A history and analysis of how George Washington stopped an attempted military coup at the end of the American Revolutionary War. History tells us that on a day when the forces of civil government confront the forces of military might, no one knows what may follow. Americans believe that they have avoided this moment, that whatever other challenges the country has faced, at least it never has had to deal with the prospects of a coup d’état. Stephen Howard Browne maintains that this view is mistaken, that in fact the United States faced such a crisis, at the very moment when the country announced its arrival on the world scene in the spring of 1783 in a rustic meeting hall along the Hudson River near Newburgh, New York. The crisis was resolved by George Washington, commander in chief of the US Army, in an address he delivered to a roomful of restive and deeply disaffected officers. In The Ides of War, Browne examines the resolution of the first confrontation between the forces of American civil government and the American military—the Newburgh Crisis. He tells the story of what transpired on that day, examines what was said, and suggests what we might learn from the affair. Browne shows that George Washington’s Newburgh Address is a stunning example of the power of human agency to broker one of our most persistent, most troublesome dilemmas: the rival claims to power of civil and military authorities. At stake in this story are biding questions about the meaning and legacy of revolution, the nature of republican government, and ultimately what kind of people we are and profess to be. Browne holds that although these are monolithic and vexed themes, they are vital and need to be confronted to obtain a coherent and convincing account of history. The Newburgh Crisis offers an unmatched opportunity to examine these themes, as well as the role of rhetoric in the founding of the world’s first modern republic. “Few speeches have shaped the course of American history more than George Washington’s address to his potentially mutinous officers in Newburgh, New York, on March 15, 1783. In this splendid book, Browne deftly brings to life the Newburgh conspiracy, Washington’s masterful response to it, and the lasting implications of both for civil-military relations in a republican government.” —Stephen Lucas, Evjue-Bascom Professor in the Humanities, University of Wisconsin “This elegant and persuasive book expands our knowledge of a little known but hugely significant turning point in American history, one that set it on course toward liberty and democracy. In the process, Browne brings new understanding to the founding of the United States, its military system, and its first commander in chief.” —Richard H. Kohn, professor emeritus of history and peace, war, and defense, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Widely celebrated in its own time, Thomas Jefferson’s first inaugural address commands the regard of Americans from across the political spectrum. Delivered as the young nation found itself embroiled in bitter partisan struggles, the speech has been hailed as the Sermon on the Mount of good government. Curiously, this masterpiece—the full text of which is reproduced in this volume—has never received sustained analysis. Here, Stephen Howard Browne describes its origins, composition, meaning, and delivery. His wellcrafted argument and accessible prose offer a model of analysis for rhetorical scholars and students and an added dimension to the history of the early republic and the understanding of American political thought.
“Among the vicissitudes incident to life, no event could have filled me with greater anxieties than that of which the notification was transmitted by your order, and received on the fourteenth day of the present month.” With these words to the assembled members of the Senate and House of Representatives on April 30, 1789, George Washington inaugurated the American experiment. It was a momentous occasion and an immensely important moment for the nation. Never before had a people dared to invent a system of government quite like the one that Washington was preparing to lead, and the tensions between hope and skepticism ran high. In this book, distinguished scholar of early America Stephen Howard Browne chronicles the efforts of the first president of the United States of America to unite the nation through ceremony, celebrations, and oratory. The story follows Washington on his journey from Mount Vernon to the site of the inauguration in Manhattan, recounting the festivities—speeches, parades, dances, music, food, and flag-waving—that greeted the president-elect along the way. Considering the persuasive power of this procession, Browne captures in detail the pageantry, anxiety, and spirit of the nation to arrive at a more nuanced and richly textured perspective on what it took to launch the modern republican state. Compellingly written and artfully argued, The First Inauguration tells the story of the early republic—and of a president who, by his words and comportment, provides a model of leadership and democratic governance for today.
