Title Daniel Webster and the oratory of civil religion / Craig R. Smith

Published Columbia : University of Missouri Press, ©2005

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Description 1 online resource (300 pages) : illustrations Contents The foundation of Webster's civil religion -- A Boston lawyer -- The lion returns -- Civic duty in the romantic age -- Liberty and union -- Legal and partisan wrangling -- Abolition confounds the two-party system -- Secretary Webster -- War with Mexico -- National crisis, Capitol gridlock -- Consummating compromise -- Twilight time Summary Annotation Daniel Webster (1782-1852) embodied the golden age of oratory in America by mastering each of the major genres of public speaking of the time. Even today, many of his victories before the Supreme Court remain as precedents. Webster served in the House, the Senate, and twice as secretary of state. He was so famous as a political orator that his reply "Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!" to Senator Robert Hayne in a debate in 1830 was memorized by schoolboys and was on the lips of Northern soldiers as they charged forward in the Civil War. There would have been no 1850 Compromise without Webster, and without the Compromise, the Civil War might well have come earlier to an unprepared North. Webster was also the consummate ceremonial speaker. He advanced Whig virtues and solidified support for the Union through civil religion, creating a transcendent symbol for the nation that became a metaphor for the working constitutional framework. While several biographies have been written about Webster, none has focused on his oratorical talent. This study examines Webster's incredible career from the perspective of his great speeches and how they created a civil religion that moved citizens beyond loyalty and civic virtue to true romantic patriotism. Craig R. Smith places Webster's speeches in their historical context and then uses the tools of rhetorical criticism to analyze them. He demonstrates that Webster understood not only how rhetorical genres function to meet the expectations of the moment but also how they could be braided to produce long-lasting and literate discourse Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 285-292) and index Notes Master and use copy. Digital master created according to Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002. http://purl.oclc.org/DLF/benchrepro0212 MiAaHDL English Print version record digitized 2010 HathiTrust Digital Library committed to preserve pda MiAaHDL Subject Webster, Daniel, 1782-1852 -- Political and social views Webster, Daniel, 1782-1852 -- Oratory SUBJECT Webster, Daniel, 1782-1852 fast Webster, Daniel. swd Subject United States. Congress. Senate -- Biography SUBJECT United States. Congress. Senate fast Subject Civil religion -- United States -- History -- 19th century Nationalism -- United States -- History -- 19th century Political oratory -- United States -- History -- 19th century Rhetoric -- Political aspects -- United States -- Case studies Speeches, addresses, etc., American -- History and criticism Legislators -- United States -- Biography HISTORY. Civil religion Legislators Nationalism Oratory Political and social views Political oratory Politics and government Rhetoric -- Political aspects Speeches, addresses, etc., American Zivilreligion Rhetorik SUBJECT United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1865. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85140416 Subject United States Genre/Form Biographies Case studies Criticism, interpretation, etc. History Biographies. Biographies. Form Electronic book LC no. 2004020732 ISBN 0826264298 9780826264299 0826215424 9780826215420

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