One of the most substantive examples of coded language in inaugural speeches has been states’ rights. Through a quantitative analysis, we see that the phrase is not used as frequently as it is through qualitative analysis. Whigs use the phrase on average of .6 followed by Democrats (.296), Democratic-Republicans (.25), Republicans (.207), and Federalists (0). The first mention of states’ rights came in the 3rd inaugural speech given by President Adams in 1797. “If a respectful attention to the constitutions of the individual States and a constant caution and delicacy toward the State governments” (Adams 1797). President Adams is speaking on the example set by President Washington in respecting the wishes of the states to decide laws within their state rather than the national government declaring what should be legal. Presidents use their inaugural addresses to talk about states’ rights yet the data shows that after 1885 the idea started to become almost nonexistent within speeches, only being spoken about by President Reagan.
With some other phrases and terms, there were clear party divisions states’ rights does not present a similar trend. The concept was mentioned 31 times, an average of .235, in all 67 speeches with over half not mentioning the idea at all. As previously mentioned Reagan was the only president to bring up the idea within their speech post-1885, mentioning it in both of his inaugural addresses. “We yielded authority to the National Government that properly belonged to States or to local governments or to the people themselves” (Reagan 1985). President Reagan is talking about in the years prior to his administration the National Government had performed duties that were given to the states. Therefore he felt it was his job to return those rights to the states and shrink the size of the national government.
The distinction of what rights were reserved to what part of the Union was extremely important around the time of the Civil War and Western expansion. This was when the government was trying to decide what to do about slavery in the new territories. Leaders had to decide whether or not the federal government had the power to mandate to the states whether or not it was legal within their territory.
“It was hardly to have been expected that the series of measures passed at your last session with the view of healing the sectional differences which had sprung from the slavery and territorial questions should at once have realized their beneficent purpose”
Fillmore 1850
President Fillmore is talking about the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. The act declared that the Missouri Compromise, saying which territories slavery was legal in, would be repealed. This allowed for the settlers of these areas to decide whether or not slavery was legal rather than the national government deciding. With the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act the balance in the country moved towards the south and helped lead to the Civil War. President Fillmore’s use of states rights within his speech makes one think about the growing separation between the North and South and his job in trying to bring both sides back together. He uses states’ rights as a way to appeal to people who both support the abolition of slavery and those who are against abolition.