Among the vicissitudes incident to life, no event could have filled me with greater anxieties than that of which the notification was transmitted by your order, and received on the fourteenth day of the present month." With these words to the assembled members of the Senate and House of Representatives on April 30, 1789, George Washington inaugurated the American experiment. It was a momentous occasion and an immensely important moment for the nascent nation. Never before had a people dared to invent a system of government quite like the one that Washington was preparing to lead, and the tensions between hope and skepticism ran high. In this book, distinguished scholar of early America Stephen Howard Browne chronicles the efforts of the first president of the United States of America to unite the nation through ceremony, celebrations, and oratory. The story follows Washington on his journey from Mount Vernon to the site of the inauguration in Manhattan, recounting the festivities--speeches, parades, dances, music, food, and flag-waving--that greeted the president-elect along the way. Considering the persuasive power of this procession, Browne captures in detail the pageantry, anxiety, and spirit of the nation to arrive at a more nuanced and richly textured perspective on what it took to launch the modern republican state. Compelling and weighty, The First Inauguration tells the story of the early republic, and of a president who, by his words and comportment, provides a model of leadership, civic life, and democratic governance for today.
Widely celebrated in its own time, Thomas Jefferson’s first inaugural address commands the regard of Americans from across the political spectrum. Delivered as the young nation found itself embroiled in bitter partisan struggles, the speech has been hailed as the Sermon on the Mount of good government. Curiously, this masterpiece—the full text of which is reproduced in this volume—has never received sustained analysis. Here, Stephen Howard Browne describes its origins, composition, meaning, and delivery. His wellcrafted argument and accessible prose offer a model of analysis for rhetorical scholars and students and an added dimension to the history of the early republic and the understanding of American political thought.
“Among the vicissitudes incident to life, no event could have filled me with greater anxieties than that of which the notification was transmitted by your order, and received on the fourteenth day of the present month.” With these words to the assembled members of the Senate and House of Representatives on April 30, 1789, George Washington inaugurated the American experiment. It was a momentous occasion and an immensely important moment for the nation. Never before had a people dared to invent a system of government quite like the one that Washington was preparing to lead, and the tensions between hope and skepticism ran high. In this book, distinguished scholar of early America Stephen Howard Browne chronicles the efforts of the first president of the United States of America to unite the nation through ceremony, celebrations, and oratory. The story follows Washington on his journey from Mount Vernon to the site of the inauguration in Manhattan, recounting the festivities—speeches, parades, dances, music, food, and flag-waving—that greeted the president-elect along the way. Considering the persuasive power of this procession, Browne captures in detail the pageantry, anxiety, and spirit of the nation to arrive at a more nuanced and richly textured perspective on what it took to launch the modern republican state. Compellingly written and artfully argued, The First Inauguration tells the story of the early republic—and of a president who, by his words and comportment, provides a model of leadership and democratic governance for today.
A history and analysis of how George Washington stopped an attempted military coup at the end of the American Revolutionary War. History tells us that on a day when the forces of civil government confront the forces of military might, no one knows what may follow. Americans believe that they have avoided this moment, that whatever other challenges the country has faced, at least it never has had to deal with the prospects of a coup d’état. Stephen Howard Browne maintains that this view is mistaken, that in fact the United States faced such a crisis, at the very moment when the country announced its arrival on the world scene in the spring of 1783 in a rustic meeting hall along the Hudson River near Newburgh, New York. The crisis was resolved by George Washington, commander in chief of the US Army, in an address he delivered to a roomful of restive and deeply disaffected officers. In The Ides of War, Browne examines the resolution of the first confrontation between the forces of American civil government and the American military—the Newburgh Crisis. He tells the story of what transpired on that day, examines what was said, and suggests what we might learn from the affair. Browne shows that George Washington’s Newburgh Address is a stunning example of the power of human agency to broker one of our most persistent, most troublesome dilemmas: the rival claims