Carter's Inaugural Address (Excerpts)President Jimmy Carter (January 20, 1977)For myself and for our Nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land…This inauguration ceremony marks a new beginning, a new dedication within our Government, and a new spirit among us all. A President may sense and proclaim that new spirit, but only a people can provide it.Two centuries ago, our Nation's birth was a milestone in the long quest for freedom. But the bold and brilliant dream which excited the founders of this Nation still awaits its consummation. I have no new dream to set forth today, but rather urge a fresh faith in the old dream.Ours was the first society openly to define itself in terms of both spirituality and human liberty. It is that unique self-definition which has given us an exceptional appeal, but it also imposes on us a special obligation to take on those moral duties which, when assumed, seem invariably to be in our own best interests.You have given me a great responsibility--to stay close to you, to be worthy of you, and to exemplify what you are. Let us create together a new national spirit of unity and trust. Your strength can compensate for my weakness, and your wisdom can help to minimize my mistakes…The American dream endures. We must once again have full faith in our country--and in one another. I believe America can be better. We can be even stronger than before.Let our recent mistakes bring a resurgent commitment to the basic principles of our Nation, for we know that if we despise our own government, we have no future. We recall in special times when we have stood briefly, but magnificently, united. In those times no prize was beyond our grasp.But we cannot dwell upon remembered glory. We cannot afford to drift. We reject the prospect of failure or mediocrity or an inferior quality of life for any person. Our Government must at the same time be both competent and compassionate.We have already found a high degree of personal liberty, and we are now struggling to enhance equality of opportunity. Our commitment to human rights must be absolute, our laws fair, our national beauty preserved; the powerful must not persecute the weak, and human dignity must be enhanced.We have learned that more is not necessarily better, that even our great Nation has its recognized limits, and that we can neither answer all questions nor solve all problems. We cannot afford to do everything, nor can we afford to lack boldness as we meet the future. So, together, in a spirit of individual sacrifice for the common good, we must simply do our best.Our Nation can be strong abroad only if it is strong at home. And we know that the best way to enhance freedom in other lands is to demonstrate here that our democratic system is worthy of emulation.To be true to ourselves, we must be true to others. We will not behave in foreign places so as to violate our rules and standards here at home, for we know that the trust which our Nation earns is essential to our strength….Because we are free, we can never be indifferent to the fate of freedom elsewhere. Our moral sense dictates a clear-cut preference for those societies which share with us an abiding respect for individual human rights. We do not seek to intimidate, but it is clear that a world which others can dominate with impunity would be inhospitable to decency and a threat to the well-being of all people.The world is still engaged in a massive armaments race designed to ensure continuing equivalent strength among potential adversaries. We pledge perseverance and wisdom in our efforts to limit the world's armaments to those necessary for each nation's own domestic safety. And we will move this year a step toward our ultimate goal--the elimination of all nuclear weapons from this Earth. We urge all other people to join us, for success can mean life instead of death….I would hope that the nations of the world might say that we had built a lasting peace, based not on weapons of war but on international policies which reflect our own most precious values.These are not just my goals---and they will not be my accomplishments-but the affirmation of our Nation's continuing moral strength and our belief in an undiminished, ever-expanding American dream.Question"Two centuries ago, our Nation's birth was a milestone in the long quest for freedom. But the bold and brilliant dream which excited the founders of this Nation still awaits its consummation. I have no new dream to set forth today, but rather urge a fresh faith in the old dream."What does "consummation" mean here?ResponsesA oppositeoppositeB correctioncorrectionC celebrationcelebrationD fulfillment

First, watch the posted speech by Amanda Gorman; A National Youth Poet Laureate who spoke at the Presidential Inauguration in front of our Capitol Building.  Not only was our entire government in attendance, but a worldwide audience as well.  It was just days after the Capitol Riots happened, and so this speech resonates with historical significance; our nation attempting to heal.  This speech has a powerful message in its written words, but is also rooted in the delivery.  The pressure was intense and the stakes were high, but she stepped up to the moment and made us all proud.  Make a numbered list of 10 things about her speech that were excellent.  The things that made you feel her passionate persuasion.  What made an impression on you?  How did you feel when her speech concluded?  Focus on her delivery and content of the speech.  Remember - it's not just what we say, but how we say it

d this passage:Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, 1863Why does Lincoln reference this portion of the Declaration of Independence in the Gettysburg Address?A.To show his appreciation for soldiers regardless of whether they fight for the North or the SouthB.To encourage soldiers by bringing up a war that the United States wonC.To show his respect for the Union soldiers who sacrificed their lives for freedomD.To emphasize that the United States was founded on the principle of freedom for all peopleSUBMITarrow_backPREVIOUS

