Ben Rhodes’ new book examines US identity through 15 speeches
The Story
Ben Rhodes, former speechwriter and deputy national security adviser to Barack Obama, has released a new book titled *All We Say – The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches*. The book analyzes American identity by examining 15 speeches spanning 250 years, from Benjamin Franklin and Seneca chief Red Jacket to Donald Trump’s second inaugural address. Rhodes discussed the book, noting that some progressive views once held by Obama’s former pastor Jeremiah Wright are now considered common.
Key Facts
- The book includes speeches by Benjamin Franklin, Red Jacket (Sagoyewatha), Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Alexander H. Stephens, Ronald Reagan, and Donald Trump.
- Lesser-known figures covered include Maria Stewart, Anna Dickinson, and Dolores Huerta (now 96).
- Rhodes said it was “shockingly hard to find speeches by women, particularly before world war two.”
- Rhodes stated that Trump “has proven Jeremiah Wright correct about a lot of things,” referring to Wright’s views on America being founded on racism and 9/11 as chickens coming home to roost.
- The book’s chapter on Obama focuses on the “A More Perfect Union” speech given March 18, 2008 in Philadelphia, which Rhodes said Obama mostly wrote himself.
- Rhodes originally planned a chapter on Obama’s 2015 Selma speech, which he called Obama’s favorite and “the most pure Obama distillation of history.”
Conflicting Reports
No conflicting reports identified in the source article.
Still Unclear
No open questions identified in the source article.
Misconceptions
No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.
Key Figures
- Ben Rhodes: former speechwriter and deputy national security adviser to Barack Obama, author of *All We Say*
- Jeremiah Wright: former pastor of Barack Obama
- Donald Trump: former US president, covered in the book
- Barack Obama: former US president
- Anna Dickinson: 19th-century abolitionist and women’s rights speaker
- Dolores Huerta: champion of Hispanic workers
- Frederick Douglass: central figure in the book
- Louis Brandeis: progressive lawyer who gave the “True Americanism” speech in 1915
Sources: The Guardian
