ABOUT THIS BOOK

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.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

D. Leigh Henson is an emeritus professor in the department of English at Missouri State University. He is the author of The Town Abraham Lincoln Warned: The Living Namesake Heritage of Lincoln, Illinois and Inventing Lincoln: Approaches to His Rhetoric.

REVIEWS

“Lincoln’s words echo in our historical memory, but the power of his political rhetoric is unavoidably lost to time. It takes a fine historian to reimagine Lincoln’s eloquence, originality, and moral suasion, and Leigh Henson proves the right man for the task. In a well-argued, thought-provoking study, Henson traces Lincoln’s growth as a writer and orator, and offers thought-provoking analysis to illuminate both their original impact and their enduring power. No one interested in Lincoln’s speeches and writings can afford to miss this book.” --Harold Holzer, author of Brought Forth on This Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration

“It is safe to say that the author has gone beyond any other existing study of Lincoln’s rhetorical rise to office. Henson leaves no stone unturned in exploring how Lincoln rose from obscurity to the Republican nomination. The book makes a significant scholarly contribution as it takes account of every text--large or small--that enabled Lincoln to work out his astute political position.”--Paul Stob, author of Intellectual Populism: Democracy, Inquiry, and the People

“Henson astutely and proficiently demonstrates how Lincoln in his pre-presidential speeches mastered the art of rhetorical methodology, whether the purposes were for partisan expediency and hyperbolic demagoguery or rational argumentation and moralism suasion. Henson imparts to the reader a renewed appreciation for the lost art of oratory, and a profound respect for Lincoln’s very deliberate word choices. His important contribution leaves us in even greater awe of Lincoln’s extraordinary communicative ability and rhetorical mastery.”--Ron J. Keller, author of Lincoln in the Illinois Legislature

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part I. Articulate Whig Stalwart

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

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

Conclusions

Notes

Bibliography

Index