Read the excerpt from President Ronald Reagan’s speech on the night before the 1980 presidential election. A popular novel of the '60s ended prophetically with its description of a "kindly, pleasant, greening land about to learn whether history still has a place for a nation so strangely composed of great ideals and uneasy compromise as she.” That is really the question before us tonight: for the first time in our memory many Americans are asking: does history still have a place for America, for her people, for her great ideals? There are some who answer "no”; that our energy is spent, our days of greatness at an end, that a great national malaise is upon us. They say we must cut our expectations, conserve and withdraw, that we must tell our children . . . not to dream as we once dreamed. Last year I lost a friend who was more than a symbol of the Hollywood dream industry; to millions he was a symbol of our country itself. And when he died, the headlines seemed to convey all the doubt about America, all the nostalgia for a seemingly lost past. "The Last American Hero,” said one headline; "Mr. America dies,” said another. Well, I knew John Wayne well, and no one would have been angrier at being called the "last American hero.” Just before his death, he said in his own blunt way, "Just give the American people a good cause, and there’s nothing they can’t lick.” Duke Wayne did not believe that our country was ready for the dust bin of history, and if we’ll just think about it we too will know it isn’t. Which ideas from the excerpt would be most appropriate to include in a summary? Select three options. Popular novels from the past often ask provocative questions that are important to consider today. Many Americans have given up and say that the nation is no longer great or a land of dreams. John Wayne, nicknamed Duke, was an iconic Hollywood actor and filmmaker. President Reagan believed that John Wayne would argue that he was not the last American hero, because there are many more. Duke Wayne died as a symbol of the Hollywood dream industry.

(1) MRS. OBAMA: Thank you so much! (Applause.) Well, good morning, everyone! … it is truly a pleasure and an honor to be here with all of you today.(2) …I want to thank all of you. Many of you were out there fighting for our kids' health long before I came to this issue as First Lady. And I just want you to know how grateful I am to all of you and how inspired I am by you. And I am so proud to be with you today as we kick off the fifth anniversary -- five years -- of Let's Move! Five years! (Applause.) Feels like my child. How fast they grow. (Laughter.)(3) Now, our theme for this anniversary is "Celebrate, Challenge, Champion." We are celebrating how far we've come. We're challenging ourselves to do even more. And we're committing to be true champions for this issue for the next five years and beyond. And I want to start off today by doing a little celebrating, because over the past five years, we have truly changed the culture around healthy eating and living in this country.(4) Just think about how much things have changed. Food companies are racing like never before to create healthier versions of their products. Even convenience stores are selling fruits and vegetables. Head to the local drive-thru, and kids' meals might include apples and skim milk. Hit the aisles of the nearest Walmart and you'll find new healthy labels on their products.(5) Schools are growing gardens. They're moving beyond just pizza and tater tots to lunches filled with fresh produce and whole grains. Companies are actually rewarding employees for eating right and going to the gym. And it seems like everyone's running out to buy those fitness bracelets.(6) Five years ago, all this stuff would have been considered cutting-edge, but now, today, it's our new norm. And get this: just two weeks ago, when the Georgetown women's basketball team played Xavier, they had a "Hail to Kale" night -- (laughter) -- where the first 100 fans received free kale. (Applause.) Now, that definitely wasn't happening five years ago.(7) So I think that we can all agree that the culture change we've seen is truly breathtaking, especially when you think back to where we were when we first launched Let's Move! Remember the reaction we got back then? I don't know if all of you were there, but I remember.(8) Now, there were plenty of folks who were in favor of taking on childhood obesity, but there were also the cynics who said that this was big government run amok, the nanny state telling you what to feed your kids. Other folks felt like this issue was too "soft," too "First Lady-ish." And some were disappointed that we weren't focusing on a more "serious" issue.(9) But you all knew better. You knew what the experts were telling us. For years, doctors and nurses had been sounding the alarm as younger and younger kids were developing diabetes and high blood pressure. Military officials were warning that about half of all recruits were failing the Army's Entry Physical Fitness Test. And the military was spending millions of dollars fixing broken bones and rotting teeth caused by poor nutrition.(10) Businesses were struggling with rising health care costs. Parents were anxious about their kids' health and self-esteem. Most of these folks didn't have big marketing budgets or special interests lobbying for them in Washington, so too often, their concerns simply weren't being heard.(11) But together, we helped give them a voice. Together, we helped them take on this issue in their homes, in their schools and in their communities. And the results have been beyond anything we could have ever imagined. …15Select the correct answer.Read the sentence from paragraph 4 of the speech.Food companies are racing like never before to create healthier versions of their products.Which type of fallacious reasoning does this sentence represent? A. slippery slope B. loaded language C. hasty generalization D. ad hominem

