Ben Rhodes, who served as a speechwriter and national security advisor for President Obama, has released a new book exploring American identity across centuries of political rhetoric.
The book, titled “All We Say,” brings together 15 speeches that span American history, from the era of Ben Franklin through to the Trump presidency.
Rhodes uses these speeches as a lens through which to examine the evolving and contested question of what it means to be American.
The collection draws on voices from dramatically different political moments, reflecting how the definition of American identity has shifted and been disputed over time.
By selecting 15 distinct speeches, Rhodes constructs a historical arc that traces how American leaders and thinkers have framed national identity in their own words.
The range of speakers included, from Ben Franklin to Trump, suggests Rhodes is interested in how the concept of American identity cuts across vastly different eras and political traditions.
Rhodes brings a unique perspective to the project, having spent years crafting language and policy positions at the highest levels of the American government.
His background as both a speechwriter and a security advisor gives him a dual vantage point on how political language shapes public understanding of nationhood.
The book arrives at a moment when debates over American identity have become a central and deeply divisive feature of the country’s political landscape.
“All We Say” positions itself as a resource for readers seeking to understand how historical speech and rhetoric have shaped, and continue to shape, the American sense of self.
