Presidential Rhetoric in
the Age of Obama
Week 5, Day 1: Inaugural Addresses
Classical Schemes of
Rhetoric
• Forensic Address: A legal form of discourse
that focuses on the past.
• Deliberative Addresses: A political form of
discourse that focuses on the future.
• Epideictic Addresses: A ceremonial form of
discourse that focuses on the present first,
but also the past and future.
Epideictic Address
• This type of speech is often termed a
speech of “praise” or “blame.”
• This form of speech rehearses the
fundamental and shared values and beliefs
of a community.
• This form of address is designed to bring
communities together in unity.
Inaugural Addresses
an epideictic speech with deliberative consequences
Generic functions of an
Inaugural Address
• Unifies by reconstituting the audience as
“the people.”
• Rehearses past communal values.
• Establishes the political principles that will
guide the administration.
• demonstrates, through enactment, both the
potentials and limits of the executive office.
Famous Inaugurals
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Thomas Jefferson’s First Inaugural
Abraham Lincoln’s First and Second Inaugural
Wilson’s Second Inaugural
FDR’s First Inaugural
JKF’s Inaugural Address
Ronald Reagan’s First Inaugural