Post+9-11+Comparison+of+Speech

[|Bush's Second Inaugural Address]

President George W. Bush’s second inaugural speech was presented to the public on January 20th, 2005. After being "sworn-in to the second term" (http://www.whitehouse.gov/inaugural/) It was evident to see the underlying differences and similarities that our nation has gone through and how our views have and have not changed since 1865. Throughout his speech Bush refers to the terrorist attack on 9-11 and to the Iraq War and how our country should stand by what he has brought upon us (aka war). The main subject in this speech that he refers to is about our nation and its people sticking together to bring freedom and liberty to those who have unjustly been robbed of it, "it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world." It seems that Bush believes that it is the //responsibiltiy// of the United States of America to make sure not just we as a nation are free of tyranny but everyone else as well. In a way it is clear that our belief as a nation is to think that we are powerful enough to become involved in other countries problems to "help" them. This belief could be traced back to the Manifest Destiny belief that the United States believed in so much. The belief that it was the nations' "destiny" by God to expand the nation from sea to sea. Now as the United States has grown it seems that our "destiny" has moved on from expansionism from sea to sea but to expand democracy around the world.

Some of the most common beliefs and subjects in both speeches of course is how the US needs to work hard as a nation to reach its ultimate goal. Even though the goal has changed in these past years both Lincoln and Bush refer to God and Bush even quotes Lincoln by saying " 'Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot retain it.' " Lincoln refers to the problem with slavery and Bush refers to the conflict with Iraq but both presidents are positive that God is on the nation's side, and that the nation has a duty to fulfill. Nevertheless the nation's attitudes and ideals have changed since 9-11 because now we are struck with the idea that the United States need to stick together but these very ideals are so similar to the ones from the 1800s that one must wonder if our views have really changed or just returned to what they used to be and in parts it seems that mostly we our mind as nation went in a cycle. Our views had changed since 1865 but after 9-11 we have returned the ideals that the United States is led by God to become a nation of freedom and we must spread our intelligence and democracy.

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