The mystic chords of separation: decorum and Jefferson Davis's resignation from the Senate

• Atchison, Jarrod ^[1]
  1. [1] Wake Forest University

     Wake Forest University

     Township of Winston, Estados Unidos

     
• Localización: Southern communication journal, ISSN 1041-794X, Vol. 77, nº 2, 2012, págs. 111-127
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • In this essay, I argue that Jefferson Davis utilized decorum surrounding the epideictic nature of the occasion and the timing of the event to circumvent the debate over the legitimacy of secession. Davis's resignation constituted the occasion as epideictic, which enabled him to cite decorum as a justification for circumventing the historical debates over the constitutionality of secession while simultaneously thwarting the justifications for using force against seceding states. I conclude that Davis's resignation highlights the enabling functions of decorum that are overlooked by a narrow interpretation of the concept.