theodore roosevelt ‘the duties of american citizenship’

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On January 26, 1883, while serving as a member of the New York state assembly, Theodore Roosevelt delivered a widely publicized address dubbed the ‘Duties of an American Citizen.’ He delivered this speech against the backdrop of an increasing sense of entitlement with a significant shift of tradition from the ideal capitalism to a quasi-dependence on the state. It was a belief long held by Roosevelt that whereas the state is a duty bearer for a vast majority of the rights and freedoms, the citizenry themselves are not without responsibilities. This speech outlines the bare minimums that must be fulfilled satisfactorily by any individual who claims to be a good American citizen. The underlying philosophy in this speech was that the wellness of a nation lies with its people and as such, there are established civic duties. He drew parallels between men who choose to diligently carry out their civic duties and those that do not; controversially stating that those who do not are one degree worse than persons guilty of high treason. It was this and several other instances of seemingly outlandish utterances that offer a basis for a discussion on the emotive elements of this address. Whereas many outstanding oratory aspects of the speech were lost in transcription, a keen reading is still very telling of Roosevelt’s intent through the emotive diction.
Perhaps one of the most emotive undertones in Roosevelt’s rendition of the responsibilities of an American citizen is evident when he draws the audience into his vision of a bright future for America.

He avers that this bright future is under threat from illogical pessimists who downplay their civic duty yet pray for a better America. As part of his closing remarks, he stated that ‘in facing the future and in striving, each according to the measure of his capacity, to work out the salvation of our land, we should be neither timid pessimists nor foolish optimists.’ Here, Roosevelt expresses disappointment in American citizens who allege love for their nation yet pay is lip service to actual involvement. He was of the opinion that this was tantamount to deliberate betrayal and posed a challenge to the optimistic Americans, asking them to take intent action.
Further, the emotive tone of the speech is evident when midway, Roosevelt refers to erstwhile patriotism in an almost nostalgic fashion. This is particularly when (on civic involvement) he states that ‘I do wish that more of our good citizens would go into politics, and would do it in the same spirit with which their fathers went into the Federal armies.’ Here, he urges American citizens as duty bearers to take a step for the betterment of their nation through civic participation. It is clear that the lethargy with which Americans were carrying out their civic duties irked Roosevelt. It is also noteworthy that Roosevelt exhibits a great deal of emotion when he advises that, ‘Of course, one or two of his efforts may be failures; but if he has the right stuff in him he will go ahead and do his duty irrespective of whether he meets with success or defeat’ (Roosevelt).
An avid speaker, it is highly likely that Roosevelt deployed effective use of various multimodal actions at the time of delivery of the speech. These are the various alternative inputs often used by political speakers. This ancillary input helps the readers make better sense of the message intended by the speaker — some of the important multimodal actions used by Roosevelt in his addresses included; the use of hand movements and corresponding body gestures. Also, another multimodal action prevalent at the time was the use of different vocal intonation during delivery of the speech. In this way, not only was Roosevelt able to make his message more relatable but also possibly unforgettable.

Works Cited.
Roosevelt, Theodore. The Duties of American Citizenship. Charles River Editors via PublishDrive, 2018.