Reclaiming Democracy | Speaking to a crowd of more than 75.000 people on October 29, 2024, Vice-president Kamala Harris delivered a campaign speech at The Ellipse in Washington DC. In an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, then president, Donald Trump delivered a controversial speech at the same location which led the January 6th insurrection when his supporters stormed the Capitol Building.
We are Not Going Back
The US Election of 2024 has been called the most important in history. A choice between democracy and autocracy. The race between the democratic candidate and current vice president Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump remains inexplicably close. And candidates offer two very different paths for the future of the United States.
In his messaging the former president creates an image of himself as the strong man who will save America from perceived enemies both outside and within the US. Kamala Harris, on the other hand, is offering a unifying message. Promising to turn the page on the years of chaos and division.
The stakes in the US election race remain high as the country is divided in a strongly polarized political environment. More than 40% of Americans expect and fear violence if Trump loses the election. Meanwhile the path to the White House will likely come down a few votes in the Rust Belt Battleground states.
Going into the final week of the US election, Harris’ choice of venue for her rally in Washington, DC is clearly designed to reclaim the heart of American democracy from the Make America Great Again movement of her rival. In this post, you can watch the full speech by Kamala Harris as well as read and download a full transcript with annotations, preface and line numbers.
Full Speech: Kamala Harris at the Ellipse in Washington, DC
Read and Download the Full Transcript
Written Assignment
Write a nonfiction essay (900-1200 words) in which you analyze and comment on Kamala Harris’ Ellipse Speech 2024. Part of your essay should focus on her use of personal stories and the style of writing in lines 147-171.
Violent Conspiracies: Revisiting January 6, 2021
Following The US election of 2020, in which Joe Biden beat the incumbent Donald Trump in the race for the White House, Trump refused to concede victory and tried to remain in power with claims that the election was stolen by wide-spread voter fraud. The of attempt of the former president to overturn election results and “Stop the Steal“, eventually led to a violence, when an angry crowd of Trump supporters forced their way into the capitol building to prevent congress from certifying the election results.
If you want to explore the events of January 6 2021 and the attack on the United States Capitol further, I recommend this collection from The Library of Congress or check out the timeline of events in this article by the BBC.
