Chisholm's Speech against Vietnam War
On March 16, 1969, Chisholm, Shirley,
the first African-American woman elected to Congress made the famous speech
titled “People and Peace, Not Profits and War.†The speech to Congress came at
a time that America as a nation was facing, many social issues at home and yet
chose to engage in the Vietnam War that was costing the country billions of
dollars. She used her position to bring out her strong opposition to the
increased military spending in facilitating the Vietnam War yet America was
facing some domestic social issues that they had to forego to finance the war.
She articulates her arguments in a concise and informed way that convinces me
that the money spent on the war could be better devoted to social programs such
as education.
Chisholm uses an ethos appeal to bring
out the fact that the social programs were of more importance to the ordinary
people than the war. She starts by referring to herself as a teacher and a
woman, which makes her more credible to argue her case in support of education
over the war. According to her, from the perspective of a teacher and a woman,
she did not see the value in spending billions to facilitate buying of
unnecessary weapons yet the disadvantaged children got nothing (Chisholl, 1969).
It is also illogical for the country to
spend billions in engaging in external affairs yet there is no budget to spend
more on the education of American children. Chisholm cites a case where Robert
Finch the secretary of health, education, and welfare articulated the need to
spend more on education but then, America could not afford it until the war in
Vietnam is solved.
It beats all logic to have a country
sideline social programs for taxpayers for a war with a foreign nation. The
people being the taxpayers need to have the priority and not the other way
round as America did in the Vietnam War. I am, therefore, convinced by
Chisholm\'s speech against the war.
References
Chisholm S. (1969). “People
and Peace, Not Profits and War.†Retrieved from Torricelli S. R.
& Carroll A. (1999). In Our Own Words:Extraordinary Speeches of
the American Century. New York: Washington Square Press Publication. Pp.
279.
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