That is an interesting idea! A long time ago I looked at the indexes of US presidential speeches and found a good (but not perfect) correlation that those who quoted MT tended to serve >1 term. I wonder if there have been any MT quotes in President Trump's Twitter feed? Hope you have a nice weekend, Taylor On Fri, Feb 24, 2017 at 10:32 AM, Harris, Susan Kumin <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > One way to measure political/policy influence is to see whether > congressmen= > quote Twain during debates. I spent a lot of time reading the > Congression= > al Record while I was researching God's Arbiters, and I was struck by the > n= > umber of classical authors from whom those guys could--and did--quote. > Fur= > ther research showed me that they were quoting from snippets of classical > w= > orks they had all studied in school--mostly in rhetoric texts--long > passage= > s of which they had to memorize. I guess if you are a politician that > stuf= > f stays with you.=0A= > =0A= > In any case, this would mean reading through Congressional Records not > from= > Twain's own time, but in the years after, as he moved from being a > contemp= > orary figure into being a cultural icon--and as his works became canonized > = > and included in textbooks. I wouldn't recommend trying to read all of the > = > Cong Recs from the 20th century (they go on, and on, and on) but it might > b= > e interesting to isolate a couple of hot political topics on which Twain > ha= > d been known to write and investigate them within a particular time-frame. > = > Another strategy might be to start with textbooks that include Twain's > wor= > ks, and then see if quotes from those works show up in congressional > speech= > es 20-30 years later.=0A= > =0A= > Just a thought. --susan harris=0A= > =0A= > Susan K. Harris=0A= > =0A= > =0A= > ________________________________________=0A= > From: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Kevin Mac Donnell > <i= > [log in to unmask]>=0A= > Sent: Friday, February 24, 2017 9:10 AM=0A= > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: A question for any and all on the forum: Twain and law=0A= > =0A= > Back to Julie Ward's original question:=0A= > =0A= > The only instance I know about where Twain explicitly claimed to have=0A= > "influenced public legislation" was in his Nevada days.=0A= > =0A= > He spoke out on numerous issues and his opinion was constantly sought > on=0A= > every issue of his time. His quotes were often used to promote causes like= > =0A= > suffrage (posters and leaflets) and Mother's Day (a card promoting it > in=0A= > 1908) without his knowledge. He joined groups that may or may not have=0A= > influenced legislation. His anti-Imperialist writings are often cited, but= > =0A= > I'm not sure any of them can be said to have influenced the outcome of any= > =0A= > bill. Ditto with copyright, vivisection, the Congo, speeding cars in NYC > (a= > =0A= > letter to editor), Tammany Hall (NYC mayor's race), etc. Just because an= > =0A= > issue was settled in a way advocated by Twain does not mean he influenced= > =0A= > it, and vice versa.=0A= > =0A= > As for indirect influence, that could be a book (hint, hint), and it's > a=0A= > worthwhile question because Twain was one of the first "public figures" > who= > =0A= > was not a public office holder whose opinions were frequently invoked for= > =0A= > and against various social and political issues. "Celebrity endorsements"= > =0A= > are a commonplace today, but not so much in Twain's day. Not until the > last= > =0A= > two decades of his life do I notice his name--along with other public=0A= > figures-- (authors, statesmen, etc.) on leaflets and ads endorsing various= > =0A= > non-commercial causes.