Question

Read the excerpt from President Eisenhower’s State of the Union address on February 2, 1953. A cardinal ideal in this heritage we cherish is the equality of rights of all citizens of every race and color and creed. We know that discrimination against minorities persists despite our allegiance to this ideal. Such discrimination—confined to no one section of the Nation—is but the outward testimony to the persistence of distrust and of fear in the hearts of men. This fact makes all the more vital the fighting of these wrongs by each individual, in every station of life, in his every deed . . . I propose to use whatever authority exists in the office of the President to end segregation in the District of Columbia, including the Federal Government, and any segregation in the Armed Forces. What is the president’s purpose for including these details? to inform his listeners about laws in the District of Columbia to inform his listeners about the work of the US military to persuade his listeners of the importance of equal rights to persuade his listeners to vote for him for president

Answer 1

to persuade his listeners of the importance of equal rights

The excerpt begins with the statement about cherishing equal rights of all citizens. It then talks about how discrimination is still occurring. He then pledges to end segregation in all places where he has the power to do so: Washington D.C., Federal Government, and the Armed Forces. The excerpt does not include and laws, work the military has done, or calls for presidential votes.