to power of civil and military authorities. At stake in this story are biding questions about the meaning and legacy of revolution, the nature of republican government, and ultimately what kind of people we are and profess to be. Browne holds that although these are monolithic and vexed themes, they are vital and need to be confronted to obtain a coherent and convincing account of history. The Newburgh Crisis offers an unmatched opportunity to examine these themes, as well as the role of rhetoric in the founding of the world’s first modern republic. “Few speeches have shaped the course of American history more than George Washington’s address to his potentially mutinous officers in Newburgh, New York, on March 15, 1783. In this splendid book, Browne deftly brings to life the Newburgh conspiracy, Washington’s masterful response to it, and the lasting implications of both for civil-military relations in a republican government.” —Stephen Lucas, Evjue-Bascom Professor in the Humanities, University of Wisconsin “This elegant and persuasive book expands our knowledge of a little known but hugely significant turning point in American history, one that set it on course toward liberty and democracy. In the process, Browne brings new understanding to the founding of the United States, its military system, and its first commander in chief.” —Richard H. Kohn, professor emeritus of history and peace, war, and defense, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
FROM THE BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF GOD AND DONALD TRUMP 64% of Americans believe cancel culture is a threat to their freedom. This book will help you realize the seriousness of the battle before us and illuminate the present circumstance for the purpose of doing good-to bring hope. It will document what is happening in our country, how believers can respond, and why we can look expectantly to the future. This is the time for neither religious fatalism nor political inaction. No matter how bad things get in the culture or in government, the Bible is true and God has plans and purposes we don't understand-and in the end we win. Things are chaotic in America. Liberal policies are advancing. A rash of executive orders appears to be moving the nation closer to socialism and a one-world government. And conservatives, including many Christians, are being censored as never before. There's even a term-cancel culture-which 64 percent of Americans believe poses a threat to their freedom, according to a Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll. (Among Republicans, that figure is even higher at 80 percent.) The term applies to all conservatives who oppose the politically correct crowd, but it's part of a bigger effort to cancel Christianity and those who espouse biblical principles. It almost seems this is the beginning of the end and the Antichrist will appear at any time. You pick the cultural or political issue, and there likely is not even the semblance of widespread agreement. It seems that Christians are in an unprecedented season of fragmentation, potential division, and actual separation on many fronts. Instead of going forward, much of the church seems to be moving backward or standing still, waiting for what's next. The body of Christ is a big, diverse family, and we must choose to cheer one another on rather than get into circular firing squads. We are called to advance on every front. This book will assess and affirm the different approaches playing out. The body needs clarity and unity- and has little of both right now. Wounded armies want hope, focus, and encouragement. This book will not throw anyone overboard who is standing for the truth in some positive way. Rather, it will allow readers to look critically at the various approaches vying for our allegiance and attention here in the middle of 2021. In the course of this survey, we will find reason to affirm where people are fighting on the battlefield and validate the perspectives they bring. Featuring interviews with a cross section of leaders, this book will document what is happening in our country, how believers can respond, and why we can look to the future with hope. Even though things are bad, we must understand that conditions have been this bad or worse in the past and God always came through. He has plans and purposes we don't understand. Christians must not lose heart. We must stand strong and not be intimidated. We must pray, and we must believe God for a great awakening. No matter how bad things get in the culture or in government, the Bible is true and "all things work together for good to those who love God" (Rom. 8:28, MEV). That's because we are called according to His purpose. A purpose never goes in reverse. This book will reveal what that looks like in its various forms in the day in which we live. It gives a great handle for promoting unity and appreciation of one another when that is breaking down so badly elsewhere. Indeed, maybe the love Jesus spoke about that makes us recognizable to the world will be seen as this book illuminates the supernatural unity among people of very diverse opinions and approaches while pointedly addressing these various hot-button areas.
