Richard Kwan

Trelease, Leslie 4th

October 13, 2017

A Conscience Analysis

First woman to serve as chair of the Senate Republican Conference, Senator Margaret

Chase Smith, in her speech, Declaration of Conscience, explains the menacing threat of

communism and the lack of leadership in the United States Government. Smiths purpose is to

express her hope that the government will revert back to upholding the individual freedoms that

unite and strengthen America. She creates a very criticizing tone in order to convey the urgency

to her audience the idea that our government needs to re-examine leadership, basic principles,

and their role in Communism.

Smith opens her plea to the President by declaring that there is a lack of effective

leadership that comes from either the Legislative Branch or Executive Branch of our

Government. Her word choice creates the feeling of urgency to her audience, It is the national

feeling of fear and frustration that could result in national suicide (3-4), It is a condition that

comes from the lack of effective leadership in either the Legislative Branch or the Executive

Branch of our Government (5-7). She joins in this time to say that, ... proposals are being made

that national advisory commissions be appointed to provide such critically needed leadership

(8-10). Smith extends her plea by proclaiming that, The United States Senate has long enjoyed

worldwide respect as the greatest deliberative body in the world (19-20); however, she also

says, ... recently that deliberative character has too often been debased to the level of a forum of

hate and character assassination sheltered by the shield of congressional immunity (20-23).

Smith continues with using character assassination to further the urgency on the subject,
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Those of us who shout the loudest about Americanism in making character assassinations are all

too frequently those who, by our own words and acts, ignore some of the basic principles of

Americanism (51-54). The diction of Smith conveys an alarming tone that criticizes the

principles of Americanism and to re-examine the tactics used by the House Un-American

Activities Committee (HUAC).

Smith binds her rhetorical strategies by combining diction with anaphora to acknowledge

the risks of unfairly being called a communist by using principles of Americanism. She explains

that the basic principles of Americanism-- The right to criticize; The right to hold up popular

beliefs; The right to protest; The right of independent thought(53-58), and how the exercise of

these rights should not cost one single American citizen his reputation or his right to a livelihood

nor should he be in danger of losing his reputation of livelihood merely because he happens to

know someone who holds unpopular beliefs. (59-63). Smiths use of repetition groups these

principles and exposes how they are used to damage the reputation of an American citizen.

Smith moves to her nest rhetorical strategy in her speech by using two of Aristotles

rhetorical strategies, ethos and pathos, to appeal to her audience of government officials. I speak

as a Republican, I speak as a woman, I speak as a United States Senator, I speak as an American

(17-18). Smith uses her credibility as a gateway toward pathos. She identifies as part of The

American people(66) and they are sick and tired of being afraid to speak their minds lest they

be politically smeared as Communists or Fascists by their opponents (66-68), freedom is

not was it used to be The American people are sick and tired of seeing innocent people smeared

and guilty people whitewashed (71-72). Smith joins both sides as a Senator and as part of the

American people to unify into the same group of sick and tired (66) Americans urging for

change in the government.

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Smith closes her speech by explaining that Republicans and Democrats alike are playing

directly into the communist design of confuse, divide, and conquer (151-153). She uses this

to enforce her idea that we play into the role of Communist design. The use of the tricolon

creates a memorable idea of how our current government tactics aid Communism. As an

American, I condemn a Republican Fascist just as much as I condemn a Democrat

Communist. I condemn a Democrat fascist just as much as I condemn a Republican

Communist. They are equally dangerous to you and me and to our country. As an American, I

want to see our nation recapture the strength and unity it once had when we fought the enemy

instead of ourselves (156-162). She joins in this time to embrace change to fight our enemies

again rather than to criticize each other.

Senator Margaret Chase Smith use these rhetorical devices to criticize the United States

Government into re-examining leadership, basic principles, and our role in Communism and to

unite them under one common goal.

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Work Cited

Smith, Margaret Chase. Declaration of Conscience. Senate. 10 Oct. 2017, Washington D.C,

In the Senate,

www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/resources/pdf/SmithDeclaration.pdf.