Looking through the word clouds for each presidents inaugural address, I noticed something about those who were elected from 1945 to 1997. “World” is in the top five words for all of them. I thought this was interesting and it reflects what I’ve learned in U.S. History and AP U.S. History about the different attitudes about the U.S. involvement in world affairs throughout the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
Prior to Franklin Roosevelt’s third inaugural address, most presidents in the 19th and early 20th centuries had not placed much emphasis on the rest of the world in their inaugural address. During this time, leading up to and after World War I, there was an isolationist attitude in the United States, and it shows in these speeches.
After 1945, with the end of World War II and the outbreak of the Cold War, the U.S. was much more involved in world events and interested in the affairs of foreign countries. The increased use of the word “world” in the inaugural speeches shows the involvement and interest of the United States in the rest of the world during the Cold War. This interest was of course spurred by the desire to prevent the spread of Communism and block the goals of the Soviet Union.
While the U.S. is still interested and involved in world affairs, the three inaugural speeches since 1997 have focused more on the United States and less on it‘s role in the world. Bush especially focuses on the ideas of freedom and liberty and how the U.S. is supposedly a glowing representation of them. I get the impression from the word clouds of these speeches, Bush’s especially, that they are less about problems the nation and world face and are more of a vague “go America” speech instead of the statement of the presidents goals for his term.
Prior to Franklin Roosevelt’s third inaugural address, most presidents in the 19th and early 20th centuries had not placed much emphasis on the rest of the world in their inaugural address. During this time, leading up to and after World War I, there was an isolationist attitude in the United States, and it shows in these speeches.
After 1945, with the end of World War II and the outbreak of the Cold War, the U.S. was much more involved in world events and interested in the affairs of foreign countries. The increased use of the word “world” in the inaugural speeches shows the involvement and interest of the United States in the rest of the world during the Cold War. This interest was of course spurred by the desire to prevent the spread of Communism and block the goals of the Soviet Union.
While the U.S. is still interested and involved in world affairs, the three inaugural speeches since 1997 have focused more on the United States and less on it‘s role in the world. Bush especially focuses on the ideas of freedom and liberty and how the U.S. is supposedly a glowing representation of them. I get the impression from the word clouds of these speeches, Bush’s especially, that they are less about problems the nation and world face and are more of a vague “go America” speech instead of the statement of the presidents goals for his term.