From the best-selling author of God and Donald Trump, which was brandished by the president at the World Economic Forum in Davos How the Pandemic Is Affecting Christians, the World, and America's 2020 Election This book is a timely follow up to God, Trump and the 2020 Election that reveals insider information about China, the virus, and the ever-increasing stakes of the upcoming election. It will answer the question for the Christian believers (and seekers) of where God is in all this? It provides a little known prophecy by the late David Wilkerson about a plague coming that would shut down the government as well as churches and bars, including shaking New York City as it's never been shaken. Wilkerson said this plague would force believers into radical prayer that will spark an awakening--something echoed by Christian leaders and prophets. Just as the economy was booming and Donald Trump was fixing long-term problems and beating back attacks from his opponents, a brand-new virus shakes up everything including the outcome of this election. The author has inside information about what happened in China early in the pandemic and what went wrong. He even documents how Donald Trump has led the nation in this time of crisis. In 2016, God raised up Donald Trump to lead America at a pivotal time. Evangelicals who recognized this backed him more than any other presidential candidate in history. Heading into Election Day 2020, the stakes are even higher, especially with the uncertainty and upheaval caused by COVID-19. This book is really "part two" of God, Trump and the 2020 Election which details the fight for the soul of America. Strang believes readers need both books to understand and explain what's at stake. With the shutdown caused by the pandemic, serious anti-Christian trends surfaced, such as some states closing "non-essential" churches but allowing liquor stores to provide curbside service. Or ceasing all elective surgeries except abortion, which is the taking of a life while the purpose in shutting down the economy was to save lives from this dreaded virus. Other Books Available: God, Trump, and the 2020 Election ISBN: 9781629996653 (2020) Trump Aftershock ISBN: 9781629995557 (2018) God and Donald Trump ISBN: 9781629994864 (2017)
Over 100 5- Star Reviews! Featured on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC This book will help me to understand who Donald Trump is, what he really believes, where his vision for America will lead us, and where God is in all of this.
There's only one power big enough to help us survive perilous times. After reading this book, you will have the confidence to walk in the victory Christ died for and begin living exceedingly and abundantly beyond anything you ever could have hoped for or imagined. There is a power so great it can help you not only survive but thrive in this crazy world, a power that can give you joy and peace, result in miracles, and make you victorious no matter what. It's a power that comes from the third member of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit. It's the power that took the teachings of a young carpenter from Galilee and turned upside down the most ruthless empire of its era, overcoming the paganism that went with it. It's a power that seemed dormant for almost two millennia but has been restored to the church as was told in the Bible. And it's available today to help you understand the future, have faith to believe for miracles, and know unspeakable peace and happiness no matter your circumstances. Spirit-Led Living in an Upside-Down World takes you on a journey to help you understand how you can experience this power and know the Holy Spirit intimately. After covering the work of the Holy Spirit for more than four decades as a journalist, Stephen E. Strang helps readers understand that power is there for the asking--even if others misuse or ignore it. It's there to give you victory over the forces of evil, help you stand strong when the culture wants you to compromise, and give you the tools to prosper in body, soul, and spirit. When he was a young newspaper reporter, Strang experienced this power in a way "exceedingly abundantly above" all he could have asked or thought (Eph. 3:20), and you will too. This power will open your spiritual eyes to help you hear from God, deepen your prayer life, and explain the groanings that cannot be uttered. Sharing stories from his own experience and from dozens of modern heroes of the faith, Strang will uplift you and inspire you to connect with God in new, fresh ways; be a powerful influence on your family, friends, and community; deepen your faith so you can move mountains; learn to be led by the Spirit to uncover your heart's deepest desires; and overcome challenges and fulfill your dreams and purpose in life. Spirit-Led Living in an Upside-Down World is not only one of the most important books you'll ever read but also one of the most profound. It will reveal the most stunning secrets and truths behind this power--the power of God that is at work regardless of how upside down the world seems to get.
Abolitionist, women's rights activist, and social reformer, Angelina Grimké (1805-79) was among the first women in American history to seize the public stage in pursuit of radical social reform. "I will lift up my voice like a trumpet," she proclaimed, "and show this people their transgressions." And when she did lift her voice in public, on behalf of the public, she found that, in creating herself, she might transform the world. In the process, Grimké crossed the wires of race, gender, and power, and produced explosions that lit up the world of antebellum reform. Among the most remarkable features of Angelina Grimké's rhetorical career was her ability to stage public contests for the soul of America—bringing opposing ideas together to give them voice, depth, and range to create new and more compelling visions of social change. Angelina Grimké: Rhetoric, Identity, and the Radical Imagination is the first full-length study to explore the rhetorical legacy of this most unusual advocate for human rights. Stephen Browne examines her epistolary and oratorical art and argues that rhetoric gave Grimké a means to fashion not only her message but her very identity as a moral force.
