Lawler (government and international studies, Berry College) and Schaefer (political science, U. of Mobile) present a reader of US political rhetoric spanning from the Declaration of Independence to speeches delivered by President George W. Bush. The 116 readings are grouped under the thematic headings of founding principles, federalism, president and congress, judiciary, constitutional preservation and political change, civil rights and race, civil rights and gender, and foreign policy. The readings are predominantly drawn from the Federalist Papers, presidential addresses, and Supreme Court decisions, but a few examples of rhetoric from political dissenters are included as well, such as the 1962 Port Huron Statement of the Students for a Democratic Society and speeches by Martin Luther King, Jr.
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American Political Rhetoric is the only reader designed for introductory classes in American politics and government that is both focused on fundamental political principles and includes nothing but classic examples of our nation's political rhetoric. The fifth edition of this successful text is updated throughout, including pieces from the George W. Bush administration, and expands coverage of foreign policy, race, gender, and the President and Congress.