Throughout history, there has been a change in how presidents speak about equality and which groups of people had access to particular rights. Over time presidents would talk about equality in terms that only related to certain groups of people. “All are entitled to equal rights and equal protection. No union exists between church and state, and perfect freedom of opinion is guaranteed to all sects and creeds” (Polk 1845). When President Polk talks about “all” he means all white people, at this point in history slavery had not been outlawed and many people still considered black people less than. Out of all 67 speeches, the word “equal” was said a total of 98 times, with the most frequent occurrence being 9 times in President Theodore Roosevelt’s 1901 inauguration address. Democratic-Republicans were the most likely to include “equal” within their speech with the highest average of 2.625 times per speech followed by Republicans (1.393), Democrats (1.185), Federalists (.75), and Whigs (.6). The word “equality” was said 27 times, with the most frequent occurrence being 3 times in President Eisenhower’s 1957 speech. Republicans were the most likely to include “equality” within their speech with the highest average of .5 times per speech followed by Democrat-Republicans (.375), Democrats (.333), Whigs (.2), and Federalists (0). While President Roosevelt said “equal” more than any other president the majority of the occurrences were concerning military operations, skewing the results.
The way equality was spoken about in the early years was about either white people or the states. Around the time of President Buchanan in 1857, we see Democratic presidents talking more about everyone being equal, this includes whites, blacks, Asians, Latinos, and immigrants. “After becoming citizens they are entitled, under the Constitution and laws, to be placed on a perfect equality with native-born citizens, and in this character they should ever be kindly recognized” (Buchanan 1857). While we see Democrats talk about equality more often than Republicans there are instances when Republican presidents talk about equality as well. “The effects of the late civil strife have been to free the slave and make him a citizen. Yet he is not possessed of the civil rights which citizenship should carry with it. This is wrong, and should be corrected. To this correction I stand committed, so far as Executive influence can avail” (Grant 1873). President Grant was helping to bring black people into the folds of society and sees that even though they are now considered equal citizens they are not awarded the same rights as everyone else.
As the country grew and eventually abolished slavery the conversation around equality changed. Most presidents acknowledge that there have been groups that were not considered equals. In the modern era that group of presidents is mainly Democrats, acknowledging that even though the country has taken steps towards greater equality there is still a lot of work to do. “Raised in unrivalled prosperity, we inherit an economy that is still the world’s strongest, but is weakened by business failures, stagnant wages, increasing inequality, and deep divisions among *our own* people” (Clinton 1993). When Clinton talks about increasing inequality he is talking about how communities of color are experiencing lower wages. President Nixon says:
“This means black and white together, as one nation, not two. The laws have caught up with our conscience. What remains is to give life to what is in the law: to ensure at last that as all are born equal in dignity before God, all are born equal in dignity before man.”
Nixon 1969
President Nixon is one of the few Republican presidents in the modern era to address equality and explicitly say that his equality pertains to both black and white people. As a consensus Republican presidents do not talk about equality in terms of racial equality or only briefly mention equality as a concept.
President Obama is the only presidents who put the change in how the country saw equality into the most explicit terms saying:
“This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.”
Obama 2009
During his inaugural address, President Obama acknowledges that not even 60 years prior it would be almost impossible for a black man to be served in specific restaurants let alone become President of the United States. President Biden followed in the same vein as well, “A cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear, and now arise political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat” (Biden 2021). In his speech, President Biden is talking about the cry for racial justice and the racial reckoning that occurred in the summer of 2020 after the killing of George Floyd and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement. The way he speaks about equality is straightforward, targeting specific situations and issues. “We can put people to work in good jobs. We can teach our children in safe schools. We can overcome this deadly virus. We can reward work, rebuild the middle class and make health care secure for all” (Biden 2021). President Biden speaks about how we need to work together to pass “bold legislation” to help those who are hurting the most, moving towards a more inclusive sense of equality.
