Rhetorical Analysis Of Albert Beveridge's 'March Of The Flag'

The human mind can be easily manipulated into believing words that are spoken or written by another person. Quite often this person may be a politician making a campaign speech or the media reporting on a news story. It is important for the listener or reader to be able to decipher facts that are true from those that are not. Facts that are stretched or changed overtime are often referred to as fallacies or “dirty tricks”. In this essay I am going to weed out the fallacies in a speech by Albert J. Beveridge while he was campaigning for the United States Senate in 1898. His speech is entitled The March of the Flag, which he gave in order to justify the Spanish-American War to the voting public. The speech and fallacies I will use are found

in The Thinker’s Guide to Fallacies: The Art of Mental Trickery and Manipulation by Dr. Richard Paul and Dr. Linda Elder.
The first fallacy that is found in the speech is dirty trick #3: Appeal to Authority.

This is done by using symbols such as flags or symbols that are religious in nature that an audience can identify with. Enfolding oneself with an icon such as a flag can make this person feel that they are in a position of power or have achieved a certain status. When this has been achieved people tend to become excited and captivated by the fallacy the speaker is manipulating them into believing. Therefore, Beveridge sways his audience with symbols of the flag, God, and the love they feel for their country. By doing this, he hopes that his audience will feel that the citizens of smaller countries would benefit from our form of democracy and welcome it with open

arms.
Dirty trick #8: Appeal to Tradition or Faith, is the second fallacy detected in Beveridge’s speech. The speaker appeals to his listener’s sense of tradition. To do this, he names off presidents in order and how they have followed the tradition of using a policy that has been passed down through each presidency. The idea here is to use words that help the audience feel comfortable by letting them know that presidents have set down a tradition when it comes to policies. Beveridge is telling his audience this using words that are familiar to them. This includes names of president’s or the name of a specific policy.
Besides presidents, the speaker uses the tradition of history in order to pull his audience in. This is seen in the speech’s opening when Beveridge talks about the history of America, citing several examples. Then when he comes to the speeches conclusion, he tells his audience that it is their duty to carry on this tradition. The trick here is to manipulate the audience into feeling that what is being said also feels right. After all, traditions are meant to be followed not broken. To break a group’s tradition would feel wrong.
This same fallacy is used by Beveridge to appeal to his listener’s faith. He uses words such as God and christen civilization. This is done so that he is able to manipulate his audience’s feelings about religion. In order to do this the speaker tells them that they are the chosen few. That this gift they have been given should be shared with others. It is common for people to want others to be as fortunate as they are and to share that gift with those they feel are less fortunate then they are. Another reason the speaker may use these words is so that the listener’s feel that they hold a view collectively as a group as well as independently.
The third fallacy found in this speech is dirty trick #9: Assume a Position of Righteousness. Beveridge does this by telling his audience that they are the ones that have been chosen to live in a great nation. That they are blameless and have a moral obligation to help those that live in countries with corrupt and evil governments. That it is up to America to tell others what the right form of government is. Fortunately for these poor lost souls this form of government just happens to be the same as his listeners. Beveridge wants his audience to feel patriotic, while at the same time righteous about their government. If he can manipulate his audience with this, then they should feel that the Spanish-American War was a justifiable action taken by their government.
Next, the speaker uses dirty trick #11: Beg the Question. This is used when trying to prove a point. Beveridge tells his audience that there are those people in the world that need to be governed. However, at the same time there are those, such as his group of listener’s, who are capable of governing themselves. His point being is that this audience in being fully able to self-govern are the same people who should govern those who are not competent enough to do it themselves. The audience hereby has been able to prejudge the situation that the speaker has spoken of. By doing this, Beveridge is hoping to avoid any awkward questions that his audience may have.
The fourth fallacy spotted in this speech is, dirty trick #27: Use the Hard-Cruel World Argument. Since Beveridge is running for office while giving this speech, he most likely holds the belief that his country is the most powerful. Due to his belief, it is the duty of the government that he wants to be a part of, to rid the world of all evils. Governments that do not share this idea are then considered part of the problem and not the solution. Making it the duty of American citizens to see that their government fulfills this promise. This is a way to manipulate others into believing that the world is a hard and cruel place and that it needs the American government’s help. In the end it is the speaker who has won the argument to justify going to war, as he plays on the emotions of others.
Make Sweeping Glittering Generalization is dirty trick #28.

This is the next fallacy that was found while reading Beveridge’s speech. These are words that are used by the speaker to manipulate his audience and can be found throughout his speech. These words are general in nature so that they correspond with what the listeners are thinking. He uses words such as “his chosen people” or “God’s chosen people” so that those listening will feel a loyalty to God as well as their country. This is done even when there is not adequate evidence to support their argument. In the future, Beveridge can spin his way out of a situation by using terms that are so generalized that it was unclear what he really

meant.
The last fallacy found in this speech was dirty trick #41: Treat Abstract Words and Symbols As If They Were Real Things. This is also seen throughout this speech. In fact Beveridge goes as far as to use this fallacy in the speeches title. This type of language is colorful in nature and is often used to persuade an audience into believing that what the speaker is telling them is true. For example could a flag from another government float over the Philippines by itself? Most likely not, unless the other government took control of this specific country and raised its flag as a sign of control,
In conclusion, when listening or reading one needs to be aware of the “dirty tricks” that a speaker or writer will try to manipulate them with. This does not necessarily have to come from a speech given by someone running for office or in a political seat of power. The media is just as good at manipulation as politicians. Readers and listeners have an obligation to themselves to learn these fallacies. This will help the person who is listening or reading from being taken in by feelings or biases of what may be untrue or stretched just enough that some truth remains. This essay looked at fallacies that were subtle, as well as those that were very noticeable. Fallacies are used every day at any given moment. Sometimes unknowingly and at other times to gain an advantage in a situation. At one time or another most individuals will all fall into this trap. The best thing each of us can do is to educate ourselves on knowing fact from fiction or almost fiction.