=0A= > =0A= > Connecting those dots and documenting actual influence would be hard work,= > =0A= > but interesting. The questions would center around influence during his=0A= > lifetime versus later on, whether he knew his words were being used for > som= > e=0A= > cause, his active personal endorsements versus simply joining a group > or=0A= > adding his name to a list, his motivations (personal vs political), things= > =0A= > he first opposed but later supported (suffrage), and those causes he=0A= > declined to get involved with. I can't wait to see your book Ms Ward!=0A= > =0A= > Kevin=0A= > @=0A= > Mac Donnell Rare Books=0A= > 9307 Glenlake Drive=0A= > Austin TX 78730=0A= > 512-345-4139=0A= > Member: ABAA, ILAB=0A= > *************************=0A= > You may browse our books at:=0A= > www.macdonnellrarebooks.com=0A= > =0A= > =0A= > -----Original Message-----=0A= > From: Bliss, Donald=0A= > Sent: Friday, February 24, 2017 8:25 AM=0A= > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: A question for any and all on the forum: Twain and law=0A= > =0A= > Coined the phrase The Gilded Age, which continues to be invoked to > describe= > =3D=0A= > an aspect of American culture. His work on the Belgium Congo and the US o= > =3D=0A= > ccupation of the Philippines demonstrated how a celebrity can be a voice > f= > =3D=0A= > or oppressed people, which we see today in the work of celebrities like > Bon= > =3D=0A= > o and George Clooney, among many others. His political commentary and > satir= > =3D=0A= > e is replicated in numerous TV talk shows and political satires today.=0A= > =0A= > Twain also spoke out/ lobbied/campaigned for Civil Service Reform, > Copyrig= > =3D=0A= > ht reform, judicial reform, women's suffrage, the rights of Chinese > immigra= > =3D=0A= > nts, anti-lynching legislation, medical care reform, the rights of unions > = > =3D=0A= > and working men and women, animal rights, among other causes, much of > whic= > =3D=0A= > h eventually resulted in legislation at the federal or State level.=0A= > =0A= > He claimed in a letter to his mother that in Nevada, he "passed every bill > = > =3D=0A= > I worked for..., " including a bill that required every corporation to > file= > =3D=0A= > its charter with and pay a fee to the Secretary of the Territory , who hap= > =3D=0A= > pened to be his brother.=0A= > =0A= > -----Original Message-----=0A= > From: Mark Twain Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Clay > Shannon= > =0A= > Sent: Thursday, February 23, 2017 9:16 PM=0A= > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: A question for any and all on the forum: Twain and law=0A= > =0A= > This question makes me wonder if any of the Twain researchers/authors here > = > =3D=0A= > =3D3D=0A= > would ever consider writing a book such as "How Mark Twain Saved the > World"= > =3D=0A= > =3D3D=0A= > (as you are probably aware, there are such books as "How the Irish Saved t= > =3D=0A= > =3D3D=0A= > he World."=0A= > It would be interesting to see enumerated all the ways in which he has > infl= > =3D=0A= > =3D3D=0A= > uenced culture, both American and world.=3D3DC2=3D3DA0- B. Clay Shannon=0A= > =0A= > From: Gregg Camfield <[log in to unmask]>=0A= > To: [log in to unmask] > Sent: Thursday, February 23, 2017 3:27 PM=0A= > Subject: Re: A question for any and all on the forum: Twain and law=0A= > =3D3D20=0A= > It's widely believed that Twain's very political use of the term "new > deal"= > =3D=0A= > =3D3D=0A= > i=3D3D3D=0A= > n _Connecticut Yankee_ inspired F. D.=3D3DC2=3D3DA0 Roosevelt's branding > of= > his=3D=0A= > leg=3D3D=0A= > islati=3D3D3D=0A= > ve program.=3D3DC2=3D3DA0 Indirect, but big.=0A= > =0A= > Gregg=0A= > =0A= > Sent from my iPad=0A= > =0A= > > On Feb 23, 2017, at 11:36 AM, Julie N Ward <[log in to unmask]> wrote:=0A= > >=3D3D3D20=0A= > > Hello all,=0A= > >=3D3D3D20=0A= > > Does anyone know if a Mark Twain story/essay/piece ever influenced=0A= > > (directly or indirectly) public legislation?=0A= > >=3D3D3D20=0A= > >=3D3D3D20=0A= > >=3D3D3D20=0A= > > Thanks!=0A= > =0A= > =0A= > =3D3D20=0A= >