New England rhetoric and the French war, 1754–1760: A case study in the rhetoric of war

Abstract

Viewing pro‐war rhetorical discourse directed to the general public as a genre, the author suggests that three basic appeals— those to territoriality, ethnocentrism and optimism—pervade the genre, though the appeals are developed differently under various historical circumstances. He further suggests that stated war aims, though usually expressed ambiguously, tend to change as a war progresses. These points are amplified by a close examination of New England rhetoric during the last French war and a general consideration of some other war rhetoric.