Read the summary and the most important questions on Rhetoric in Theory and Practice II

• Introduction to the course; Rhetoric and American Politics

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• Why is it safe to say that the U.S. Is a highly politicized public space?

  Because of the number of the elected officials (250000) and the large number of related political appointees.

• In which two groups can mathematicians be devided?

  Theoreticians and problem solvers

• Who were the earliest colonists and what are their characteristics?

  British religious refugees, who were iconoclasts and troublemakers.
  

  • They prized words and understood the power of language.  
  • They considered the Bible a primary source of wisdom and reference. 
    

• By what documents has the nation The United States been shaped and definded?

  • The Declaration of Independence
    
  • The Constitution of the United States
  • The Bill of Rights (the first then amendements to the Constitution)

• What was the creation of the United States?

  The Constitution of the United States, which says that they wanted to form a more perfect Union and ensure calm. They wanted to promote the common good and freedom for themselves. That is the reason for enacting the constitution.

• What is the strengt of texts like these?

  It does not rely on any random levels of faith in a person, but it depends on the words.

• Why do various articles and amendements to the Constitution remain a source of debate to this day?

  They are not clear enough, since they could be interpreted in different ways.

• In which ways is the United States shaped by its British roots?

  • By a common law system of civil and criminal laws places a premium on the ability of practioners to advocate postitions to advocate positions through well-crafted argument.
  • By the legal system is adversarial: it is about parties before the bench, not working with the bench. 
    

• What was the result of those British roots and why?

  The United States became a nation of rhetoricians.
  

  • Politics mainly went about speechmaking.
  • Speeches were being larded with Biblical references.
  • Speechmaking would take the adversarial tack of a court plea.
  • Speeches provided people with ''take-away'' wisdom.
  • Policy was being defined by words and presented using rhetorical techniques. 

• The United States shifted from a logocentric society (a nation of words) to ...

  Image-centered culture, placing less emphasis on appeals to intellect and common knowledge and more on visceral response.