The rhetoric of conversation in America: 1776–1828

Abstract

The primary arbiters of acceptable behavior in informal social conversation have been the authors of works variously denoted as the literature of behavior, civility, courtesy or etiquette. Specific rules and taboos both reflect and shape conversational manner and content in the social era in which they appear. During the first half‐century of our nation's existence two major influences prevailed. Behavior books for children were rule‐books written by American clergy, emphasizing moral strictures. American editions of imported etiquette books provided adults seeking to become the new nation's social leaders with a religiously‐influenced explanation of conversational behavior among European aristocrats.