Speech

We know what you're thinking: it's a speech because Jimmy Carter spoke it.

But it's important to understand why this was spoken as opposed to just written, and why the President himself spoke these words as opposed to a staffer or aid.

The answer to these inquiries lies in the importance of the speech's subject matter. Energy was absolutely critical to the Carter administration. In fact, it was absolutely critical to the survival of the nation. If Jimmy Carter had simply written the speech and made it available online, one nobody would have read it because there was no internet and two, nobody would have read it because the general population does not read press releases.

Case in point, when was the last time you read a presidential press release? We're waiting…exactly. Never.

Now as to why the President spoke it as opposed to an aid or staffer, again the issue of importance comes into play. It's one thing if your brother or sister asks you to clean your room, because you know it doesn't really matter because they have no power over you.

But if your mom or dad asks you the same thing, now it begins to matter, because they can ground you. While the President can't exactly ground the American people (in fact, the word Constitution never once mentions the word "grounded"), he at least holds the highest position of authority. He has the power to introduce legislation that could either help or hurt the American people.

So him taking the time to make deliver this speech to the American people directly underscores how important Jimmy Carter took the subject matter, and how equally important he hoped Americans would view the matter—and his interpretation of it—as well.

How it Breaks Down

Section 1: Surveying the Mood of the American People

In Part 1 of his speech, President Jimmy Carter shares with the American people some highlights from his ten-day domestic summit at Camp David, in which he listened to voices from all corners of American society to get their thoughts on the Oil Crisis and the current mood of the country.

Think of it as show and tell, but with less show and more tell: in this case, he's telling about how other Americans are feeling about the oil crisis.

Section 2: Facing the True Nature of the Problem

In Part 2, Jimmy Carter criticizes the American people for their unwillingness to sacrifice in order to shed their dependence on foreign oil. He frames the economic problems of high gas prices and high unemployment more as a moral issue than as a policy concern, citing that these matters are in fact the symptom of a larger problem, a lack of confidence in the contemporary attitude of the country and the direction of its future.

Think of it as a well-intentioned guilt trip.

Section 3: Responding to the Country's Issues

In Part 3, Carter outlines his solutions to America's problems. He explains both his moral and political solutions. Regarding the former, he encourages Americans to draw on their past, to sacrifice in the name of patriotism, and to commit to speaking positively about their country.

Regarding the latter, he outlines a series of concrete and tangible legislative policies to increase energy independence and decrease the use of foreign oil. Together with a changed attitude, Carter attempts to rally the American people out of depths of recessions by uniting behind a common issue, one that's critical to the success of the nation: energy independence.