Colin Powell: Commencement Address at Howard University

Questions for Further Study

• 1.: In recent years, the issue of free speech has arisen with regularity on college campuses. Various speakers have been barred from campuses or have had their appearances canceled because of protest on the part of those who do not like the speaker’s views. Numerous speakers have been heckled or shouted down and have had eggs and other objects thrown at them. Under what circumstances, if any, do you think a speaker should be barred from appearing on a college campus, or anywhere? Does hosting a speaker constitute endorsement of his or her views? At what point does legitimate protesting of views cross over to a denial of free speech?
• 2.: Why might Colin Powell’s appearance at Howard University have perhaps been seen as controversial by some?
• 3.: As a military figure, Powell appeals to his audience by linking the history of Howard University with that of the military, particularly the role of African American soldiers in the nineteenth century. How does he accomplish this aim? What does making such a connection add to his speech?
• 4.: Powell makes reference to Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk of South Africa. What purpose does this reference serve in the speech? What is the linkage between this reference and his reference to the controversy surrounding Khalid Abdul Muhammad?
• 5.: To what extent, if any, might Powell’s speech have been a “campaign speech”?