Rhetorical Strategies Employed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to Promote Education

“As Jamie Thornton’s well-crafted work reveals, LBJ’s power to change nothing less than the very social fabric of this country came from his rhetorical ability. . . .Thornton reveals how the “Johnson treatment” of personally influencing and motivating national leaders complemented well his broad-based persuasive ability to reach the American public.” - Dr. Richard L. Enos, Holder of the Lillian Radford Chair of Rhetoric and Composition, Texas Christian University

“Now, some forty years after those heady moments when Johnson steered a compliant Congress with the skill and certainty of a cross-country passenger pilot, Jamie Thornton has completed her careful study of Johnson’s words as revealed in his prodigious writings and, more to the point, in his planned and unplanned speeches aimed at one goal: persuasion to action.” - Jim Wright, Former Speaker, United States House of Representatives, and Distinguished Lecturer, Texas Christian University

“[Thornton] creates a lens through which to consider viewing contemporary social issues, including the orality/literacy debate, writing/delivering speeches using dominance/subordination, and writing within the social structures of turbulent times.” - Professor Evelyn Wilson, Tarrant County College, Fort Worth, Texas

“Jamie Thornton’s book presents seven speeches given over the political lifetime of President Lyndon B. Johnson. . . . The analysis of the rhetorically critical tool of neo-Aristotelian criticism is, indeed, as Thornton displays it, the way to uncover the deeper meanings within the words that a speaker utters.” - Will Benett, Fort Worth Star Telegram

Foreword by Dr. Richard L. Enos
Preface by Former Speaker of the House Jim Wright
1 Lyndon Johnson: A Brief Political and Rhetorical Biography
Speech A: Statement by Senator Lyndon B. Johnson to the Senate August 7, 1957
2 Vice President Johnson: Stepping up to the Battlefield May 30, 1963
Speech B: Remarks of Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson Memorial Day, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Message to the Congress on the State of the Union May 30, 1963
3 Lyndon Johnson: The Education President November 27, 1963
Speech C: President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Address Before a Joint Session of Congress November 27, 1963
4 The Great Society: Lyndon B. Johnson’s Gift May 22, 1964
Speech D: President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Remarks at the University of Michigan May 22, 1964
5 Johnson : The Messenger
Speech E: Remarks in Johnson City, Texas, Upon Signing the Elementary and Secondary Education Bill April 11, 1965
Speech F: President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Commencement Address at Howard University: “:To Fulfill These Rights” June 4, 1965
6 The End as the Beginning President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Annual Message to the Congress on the State of the Union January 14, 1969
Speech G: President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Annual Message to the Congress on the State of the Union January 14, 1969
7 “The Johnson Treatment”: Employment and Expansion of Ethos
Bibliography
Index

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