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Book Cover
E-book
Author Murphy, John M., 1959- author.

Title John F. Kennedy and the liberal persuasion / by John M. Murphy
Published East Lansing : Michigan State University Press, [2019]

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Description 1 online resource (445 pages)
Series Rhetoric and Public Affairs Series
Rhetoric and public affairs series.
Contents The liberal Presidency -- Let us begin -- The discomfort of thought -- Ashes in our mouth -- We are all mortal -- A full and free life -- Power and poetry
Summary The first serious study of his discourse in nearly a quarter century, "John F. Kennedy and the Liberal Persuasion" examines the major speeches of Kennedy's presidency, from his famed but controversial inaugural address to his belated but powerful demand for civil rights. It argues that his eloquence flowed from his capacity to imagine anew the American liberal tradition-Kennedy insisted on the intrinsic moral worth of each person, and his language sought to make that ideal real in public life. This book focuses on that language and argues that presidential words matter. Kennedy's legacy rests in no small part on his rhetoric, and here Murphy maintains that Kennedy's words made him a most consequential president. By grounding the study of these speeches both in the texts themselves and in their broader linguistic and historical contexts, the book draws a new portrait of President Kennedy, one that not only recognizes his rhetorical artistry but also places him in the midst of public debates with antagonists and allies, including Dwight Eisenhower, Barry Goldwater, Richard Russell, James Baldwin, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert Kennedy. Ultimately this book demonstrates how Kennedy's liberal persuasion defined the era in which he lived and offers a powerful model for Americans today
Bibliography Includes chapter notes (pages 295-376), selected bibliographical references (pages 377-394) , and index
Notes Online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on January 03, 2019)
Subject Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Political and social views
SUBJECT Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 fast
Subject Liberalism.
liberalism.
BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY -- Presidents & Heads of State.
Liberalism
Political and social views
Politics and government
SUBJECT United States -- Politics and government -- 1961-1963. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85140469
Subject United States
Form Electronic book
ISBN 1609175832
9781609175832