Billy Sunday: "I Am Glad I Came to Detroit," a Study of Rhetorical Strategies in the 1916 Campaign (Michigan).

Abstract

In 1916 the Rev. Billy Sunday was prevailed upon by the prohibition coalition in the State of Michigan to bring his organization to Detroit for an eight week evangelistic crusade. Ostensibly, the Sunday crusade was to "win souls for Christ" but in reality it was to assist in the effort to pass the state wide prohibition referendum. The purpose of this study was to identify the rhetorical strategies Sunday employed. The task was to reconstruct in precise detail the movements and the messages of Sunday before and during the campaign. Extensive use of old newspapers was required. From this reconstruction there emerged a picture of a remarkable strategist at work to accomplish his persuasive goal. The study then analyzed Sunday's organizational and sermonic strategies and then his unique strategy of assisting the "dry" coalition in Michigan to pass the referendum. As an organizational strategist, Sunday established contact with the churches, factories, office help, schools, exploited sport's figures and politicians, used the media extensively, applied pressure to holdouts, sought scapegoats and met criticism, in an effort to build crowds. The sermonic strategies of Sunday were analyzed topically revealing the areas of church life he addressed. As a speaker he was analyzed according to the ancient canons of rhetoric, invention, arrangement, style and delivery. Sunday developed his own unique persuasive ability consisting in a form of showmanship in a kind of religious Chatauqua setting. The primary asset of Sunday was the perception by his target audience as a man of unquestioned sincerity. Sunday's strategy of assisting in the passage of the prohibition referendum consisted of an exhaustive blitz by car, chartered train and airplane (considered but not used) to the "wet" strongholds in southern Michigan where he preached his famous "Booze" sermon. The final chapter points out that from the Detroit campaign there does emerge the picture of an individual who used every available means at his disposal in 1916 to accomplish the desired ends of persuasion.