Rhetorical strategies in the speeches of Mrs America

Abstract

Mrs America, a 2020 TV miniseries created by Dahvi Waller, examined the history of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the USA, highlighting the struggles between feminist and anti-feminist groups that affected the amendment's failure to gain ratification in the 1970s. The protagonist, portrayed by Cate Blanchett, was Phyllis Schlafly, a conservative political activist who worked tirelessly to prevent the ratification of the amendment by means of an active discreditation campaign. Historically, Schlafly utilised dissociation of certain aspects of the amendment text to favour her anti-ERA interests and employed a variety of rhetorical strategies to persuade her listeners of the correctness of her ideas. This article analyses how Schlafly's rhetorical strategies, particularly her use of dissociation, are dramatized to shape the portrayal within the miniseries, with a focus on three key rhetorical figures. These figures, choice, presence, and communion are presented as devices used to enhance dramatic tension while nevertheless remaining rooted in Schlafly's real-life writing and public statements. While the series dramatized many aspects of Schlafly's personal life, it can thus be seen to provide a relatively nuanced representation of her role in shaping conservative activism, offering an invitation to viewers to critically assess the cultural tensions of the period.