We have a positive vision of the future founded on the belief that the gap between the promise and reality of America can one day be finally closed. Thank you. Fielding's office, after having met with Mr. Ehrlichman and Mr. Young. Now I began this speech by commenting to you on the uniqueness of a Barbara Jordan making a keynote address. The Constitution doesn't say that. Who can so properly be the inquisitors for the nation as the representatives of the nation themselves? While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. . She attended Texas Southern University in Houston, becoming a member of the debate team that tied Harvard University in a debateone of her proudest college moments. What we have to do is strike a balance between the idea that government should do everything and the idea, the belief, that government ought to do nothing. An hyperbole would not be fictional and would not overstate the solemnness that I feel right now. Convert your audio or video into 99% accurate text by a professional. In our haste to do all things for all people, we did not foresee the full consequences of our actions. It limited impeachment to high crimes and misdemeanors and discounted and opposed the term "maladministration." 2. But when the document was completed on the seventeenth of September 1787 I was not included in that We, the people. I felt somehow for many years that George Washington and Alexander Hamilton just left me out by mistake. Has the president committed offenses and planned and directed and acquiesced in a course of conduct, which the Constitution will not tolerate? She won national acclaim for giving a measured, eloquent lesson on the constitutional principles at stake. The most accurate AI-powered transcription on the market. Congress has a lot to do: Appropriations Tax Reform, Health Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, Housing, Environmental Protection, Energy Sufficiency, Mass Transportation. Try Rev and save time transcribing, captioning, and subtitling. If we promise as public officials, we must deliver. They are indigenous to the American idea. Mary Beth Rogers, Barbara Jordan: American Hero (New York: Bantam Books, 1998), 68-71. We know about the Houston plan. Discover why Rev is the #1 speech-to-text service in the world. When we read the speech given by Barbara Jordan we can easily make out that . They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Full transcript of Representative Barbara Jordans Keynote Speech at the 1976 DNC on July 12, 1976. Indignation so great as to overgrow party interest may secure a conviction; but nothing else can.". We know that. We cannot improve on the system of government handed down to us by the founders of the Republic. More is required. This we must do as individuals. We know about the break-in of the psychiatrist's office. Thank you, ladies and gentleman for a very warm reception. Convert your audio or video into 99% accurate text by a professional. (THESIS) Barbara Jordan's speech at the 1976 Democratic National Convention effectively inspired her audience because she relied on the appeals of ethos, logos, and pathos as well as. ", James Madison again at the Constitutional Convention: "A President is impeachable if he attempts to subvert the Constitution.". "Rescue their liberties from violation. As students listen to the speech they can highlight, underline, and . "Protect their rights." Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy. Her own legislative work focused on the environment, antidiscrimination clauses in state business contracts, and urban legislation, the last being a political challenge in a state dominated by rural interests. Pettiness cannot be allowed to stand in the face of such overwhelming problems. We've been talking about it awhile now. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Mr. Chairman, you are a strong man, and it has not been easy but we have tried as best we can to give you as much assistance as possible. In this election year, we must define the common good and begin again to shape a common future. Common sense would be revolted if we engaged upon this process for petty reasons. And if the President wants to supply that material, the committee sits here. Common sense would be revolted if we engaged upon this process for petty reasons. Thank you Mr. Chairman. Earlier today, we heard the beginning of the preamble to the Constitution of United States. Moreover, the President has made public announcements and assertions bearing the Watergate case, which the evidence will show he knew to be false. Beginning shortly after the Watergate break-in and continuing to the present time, the President has engaged in a series of public statements and actions designed to, James Madison, again at the constitutional convention: A President is impeachable if he attempts to subvert the Constitution.. What the President did know on the 23rd of June was the prior activities of E. Howard Hunt, which included his participation in the break-in of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist, which included Howard Hunt's participation in the Dita Beard ITT affair, which included Howard Hunt's fabrication of cables designed to discredit the Kennedy Administration. A government is invigorated when each one of us is willing to participate in shaping the future of this nation. Create a better, more engaging experience for every student. We know the nature of impeachment. We know about the break-in of the psychiatrists office. If the president be connected in any suspicious manner with any person, and there be grounds to believe that he will shelter him, he may be impeached. We have heard time and time again, that they evidence reflects the payment to defendants, money, the President had knowledge that these funds were being paid and these were funds collected for the 1972 Presidential campaign. We know the nature of impeachment. Today I am an inquisitor. The Constitution doesnt say that. Molly Ivins, "Barbara Jordan, Closing the Gap in Perception," Los Angeles Times, 8 September 1991. A President is impeachable if your attempts to subvert the constitution.. It is wrong, I suggest, it is a misreading of the Constitution for any member here to assert that for a member to vote for an article of impeachment means that the member must be convinced that the president should be removed from