This activity gave me a series of insights into the worlds of politics in accordance to the time and context of each address. Despite the changes, however, there are many words and values that have stuck with each president, and with America, since our nation began.
I liked that each current events really came through in every address. For example, some of James Garfield's most frequently used words were 'constitutions', 'law', 'authority', 'race', 'suffrage', and 'Negro'. Obviously these are in reference to the fact that all former slaves were free and had the right to vote. Also notable, Bill Clinton's address that began his second term. He talked about 'dream' and 'children' and '20th' and '21st' and 'century', as the turn of the century was near.
But another thing I greatly enjoyed- how since the first address in 1789, our country's presidents have kept the same words/hopes for America. 'Peace' and 'freedom' both appear often in Thomas Jefferson's (1801), Harry S. Truman's (1949), and Barack Obama's (2009) speeches. Those, and others such as 'justice', 'power', 'spirit', and 'hope' have appeared numerous times over the past 200+ years, and I think that says a lot about our nation's values.
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