Three faces of the future

Goodwin, Jean. “Three Faces of the Future.” Argumentation & Advocacy 37 (2000): 71-85.

The long future lacks appeal, so rhetors in practice give it a face. Nowadays, we see the future in the faces of our children. In the early 19th century, audiences faced the heirs who would inherit the political structure they would preserve. But the great achievements of the American Revolution were achieved by  men looking forward to posterity:  the audience which would recognize and celebrate those achievements.