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The Evolution of Roosevelt's Rhetorical Legacy: Presidential Rhetoric about Rights in Domestic and Foreign Affairs, 1933‐2011
Author(s) -
Rhodes Jesse H.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
presidential studies quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.337
H-Index - 5
eISSN - 1741-5705
pISSN - 0360-4918
DOI - 10.1111/psq.12046
Subject(s) - presidential system , foreign policy , political science , human rights , rhetoric , rhetorical question , law , politics , philosophy , linguistics
Scholars view the domestic and foreign commitments of the N ew D eal and G reat S ociety as embodying rights with quasi‐constitutional status. But little research has examined whether presidents have encouraged citizens to perceive N ew D eal/ G reat S ociety commitments as rights deserving of extraordinary veneration. Based on a quantitative content analysis of hundreds of major presidential addresses and a qualitative analysis of inaugural addresses over the period 1933‐2011, this article shows that presidents have largely declined to characterize major domestic commitments as rights but that they have repeatedly described the U nited S tates' mission in foreign affairs in terms of protecting human rights.