Washington HiltonWashington, D.C.12:10 P.M. EST(1) MRS. OBAMA: Thank you so much! (Applause.) Well, good morning, everyone! … it is truly a pleasure and an honor to be here with all of you today.(2) …I want to thank all of you. Many of you were out there fighting for our kids' health long before I came to this issue as First Lady. And I just want you to know how grateful I am to all of you and how inspired I am by you. And I am so proud to be with you today as we kick off the fifth anniversary -- five years -- of Let's Move! Five years! (Applause.) Feels like my child. How fast they grow. (Laughter.)(3) Now, our theme for this anniversary is "Celebrate, Challenge, Champion." We are celebrating how far we've come. We're challenging ourselves to do even more. And we're committing to be true champions for this issue for the next five years and beyond. And I want to start off today by doing a little celebrating, because over the past five years, we have truly changed the culture around healthy eating and living in this country.(4) Just think about how much things have changed. Food companies are racing like never before to create healthier versions of their products. Even convenience stores are selling fruits and vegetables. Head to the local drive-thru, and kids' meals might include apples and skim milk. Hit the aisles of the nearest Walmart and you'll find new healthy labels on their products.(5) Schools are growing gardens. They're moving beyond just pizza and tater tots to lunches filled with fresh produce and whole grains. Companies are actually rewarding employees for eating right and going to the gym. And it seems like everyone's running out to buy those fitness bracelets.(6) Five years ago, all this stuff would have been considered cutting-edge, but now, today, it's our new norm. And get this: just two weeks ago, when the Georgetown women's basketball team played Xavier, they had a "Hail to Kale" night -- (laughter) -- where the first 100 fans received free kale. (Applause.) Now, that definitely wasn't happening five years ago.(7) So I think that we can all agree that the culture change we've seen is truly breathtaking, especially when you think back to where we were when we first launched Let's Move! Remember the reaction we got back then? I don't know if all of you were there, but I remember.(8) Now, there were plenty of folks who were in favor of taking on childhood obesity, but there were also the cynics who said that this was big government run amok, the nanny state telling you what to feed your kids. Other folks felt like this issue was too "soft," too "First Lady-ish." And some were disappointed that we weren't focusing on a more "serious" issue.(9) But you all knew better. You knew what the experts were telling us. For years, doctors and nurses had been sounding the alarm as younger and younger kids were developing diabetes and high blood pressure. Military officials were warning that about half of all recruits were failing the Army's Entry Physical Fitness Test. And the military was spending millions of dollars fixing broken bones and rotting teeth caused by poor nutrition.(10) Businesses were struggling with rising health care costs. Parents were anxious about their kids' health and self-esteem. Most of these folks didn't have big marketing budgets or special interests lobbying for them in Washington, so too often, their concerns simply weren't being heard.(11) But together, we helped give them a voice. Together, we helped them take on this issue in their homes, in their schools and in their communities. And the results have been beyond anything we could have ever imagined. …21Select the correct answer.What is the central idea of this text? A. In a speech celebrating the five-year anniversary of the "Let's Move!" initiative, Michelle Obama celebrates the achievements in the fight against childhood obesity while challenging herself and others to do more and committing to champion the issue for the foreseeable future. B. While delivering remarks about the "Let's Move!" initiative that she founded, First Lady Michelle Obama reminds audience participants that there are many years of combating childhood obesity ahead and that the effort will require the participation of individuals and companies. C. Michelle Obama delivers a moving speech at a hotel in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the five-year anniversary of her "Let's Move!" initiative, reminding her audience of their responsibility to continue to celebrate, challenge, and champion the fight against childhood obesity. D. First Lady Michelle Obama delivers a stirring speech in a hotel regarding the "Let's Move!" campaign, a government initiative that invites others to join her in convincing fast-food restaurants, food companies, and schools to offer healthier food alternatives to children who struggle with obesity.Reset