The Words of War: A Content Analysis of Republican Presidential Speeches from Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard M. Nixon, George W. Bush, and Donald J. Trump

• Main Author: Lee, Patrick
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University 2018
• Subjects: Political Communication; Content Analysis; Framing Theory; Agenda Setting Theory; Grounded Theory Method; American Politics; Communication; Speech and Rhetorical Studies
• Online Access: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3400; https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4836&context=etd

In this analysis of public speeches from four American presidents from the Republican party, the ways in which those presidents discuss and position American defense activities and stances are examined, to track the progression from the 1960s to the present. Presidents from one party were chosen, who presided over a period of active armed conflict or cold war. The addresses analyzed comprised public addresses to Congress or the American people. The analysis groups recurring frames--conceptually developed based on framing and agenda setting theories--into thematic categories for each president. Some frames were more salient for certain presidents than for others. Other frames were common and pervaded the presidents’ remarks to Congress and the public. America’s struggle against a faceless enemy, American military might as a guarantor of, and the importance of the United States’ commitments to its international partners were all prevailing frames which emerged in the analysis.