Ben Rhodes: All We Say, the Battle for American Identity

What does it mean to be American? Who gets to decide?

Americans have debated those questions for 250 years. The issue of what it means to be an American shaped the compromises in the Constitution and the arguments we’ve been having ever since—spawning abolitionism, secession, and civil war; populism, mass migration, and global leadership; movements for reform and the backlashes to them.

Former Obama speechwriter Ben Rhodes has examined the speeches of 15 people that shaped and reflected the argument Americans have been having from our founding to the present day’s heated divisions.

Rhodes has traced the history of our battle over identity. The result is a revealing portrait of America itself: a nation divided between two stories—one of inheritance, power, and exclusion; the other of equality, striving, and belonging. Drawing on a decade writing for Barack Obama, Rhodes also shows us how words can redirect a nation, what makes a speech enduring, and why oratory is a unique form of persuasion in American democracy.

From Benjamin Franklin’s call for compromise at the Constitutional Convention, to Alexander Stephens’ case for white supremacy as the cornerstone of the Confederacy; from Martin Luther King’s dream of true equality to Donald Trump’s rallying cry against democracy itself, these speeches remind us that history is a living argument. At a time when American identity—and truth—is contested, Rhodes comes to Commonwealth Club World Affairs to offer a fresh and powerful look at who we really are and who we could still become.

Notes

Attendees subject to search. No large bags or backpacks.

This program is: in-person only. If you have symptoms of illness (coughing, fever, etc.), we ask that you either stay home or wear a mask.

Photo by Polly Irungu.

Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs.

All ticket sales are final and nonrefundable.

Louis B. Mayer Theatre
Santa Clara University
(corner of Franklin and Lafayette Streets)
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95050

Speakers

Ben Rhodes, Former Deputy National Security Advisor and Speechwriter to President Barack Obama; Co-Host "Pod Save the World"; Author, All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches

Moderator: TBA

5:45 p.m. doors open & check-in
6:30–7:30 p.m. program
(all times Pacific Time)

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