley concludes with some
reservations about the effectiveness not only of this address but
also of the Johnson program for racial justice. Nonetheless, he
believes that "Lyndon Johnson's 'We Shall Overcome' speech
remains a remarkable achievement," combining principle with
rhetorical leadership.
_________________________________________________________
GARTH E. PAULEY is the author of The Modern Presidency and
Civil Rights: Rhetoric on Race from Roosevelt to Nixon (Texas
A&M University Press). Pauley holds a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania
State University and is an associate professor in the
Communication Arts & Sciences Department at Calvin College in
Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Library of Presidential Rhetoric
What people are saying about this book
" . . . important contribution to Civil Rights history."—East Texas
Historical Journal, Fall 2007
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