Famous Speeches: President Obama's Farewell Address By Barack Obama, adapted by Newsela staff on 01.12.17 Word Count 849 U.S. President Barack Obama gives his farewell speech at McCormick Place on January 10, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. Obama addressed the nation in what is expected to be his last trip outside Washington as president. Photo: Darren Hauck/Getty Images Editor's Note: On Tuesday, January 10, 2017, President Barack Obama gave a speech. The speech was a formal goodbye to the country. Most presidents speak to the country before they leave office. In the speech, Obama thanks the American people. He also talks about his hopes for the country. It s good to be home. Tonight it s my turn to thank you. My conversations with you, the American people, are what kept me going. Every day, I learned from you. You made me a better president. You made me a better man. I first came to Chicago when I was a young man. I learned something important here. I learned that change happens only when ordinary people work together. After eight years as your president, I still believe that. It s not just my belief. It is our country's belief that we are all created equal. We are born with human rights. They are the right to live, to live freely and to have a chance at happiness. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1
"Democracy Is Always Hard" Our nation has never been perfect. But we are willing to change. Democracy is always hard. But America has always moved forward. In 10 days, I will peacefully give my power as president to the next president, Donald Trump. Democracy does not mean we all have to agree. The people who started our country argued. They also made choices together. They knew we would argue, too. Democracy needs us to argue and work together. We are different but we are all in this together. "Everyone Should Feel As If They Can Succeed" Everyone should feel as if they can succeed. Today, more people have jobs. More people can go to see a doctor. Still, it is not enough. It is not good that there is a gap between rich people and poor people in our country. Too many poor families are left behind. Rich families keep getting richer. We must create a new agreement as a country. We must make sure all our kids get an education. Workers need better pay. Our government must change with the country. We can argue about how to best achieve these goals. We will become more divided if we don t create a chance for all people to succeed. After I became president, people thought there might be an America without racism. Things have gotten better but racism is still a problem. All of us have more work to do. People are treated unfairly because of their skin color. They are treated unfairly at their jobs and in school. The law treats them unfairly. In order for things to change, hearts must change. People of color must help others who are struggling. White Americans must understand that the problems caused by slavery did not go away even when slavery ended. None of this is easy. For too many of us, it s become safer to be friends only with people who look and act like us. Instead, we must reach out to people we might disagree with. Our Constitution is a beautiful gift. Still, it s just a piece of paper. It has no power on its own. We, the people, give it power with the choices we make. In his own farewell address, George Washington wrote that we need to protect our right to vote. Others will try to make us doubt ourselves. They will try to make us believe we should not give all people the right to vote. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2
We must fight against those people. For all our differences, we are all voters. We are all citizens of the United States. Our country needs this. Our country needs you. If something needs fixing, work to fix it. If you re disappointed by lawmakers, try becoming a lawmaker. Show up, dive in and keep going. Sometimes you ll win. Sometimes you ll lose. More often than not, you will find faith in America and in Americans. We must care for people looking for safety. We must work in peace. Above all, we must look out for one another. My fellow Americans, it has been the honor of my life to serve you. I won t stop. In fact, I will be right there with you, as a citizen, for all my days that remain. For now, I do have one final ask of you. It is the same thing I asked when I ran for president eight years ago. I am asking you to believe. Do not believe in my ability to bring about change. Believe in your own ability to bring about change. I am asking you to hold onto that faith written into our Constitution. Hold onto that idea whispered by slaves. Hold onto that spirit of immigrants and those who marched for justice. Hold onto that promise that was fought for by soldiers. It is a promise at the heart of every American: Yes we can. Yes we did. Yes we can. Thank you. God bless you. And may God continue to bless the United States of America. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3
Quiz 1 What is President Obama's purpose in the introduction [paragraphs 1-3]? to look back at what he has learned and what he believes to thank the audience for listening to his speech to describe how he felt when he was a young man to explain the reasons why people have rights and what they are 2 Why does Obama think democracy is hard? We have to follow the Constitution, but we do not understand it. People are not willing to change, and he wants to keep being president. We are all different and we argue, but we need to work together. People do not feel they can succeed, and many people are left behind. 3 What is the MAIN reason why Obama says we need to vote? because George Washington wrote about it because we must believe in our own ability to change things because sometimes people are disappointed by lawmakers because we need people to create more jobs 4 Which section of the speech gives information about advice from a past president? This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4
Answer Key 1 What is President Obama's purpose in the introduction [paragraphs 1-3]? to look back at what he has learned and what he believes to thank the audience for listening to his speech to describe how he felt when he was a young man to explain the reasons why people have rights and what they are 2 Why does Obama think democracy is hard? We have to follow the Constitution, but we do not understand it. People are not willing to change, and he wants to keep being president. We are all different and we argue, but we need to work together. People do not feel they can succeed, and many people are left behind. 3 What is the MAIN reason why Obama says we need to vote? because George Washington wrote about it because we must believe in our own ability to change things because sometimes people are disappointed by lawmakers because we need people to create more jobs 4 Which section of the speech gives information about advice from a past president? This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5