Fisher Ames and political judgment: Reason, passion, and vehement style in the jay treaty speech

Abstract

Although Fisher Ames's famous Jay Treaty address has long been recognized as masterpiece of American oratory, the oration has not received critical attention from students of American public address. In reviewing this speech, the author argues that Ames's rhetorical strategy has its philosophical and theoretical roots in Scottish moral sense philosophy and faculty psychology. Using the enlightenment model of faculty psychology, Ames delivered distinct addresses to the understanding and the imagination of his audience, employed numerous strategies recommended in Scottish rhetorics for arousing and calming passions, and proposed a dramatic shift in the ground of political judgment from reason to passion. This approach forced the members of the House of Representatives to confront the “feelings” which determined their position on the Jay Treaty. Because of his vivid style and the importance of passion in the oration, the speech serves as an excellent example of what Hugh Blair called the vehement style of oratory. Moreover, Ames's speech is a paradigm case in the recent move to discover the importance of judgment in the theory and practice of deliberative oratory.