Speech Before The Joint Session of The US Congress: Content and Contextual Analysis of

Content and Contextual Analysis of
Speech before the

joint session of the
US Congress
PRESENTED BY GROUP 9
Who is Corazon Aquino?
- born as Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco
Aquino on January 25, 1933 in Paniqui, Tarlac
- her father is José Cojuangco, a former
congressman, and her mother was Demetria
Sumulong, a pharmacist whom both came from
prominent political families.
- she graduated from the College of Mount Saint
Vincent in New York, graduating in 1953 with a
major in French and a minor in mathematics and
she returned to the Philippines and studied law at
Far Eastern University in 1953.
Who is Corazon Aquino?
- widow of Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., who was one
of the most prominent critics of President Marcos .
- a loving mother to her children

- served as the 11th president of the Philippines,
from 1986 to 1992
- widely accredited as the "Mother of Asian
Democracy" for she ended the two-decade rule of
President Ferdinand Marcos and led to the
establishment of the current democratic Fifth
Philippine Republic
- she died on August 1, 2009 at age of 76
Some of the Monuments dedicated for Corazon Aquino
Historical Background of
the Document
Corazon Aquino's husband Benigno Aquino Jr., a
member of the Liberal Party, rose to become the
youngest governor in the country in 1961 and then
the youngest senator ever elected to the Senate of
the Philippines in 1967. He emerged as a leading
critic of the government of President Ferdinand
Marcos, he became seen as a strong candidate for
president to succeed Marcos in the 1973 elections.
However, Marcos, who was barred by the 1935
Constitution to seek a third term, declared martial law on
21 September 1972 and later abolished the
constitution, thereby allowing him to remain in office.
Benigno Aquino Jr. was among the first to be arrested
at the onset of martial law and was later sentenced to
death.
Despite Corazon's initial opposition, Benigno Aquino
Jr. decided to run in the 1978 Batasang Pambansa
elections from his prison cell as party leader of the
newly created LABAN. Corazon Aquino campaigned
on behalf of her husband. In 1980 Benigno Aquino Jr.
suffered a heart attack, and Marcos allowed Senator
Aquino and his family to leave for exile in the United
States upon intervention from U.S. President Jimmy
Carter so that Aquino could seek medical treatment.
The family settled in Boston for three years.
On August 21, 1983, Benigno Aquino Jr. returned
without his family to the Philippines, where he was
immediately assassinated on a staircase leading to the
Former President
tarmac of Manila International Airport.
Ferdinand E. Marcos
.
On November 3, 1985, during an interview with American
journalist David Brinkley, Marcos suddenly announced
snap elections that would be held within three months.
The election was later scheduled to be held on
February 7, 1986. The snap election was marred by
massive electoral fraud, violence, intimidation,
coercion, and disenfranchisement of voters. On
February 15, 1986, the Batasang Pambansa, which was
dominated by Marcos' ruling party and its allies,
declared President Marcos as the winner of the
election. On February 22, 1986, disgruntled and
reformist military officers led by Defense Minister Enrile
and General Fidel V. Ramos announced a strong belief
that Aquino was the real winner in the contested
presidential election.
After three days of peaceful mass protests
primarily centered at EDSA called the People
Power Revolution, Aquino was sworn in as the
eleventh president of the Philippines on
February 25, 1986. On September 16, 1986,
Corazon Aquino visited America as she gave a
speech before the joint session of the United
States Congress. She also sought to help in
addressing the 26 billion dollars of foreign debt
and a communist insurgency that grew from 500
armed guerillas to 16, 000 during Marcos'
regime. In her speech, she called on America to
help the Philippines in preserving freedom on
which Filipinos fought for themselves. It was
written by Teodoro Locsin Jr.
Content Analysis
- She acknowledged the speaker, Senator Thurmond, and the distinguished
member of congress.
- She recalled her grief when she left America to bury her husband three years
before her presidency.
- She said that she had returned as the President of free people.
- She said that the first time she lost her husband was 14 years ago after
Marcos implemented the martial law that suspended the constitution and shut
down Congress, and how Marcos detained Benigno and thousands of others
who had spoken for the democracy.
- She talked about how their family struggled as her husband struggled
- She described her husband's death as the Philippines’ resurrection and the
courage and faith by which alone its people could be free again.
Content Analysis
- She quoted Archibald MacLeish who had said that “democracy must be defended by
arms when it is attacked by arms, and with truth when it is attacked by lies.” After which she
spoke how he failed to say how it shall be won. “Still, we fought for honor, and, if only for
honor, we shall pay.”
- She emphasized that the fight they started was not wasted and it was not a
nonsense one.
-“The task had fallen on my shoulders to continue offering the democratic alternative
to our people.”
- Marcos' administration had $26 billion in total foreign debt, and a communist
insurgency that grew, throughout the Marcos era, from 500 armed guerillas to 16,000.
- her speech also lodged an appeal for help or for financial assistance in restoring full
constitutional government and for recovering the economy of the country.
Contextual Analysis
-The speech of Corazon Aquino was influenced by the situation of the country after
Marcos’ administration. The country was left in an oppressed situation for over
more than one decade. This caused the Filipino citizens to be left and be burdened
with the debt committed by Marcos during his regime, which was $26 billion in total
which they did not receive any benefit from. And a communist insurgency grew,
throughout the Marcos era, from 500 armed guerillas to 16,000.
- The Philippines has no means to get out of debt, so Corazon Aquino requested
financial aid from the US Congress to continue its constitutional and economic
recovery.
- The historic speech managed to sway in our favor the vote for an emergency
$200-million aid appropriation
Relevance / Contribution of the document
- Furthermore, this document contributed to Philippine history as it allows the

Filipino people to know and not forget the harsh reality during the dictatorship
of Marcos.
- Moreover, the ideology of the new democratic government can also be seen
in the same speech.
- Lastly, since Corazon Aquino was the first female president of the country,
her speech had a strong impact not just on the country but also on the world's
perception of women in power.
Author’s main arguments
- It focused on the constitutional and economic recovery of the country after

the dictatorship of Marcos. Corazon Aquino wanted to seek financial
assistance from the Americans to help the country recover.
- Corazon’s speech was also to officially declare and mark the freedom of the
Filipino people and to express how the Filipino citizens united to take back the
democracy that was taken away from them during the Marcos’ era.
Thank you for
listening!

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Content and Contextual Analysis of

Speech before the

- a loving mother to her children

- Furthermore, this document contributed to Philippine history as it allows the

- It focused on the constitutional and economic recovery of the country after

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