Rhetoric of the Revolution

• Puritan shift to characterize faith as an emotional experience

• The use of enlightenment thinking to create a logic that subtly undermines deism/tabula rasa while personifying God's wrath (use of rhetoric of sensation)

​​Edwards

• Reflect on how education and enlightenment strengthen one's faith; compel those who have the privilege of education to be advocates for change​

• Compel notable political figures to use the momentum of progress and growing sense of nationalism in America to support abolitionist efforts​

• See a shift from poetry and reflection as private to public​

• Use literary criticism and close reading to challenge the ways in which Wheatley's identity shapes her historical perspective

​​Franklin (de Crevecoeur)

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• Define the American identity and lifestyle in comparison to the European identity and lifestyle (letters of discovery 2.0)

• Create a distinctly American economic and social perspective​

​​Wheatley

The Rhetoric of the Revolution

Thomas Paine: “Common Sense”

·         Thomas Paine wanted everyone to understand his arguments, because he wanted everyone to be on board with the Revolution—it wasn’t just a cause for the political elite.

·         According to his informational text, he was the “most persuasive rhetorician of the cause for independence”

·         This was due to his “Plainness: no ceremonious expressions…it is my design to make those who can scarcely read understand, to put arguments in a language as plain as the alphabet” (682).

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James Madison: “Federalist 10”

·         Madison, Hamilton, and Jay were up against Reluctant New Yorkers: “Many feared what they saw as the loss of states’ rights and the power of a large, impersonal federal government to dominate the lives of individual citizens, and they cited the absence of a bill of rights as a particular concern; others thought the Constitution favored urban over rural populations…”

·         Madison made an attempt at “the difficult balance of interests:”

1.      “Individuals have a natural right to liberty, dignity, and happiness”

2.      “To ensure these rights the government must secure the public good and private rights against the dangers of a majority”

3.      “At the same time preserving the spirit and form of popular government”

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As You Read and Discuss

• ​Discussing stylistic elements (especially word choice and phrasing):

  -Madison writes with more complexity, but still makes careful choices, as his writing is meant to be persuasive and widely read: How does he position himself as an ally of and advocate for the common man? How does he creatively condemn elitist politics?

  ​-How does Paine characterize himself as the common man or one and the same given his plain style?

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• ​Discussing Logic: In what ways does each author make purely informational/objective attempts to explain the situation. When does their tone lack influence from emotion or bias?