How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph.Sentence)
Quote #1
I know it may not be fashionable to speak of patriotism or national destiny these days. But I feel it is appropriate to do so on this occasion. (128.1-128.2)
One of the most common stereotypes of Nixon's era was that anti-war protesters, those in the Free Speech Movement, feminists, etc. weren't real Americans. They were unpatriotic. Patriots fully supported the war and the American way of life. But again, many have argued that these groups were patriots just like any others. Either way, Nixon's point here is to characterize these movements as generally unpatriotic.
Quote #2
Two hundred years ago this Nation was weak and poor. But even then, America was the hope of millions in the world. Today we have become the strongest and richest nation in the world. And the wheel of destiny has turned so that any hope the world has for the survival of peace and freedom will be determined by whether the American people have the moral stamina and the courage to meet the challenge of free world leadership. (129.1-129.4)
If you were to give one of the most patriotic histories of the United States in three sentences or less, this is really the way to do it. There are many ways to tell the country's origin story, but he chooses this one. This is meant to get those patriotic folks that he sees as part of the "great silent majority" all riled up before he calls out for their support a few sentences later in the speech.
Quote #3
[…] the great silent majority of my fellow Americans […]. (131.1)
Nixon's speech will always be remembered as "The Great Silent Majority" speech because those particular words were a great patriotic rallying cry. Just like Mel Gibson in Braveheart, Nixon is trying to give a feel-good jolt to the hearts of every patriotic American. He wants it to be of cinematic proportions. And it worked. It really did rally patriotic sentiment, while Nixon got the support he ultimately wanted.
Quote #4
The more support I can have from the American people, the sooner that pledge can be redeemed; for the more divided we are at home, the less likely the enemy is to negotiate at Paris. (133.1)
Again with the veiled critiques of 1960s counterculture. Nixon is trying to blame the anti-war movement for failed negotiations between U.S. and North Vietnamese forces. Ouch.
Quote #5
Fifty years ago, in this room and at this very desk, President Woodrow Wilson spoke words which caught the imagination of a war-weary world. He said: "This is the war to end war." His dream for peace after World War I was shattered on the hard realities of great power politics and Woodrow Wilson died a broken man.
Tonight I do not tell you that the war in Vietnam is the war to end wars. But […]." (136.1-137.2)
Don't be fooled, dear Shmoopers. That's a big "but" at the end of this statement.
If Nixon doesn't want to compare World War I to Vietnam, why does he bring it up in the first place? Nixon wants his audience to associate his Vietnamization policies with the patriotism surrounding World War I. He even hints that anti-patriotic "power politics" got in the way of Woodrow Wilson's success just like the unpatriotic anti-war protestors are getting in Nixon's way.