Two Americas


Two Americas is a catch phrase referring to social stratification in American society, made famous in a 2004 speech by former U.S. Senator and former presidential candidate John Edwards, originally referring to haves and have-nots. The speech has since become popular and inspired many parodies and similar metaphors.

Background

Although not necessarily the most prominent issue for other candidates in the seasons in which he campaigned for president, poverty has typically been a mainstay of liberal politics and a major focus for Edwards' campaign efforts. Edwards has since expanded the metaphor further, for instance in a guest blog entry in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina:

The speech

The following are excerpts from a speech given by Senator John Edwards as Democratic vice presidential nominee to the 2004 Democratic National Convention on 28 July 2004, based on the idea of Two Americas. For the complete transcript, see External links.

Other applications

Edwards later revisited the Two Americas theme frequently in his 2008 presidential election campaign.