Lyndon B Johnson Use Of Ethos Pathos Logos

On March 15, 1965 in Washington D.C ……..the courageous President Lyndon B. Johnson has delivered a legendary speech. It was called, “We shall overcome.” The speech came into conjunction, after the sad death of a black protester in Selma, Alabama. The protest was over black voting rights. Blacks were simply discriminated against voting rights on the basis of their skin color. Johnson’s aspiration for the “we shall overcome” speech, was to convince the congress, Americans, to pass his bill. This would be beneficial by enabling blacks to vote. Johnson is widely known for his effective use of ethos, logos, and pathos to engage the crowd. Johnson’s speech starts off with rhetoric quantities, which help the crowd understand the victims that died during the voting rights. For example, Johnson used pathos to touch people’s hearts. He states it by saying, “Long suffering men and women peacefully protested the denial of rights as Americans. Many were brutally assaulted. One good man, a man of God, was killed.” (Johnson, n.d.) Johnson added “God” to inspirit the innocence of the Selma victim, which was brutally assaulted until death. Furthermore, it was to make the crowd have even more feelings for those who were hurt, and those who had to rest in peace in the Selma march.

Johnson uses ethos as an appeal, “As a man whose roots go deeply into Southern soil, I know how agonizing racial feelings are. I know how difficult it is to reshape the attitudes and the structure of our society. But a century has passed, more than a hundred years since the Negro was freed. And he is not fully free tonight.” (Johnson, n.d.) He says the countries bigger problems are the poverty, ignorance, and disease in the country. Johnson sates the only way to cure it is to overcome it. The near end part of speech helps bring the crowd together, and sets a foundation for a bold