{"product_id":"a-war-of-words-r-jarrod-atchison-9780817359461","title":"A War of Words: The Rhetorical Leadership of Jefferson Davis","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eA rhetorical analysis of Jefferson Davis's public discourse\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Numerous biographies of Jefferson Davis have been penned; however, until now, there had been no substantive analysis of his public discourse as president of the Confederacy. R. Jarrod Atchison's\u003ci\u003e A War of Words\u003c\/i\u003e uses concepts from rhetorical theory and public address to help answer a question that has intrigued scholars from a variety of disciplines since the collapse of the Confederacy: what role, if any, did Davis play in the collapse of Confederate nationalism? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Most discussions of Davis and nationalism focus on the military outcomes of his controversial wartime decisions. \u003ci\u003eA War of Words\u003c\/i\u003e focuses less on military outcomes and argues instead that, in the context of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis's rhetorical leadership should have been responsible for articulating a vision for the nation--including the core tenets of its identity, the values the nation should hold dear, the principles it should never compromise, and the goals it should set for its future. Undoubtedly, Davis possessed the skills necessary to make a persuasive public argument. It is precisely because Davis's oratory skills were so powerful that there is room to judge how he used them. In short, being a great orator is not synonymous with successful rhetorical leadership. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Atchison posits that Davis's initial successes constrained his rhetorical options later in the war. \u003ci\u003eA War of Words\u003c\/i\u003e concludes that, in the end, Davis's rhetorical leadership was a failure because he was unable to articulate a coherent Confederate identity in light of the sacrifices endured by the populace in order to sustain the war effort.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e R. Jarrod Atchison\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 081735946X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780817359461\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University Alabama Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/05\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 136\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback","brand":"R. Jarrod Atchison","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":49096757805311,"sku":"9780817359461","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/a-war-of-words-r-jarrod-atchison-9780817359461","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}