In 1830-31, more than 1,400 women submitted petitions to Congress protesting the federal government's plans to forcibly remove Native Americans from their southern lands. In this essay I examine the rhetorical strategies of this first national women's petition campaign, calling attention to the ways these strategies enabled women's political activism despite the seeming contradiction between petitioners' focus on their sex and the cultural exclusion of women from the national political sphere.
Rhetoric & Public Affairs is an interdisciplinary journal devoted to the history, theory, and criticism of public discourse. Published quarterly, the journal explores the traditional arenas of rhetorical investigation including executive leadership, diplomacy, political campaigns, judicial and legislative deliberations, and public policy debate. Critical, analytical, or interpretive essays that examine particular instances of symbolic inducement in any historical period are welcome. Of special interest are manuscripts that explore the nexus of rhetoric, politics, and ethics–the worlds of persuasion, power, and social values as they meet in the crucible of public debate and deliberation.
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