office. She also gave the keynote address in 1992, this time from a wheelchair; she had been afflicted by multiple sclerosis. . The subjects of its jurisdiction are those offenses which proceed from the misconduct of public men. This is a part of the reason why Americans have turned to the Democratic Party. Despite her absence from Washington, D.C., she remained influential in political affairs. Students can listen through a close reading lens documenting parts of Jordan's speech that they felt were convincing. We believe that. It is designed to "bridle" the Executive if he engages in excesses. I think it no accident that most of those immigrating to America in the 19th century identified with the Democratic Party. Franics X. Clines, "Barbara Jordan Dies at 59; Her Voice Stirred the Nation," Protect their rights, rescue their liberties from violation. People want more. Barbara Jordan: (06:51) What did Representative Jordan imply when she brought up the idea of pain in her first sentence? Jordan remained in the Texas Senate until 1972, when she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Texass 18th district. At this point, I would like to juxtapose a few of the impeachment criteria with some of the actions the President has engaged in. More is required of public officials than slogans and handshakes and press releases. A.In the past, people took plenty of photographs using traditional film and typically kept more personal shots, lik At this point, I would like to juxtapose a few of the impeachment criteria with some of the actions the President has engaged in. Throughout our history, when people have looked for new ways to solve their problems and to uphold the principles of this nation, many times they have turned to political parties. Lyndon Johnson, who invited her to the White House for a preview of his 1967 civil rights message. The division between the two branches of the Legislature, the House and the Senate, assigning to the one the right to accuse and to the other the right to judge. Barbara Jordan: (06:04) But Ill tell you this, we as public servants must set an example for the rest of the nation. We have been talking about it awhile now. The framers confided in the Congress the power if need be to remove the President in order to strike a delicate balance between a president swollen with power and grown tyrannical, and preservation of the independence of the Executive. My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total, and I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution. The purpose of Barbara Jordans speech is to explain a problem with the wording of the Constitution. Earlier today, we heard the beginning of the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States, "We, the people." Become a freelancer and work on your own terms. ", We have heard time and time again that the evidence reflects the payment to defendants money. Of the impeachment process, it was Woodrow Wilson who said that "Nothing short of the grossest offenses against the plain law of the land will suffice to give them speed and effectiveness. You can be a part of this exciting work by making a donation to The Bill of Rights Institute today! "Rescue their liberties from violation. We are a people in a quandary about the present. (AP Photo), Barbara Jordan marked history in a number of ways, using the power of her speech and the clarity of her mind to break down barriers of race and gender. It is wrong, I suggest, it is a misreading of the Constitution for any member here to assert that for a member to vote for an article of impeachment means that that member must be convinced that the President should be removed from office. The nature of impeachment: a narrowly channeled exception to the separation-of-powers maxim. When Barbara Jordan was born in Houston . The words are "If the president is connected in any suspicious manner with any person and there be grounds to believe that he will shelter that person, he may be impeached. Calculate how much it costs to transcribe, caption, or subtitle your content. Thats the question. "The subjects of its jurisdiction are those offenses which proceed from the misconduct of public men." Each seeking to satisfy private wants. In her speech, she mentions that though the Constitution laid by Washington and Hamilton included the phrase "We, the people", they forget to include her. The framers of this Constitution we very astute. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of . I have that confidence. Get a weekly digest of the weeks most important transcripts in your inbox. Congress has a lot to do: The Constitution charges the President with the task of taking care that the laws be faithfully executed, and yet the President has counseled his aides to commit, Nixon Tapes: The Smoking Gun Tape, 1972, http://watergate.info/1974/07/25/barbara-jordan-speech-on-impeachment.html, Barbara Jordan, Speech on Impeachment, July 25, 1974, Earlier today, we heard the beginning of the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States, We, the people. It is a very eloquent beginning. The constitution doesnt say that. The purpose of the speech was to tell the problem that the Constitution had with the wordings. According to Jordan, how did President Nixon subvert the Constitution? The most accurate AI-powered transcription on the market. More is required. Now, that I have this grand distinction, what in the world am I supposed to say? Industry-leading accurate legal transcription to ensure you dont miss a statement. We are a people trying not only to solve the problems of the present, unemployment, inflation, but we are attempting on a larger scale to fulfill the promise of America. It is chiefly designed for the President and his high ministers to somehow be called into account. And I ask you that as you listen to these words of Abraham Lincoln relate them to the concept of a national community in which every last one of us participates. But through the process of amendment, interpretation, and court decision, I have finally been included in "We, the people.". Audience - Jordan's audience was like-minded democrats who saw Jimmy Carter as their hope for a new direction in American government. We know that the president met with Mr. Henry Peterson 27 times to discuss matters related to Watergate. 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