This book is an evolutionary examination of the rhetoric of the President of the United States
from George Washington to George W. Bush. It provides a close analysis of the history and
content of inaugural addresses State of the Union addresses presidential proclamations and
executive orders in order to trace the changes in their use and impact from their origin to the
present day. Content analysis of these forms of executive address are combined with case
studies and illustrations to provide a complete look at the way that - contrary to the widely
held ascription to a clear «traditional» versus «modern» divide - the presidents of the
eighteenth nineteenth and twentieth centuries have all contributed to the rhetorical tools
and powers that the current president wields in the execution of his duty. The Evolutionary
Rhetorical Presidency is widely useful not only for standard governmental classes on for
example the Presidency or on political communication but also for courses in history
leadership studies and rhetoric.
