Alfred M. Green Persuasion Speech

800 Words4 Pages
Miles Fields 11/20/13 Mr. Cohn Green Speech Alfred M. Green gave a speech in Philadelphia in 1861, calling for his long oppressed “brethren” to strive to be admitted into the ranks of the Union army, to fight for their recognition as citizens of America. During Green’s speech, Green gains his “brethren’s trust”, and uses unifying diction, and comparisons to help persuade his fellow African Americans to strive for their recognition as citizens of America. 1861 was a period of uncertainty for everyone but specifically the African Americans. African Americans were deprived citizenship and freedom by their country earlier that century. But now, equality and recognition as citizens were within their grasp, and all they had to do was put their trust into their country. Green successfully does this by using ethos to clear all the fear and doubt within the African American people, and it also starts to rebuild their trust within their country. Green tells that they won’t be able to lose if they choose to fight, because they are the “armies of the living God.” If the African Americans chose to fight for the Union, then they would have to put trust in their country’s future. If they really want their future to be different, then all they had to do was join the Union ranks and fight for “truth, justice, and equality for all men.” Green’s efforts in rebuilding African American’s trust in America was successful, African Americans joined the Union ranks and fought for their country. In the end they won, and slowly but surely the African American’s trust in their country built. In the 19th century, segregation disabled African Americans from receiving recognition as citizens of the USA. During Green’s speech the unifying diction he uses, encourages his “brethren” to try to forget the past segregation, and too put hope into the future rebirth of this great nation. By
Open Document