Political argumentation in the United States : historical and contemporary studies / / selected essays by David Zarefsky

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910787070903321
• Autore: Zarefsky David
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Amsterdam, Netherlands : , : John Benjamins Publishing Company, , 2014; ©2014
• ISBN: 90-272-6990-4
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (396 p.)
• Collana: Argumentation in Context, , 1877-6884 ; ; Volume 7
• Disciplina: 320.97301/4
• Soggetti: Persuasion (Rhetoric) - Political aspects - United States; Communication - Political aspects - United States; Rhetoric - Political aspects - United States; Interviewing - United States; Conversation analysis - United States; Reasoning - United States
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Description based upon print version of record.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Political Argumentation in the United States; Editorial page; Title page; LCC data; Dedication page; Table of contents; Permissions; Introduction: The field of political argumentation; Plan of the book ; Acknowledgments ; Reference ; Part I. Early American political argumentation; 1. From "conflict" to "Constitutional question": Transformations in early American public discourse; Introduction ; The evolution of the text ; The case studies ; The Alien and Sedition Acts ; The Nullification Dispute ; The Secession Controversy ; Constitutional conflicts and public discourse ; References; 2. John Tyler and the rhetoric of the accidental presidencyIntroduction ; Tyler's rhetorical constraints ; Establishing the legitimacy of presidential succession ; Resolving a diplomatic impasse ; Achieving the annexation of Texas ; The path to annexation ; The persuasive campaign ; Tyler's message ; Failure followed by success ; Conclusion ; References ; 3. Debating slavery by proxy: The Texas annexation controversy; The historical background ; The annexation treaty debate, ; Spring 1844 ; The joint resolution debate, Winter 1844-45 ; Conclusion ; References; 4. Henry Clay and the election of 1844: The limits of a rhetoric of compromiseClay and his times ; Clay's rhetorical situation in 1844 ; The Raleigh letter ; The Alabama letters ; Clay's subsequent letters ; Conclusion ; References ; Part II. Abraham Lincoln's political argumentation; 5. Consistency and change in Lincoln's rhetoric about equality; Introduction ; Antecedents ; 1857: The Springfield speech ; Attenuating the meaning of "equality" ; Equality as an abstract ideal ; Defending against the charge of extremism ; Defining Douglas as extremist ; 1858: The Lincoln-Douglas debates; Maintaining the dissociation Hedging devices ; Into the presidency ; Conclusions and implications ; References ; 6. "Public sentiment is everything": Lincoln's view of political persuasion; Lincoln at Ottawa ; The attack against Douglas ; The defense of Lincoln ; Assumptions and implications ; References ; 7. Lincoln and the House Divided: Launching a national political career; Introduction ; The political context ; Analysis of the speech ; The "House Divided" opening section ; Body of the speech: The conspiracy argument ; The "Living Dog" conclusion ; Outcomes and implications ; References; 8. The Lincoln-Douglas debates revisited: The evolution of public argumentIntroduction ; The rhetorical situation ; The Senatorial campaign ; The conspiracy argument ; The plot against the Whig party ; The plot to forge the platform ; The plot to extend slavery nationwide ; The plot to exploit patronage ; The plot to deny Kansas a referendum ; The legal argument ; What was the status of a Supreme Court decision? ; What did the Dred Scott decision really establish? ; Who owned the territories? ; What was the "tendency" of each candidate's position? ; The interrogatories; The historical argument
• Sommario/riassunto: Especially during Barack Obama's first campaign for the presidency, commentators and Obama himself noted several similarities between him and Abraham Lincoln. These comparisons became the premises for arguments from historical analogy. Such arguments can have several purposes, including making a direct comparison, using the past as a new frame of reference for the present, and suggesting teleology. Each of these uses has pitfalls as well as promises. Obama, however, used analogies to make a fortiori arguments, indicating that if Lincoln could surmount greater obstacles, we should be able to su