The authenticity of James Maury's account of Patrick Henry's speech in the parsons’ cause

• David A. McCants ^[1]
  1. [1] Indiana University‐Purdue University
• Localización: Southern communication journal, ISSN 1041-794X, Vol. 42, nº 1, 1976, págs. 20-34
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The Rev. James Maury wrote the only account of Patrick Henry's speech in the Parsons’ Cause. The reliability of the account is suspect because of its incompleteness and because of Maury's personal interest in the trial at which Henry delivered the celebrated speech. This essay represents an effort to authenticate Maury's account by examining the trustworthiness of the reporter and the internal and external evidences of the reliability of the speech report. The essay concludes with observations about Henry's oratory which authentication of the Maury account supports and which illustrate the usefulness of textual authenticity studies to the rhetorical critic.