Lincoln's Rise to Eloquence by Henson, D. Leigh;

Long description:

At turns eloquent and earthy, Abraham Lincoln’s rhetoric played a vital role in his success as a politician and statesman. D. Leigh Henson examines Lincoln’s pre-presidential development as a rhetorician, the purposes and methods behind his speeches and writings, and how the works contributed to his political rise. Lincoln’s close study of the rhetorical process drew on sources that ranged from classical writings to foundational American documents to the speeches of Daniel Webster. As Henson shows, Lincoln applied his learning to combine arguments on historical, legal, and moral grounds with appeals to emotion and his own carefully curated credibility. Henson also explores Lincoln’s use of the elements of structural design to craft coherent arguments that, whatever their varying purposes, used direct and plain language to reach diverse audiences--and laid the groundwork for his rise to the White House.

Insightful and revealing, Lincoln’s Rise to Eloquence follows Lincoln from his early career through the years-long clashes with Stephen A. Douglas to trace the future president’s evolution as a communicator and politician.

Table of Contents:

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part I. Articulate Whig Stalwart

1. Entering the Illinois Political Arena and Confronting Stephen A. Douglas (1832–1842)
2. Writing Himself into Congress (1843–1847)
3. Writing and Speaking to Gain Distinction in Congress (1847–1849)

1. Introducing Arguments against Slavery and Douglas (1850–1856)
2. Pursuing the Case against Slavery and Douglas for the US Senate (1857–1858)
3. Sparring with Douglas over Credibility during Their First Four Debates (1858)
4. Concluding the Senate Race and Gaining National Distinction (1858)
5. Expanding Arguments against Slavery and Douglas (1859–1860)

Conclusions

Notes

Bibliography

Index