Washington Crossing the Media: American Presidential Rhetoric and Cultural Iconography

The Revolutionary War has been of prime importance to American self-perceptions and to the formation of its national identity. As a foundational moment with a strong mythical dimension it has become a cherished point of reference for the nation’s leaders, who, in their speeches and written communica...

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Main Author: Jutta Ernst
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: European Association for American Studies 2012-04-01
Series:European Journal of American Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/9527
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author Jutta Ernst
author_facet Jutta Ernst
author_sort Jutta Ernst
collection DOAJ
description The Revolutionary War has been of prime importance to American self-perceptions and to the formation of its national identity. As a foundational moment with a strong mythical dimension it has become a cherished point of reference for the nation’s leaders, who, in their speeches and written communications, rely on the most widely accepted cultural iconography to recall this event. A time-honored, traditional discourse might, however, go together with the use of contemporary media technology as a means of distribution, as in the case of Barack Obama. Framing Obama’s rhetorical strategies within 19th- and 20th-century artistic representations of one specific historical moment from the Revolutionary War, Washington’s crossing of the Delaware river, this paper seeks to contribute to an enlarged understanding of the intricate relations between politics, the arts, and media development and of the ways they appropriate the past
format Article
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spelling doaj-art-c2a72ba810bf409882acc3ef6597ef4d2025-01-06T09:10:25ZengEuropean Association for American StudiesEuropean Journal of American Studies1991-93362012-04-017210.4000/ejas.9527Washington Crossing the Media: American Presidential Rhetoric and Cultural IconographyJutta ErnstThe Revolutionary War has been of prime importance to American self-perceptions and to the formation of its national identity. As a foundational moment with a strong mythical dimension it has become a cherished point of reference for the nation’s leaders, who, in their speeches and written communications, rely on the most widely accepted cultural iconography to recall this event. A time-honored, traditional discourse might, however, go together with the use of contemporary media technology as a means of distribution, as in the case of Barack Obama. Framing Obama’s rhetorical strategies within 19th- and 20th-century artistic representations of one specific historical moment from the Revolutionary War, Washington’s crossing of the Delaware river, this paper seeks to contribute to an enlarged understanding of the intricate relations between politics, the arts, and media development and of the ways they appropriate the pasthttps://journals.openedition.org/ejas/9527American PaintingCultural IconographyHoliday Radio AddressInaugural AddressPresidential RhetoricRevolutionary War
spellingShingle Jutta Ernst
Washington Crossing the Media: American Presidential Rhetoric and Cultural Iconography
European Journal of American Studies
American Painting
Cultural Iconography
Holiday Radio Address
Inaugural Address
Presidential Rhetoric
Revolutionary War
title Washington Crossing the Media: American Presidential Rhetoric and Cultural Iconography
title_full Washington Crossing the Media: American Presidential Rhetoric and Cultural Iconography
title_fullStr Washington Crossing the Media: American Presidential Rhetoric and Cultural Iconography
title_full_unstemmed Washington Crossing the Media: American Presidential Rhetoric and Cultural Iconography
title_short Washington Crossing the Media: American Presidential Rhetoric and Cultural Iconography
title_sort washington crossing the media american presidential rhetoric and cultural iconography
topic American Painting
Cultural Iconography
Holiday Radio Address
Inaugural Address
Presidential Rhetoric
Revolutionary War
url https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/9527
work_keys_str_mv AT juttaernst washingtoncrossingthemediaamericanpresidentialrhetoricandculturaliconography