Executing Democracy: Capital Punishment & the Making of America, 1683-1807 is the first volume of a rhetorical history of public debates about crime, violence, and capital punishment in America. This examination begins in 1683, when William Penn first struggled to govern the rowdy indentured servants of Philadelphia, and continues up until 1807, when the Federalists sought to impose law-and-order upon the New Republic. This volume offers a lively historical overview of how crime, violence, and capital punishment influenced the settling of the New World, the American Revolution, and the frantic post-war political scrambling to establish norms that would govern the new republic. By presenting a macro-historical overview, and by filling the arguments with voices from different political camps and communicative genres, Hartnett provides readers with fresh perspectives for understanding the centrality of public debates about capital punishment to the history of American democracy.
Ending a war, as Fred Charles Iklé wrote, poses a much greater challenge than beginning one. In addition to issues related to battle tactics, prisoners of war, diplomatic relations, and cease-fire negotiations, ending war involves domestic political calculations. Balancing the tides of public opinion versus policy needs poses a deep and enduring problem for presidents. In a first-of-its-kind study, Resowing the Seeds of War explains how Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon, and Obama managed the political, policy, and bureaucratic challenges that arise at the end of war via a series of rhetorical choices that reframe, modify, or unravel depictions of national enemies, the cause of the conflict, and the stakes for the nation and world. This end-of-war rhetoric justifies ending hostilities, rationalizes postwar national policy, argues for the construction of postwar security arrangements, and often sustains public support for massive financial investment in reconstruction. By tracking presidential manipulations of savage imagery from World War II to the War on Terror, this book concludes that even as metaphoric reframing facilitates exit from conflict, it incurs unexpected consequences that make national involvement in the next conflict more likely.
This eye-opening and well-researched companion to the first volume of Executing Democracy enters the death-penalty discussion during the debates of 1835 and 1843, when pro-death penalty Calvinist minister George Barrell Cheever faced off against abolitionist magazine editor John O’Sullivan. In contrast to the macro-historical overview presented in volume 1, volume 2 provides micro-historical case studies, using these debates as springboards into the discussion of the death penalty in America at large. Incorporating a wide range of sources, including political poems, newspaper editorials, and warring manifestos, this second volume highlights a variety of perspectives, thus demonstrating the centrality of public debates about crime, violence, and punishment to the history of American democracy. Hartnett’s insightful assessment bears witness to a complex national discussion about the political, metaphysical, and cultural significance of the death penalty.
The second Red Scare was a charade orchestrated by a tyrant with the express goal of undermining the New Deal—so argues Stephen M. Underhill in this hard-hitting analysis of J. Edgar Hoover’s rhetorical agency. Drawing on Classification 94, a vast trove of recently declassified records that documents the longtime FBI director’s domestic propaganda campaigns in the mid-twentieth century, Underhill shows that Hoover used the growing power of his office to subvert the presidencies of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman and redirect the trajectory of U.S. culture away from social democracy toward a toxic brand of neoliberalism. He did so with help from Republicans who opposed organized labor and Southern Democrats who supported Jim Crow in what is arguably the most culturally significant documented political conspiracy in U.S. history, a wholesale domestic propaganda program that brainwashed Americans and remade their politics. Hoover also forged ties with the powerful fascist leaders of the period to promote his own political ambitions. All the while, as a love letter to Clyde Tolson still preserved in Hoover’s papers attests, he strove to pass for straight while promoting a culture that demonized same-sex love. The erosion of democratic traditions Hoover fostered continues to haunt Americans today.
Social Movement Literature introduces readers to the study of those cultural texts that have come to define modern social movements. Looking at movements such as the US civil rights movement, gay liberation movement, environmental movement, and contemporary movement such as #metoo and Black Lives Matter, this volume focuses not just on the texts that social movements have produced, but also on those that have inspired and been inspired by those movements. As such, Social Movement Literature seeks to address a number of key questions: how do social movements develop and present not just their goals, but also their broader identities, using texts and other media? How are these movement texts received and further disseminated? Are there common features across movement texts? How and why do some of these texts continue to resonate today? By combining both textual and historical approaches to the analysis of social movements, this volume aims to give readers both an understanding of how social movements emerge and why they remain both political and culturally relevant today.
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