Debating societies [ Clubs & Societies / Associational culture ]
… (between 5 and 10) until 1792. In the second half of the century, debating societies constantly discussed religious issues (salvation, the afterlife) and political and international current affairs (the fortunes of war, prospects of war … and couples who frequented debating societies, an increasing number of nights were devoted to social and family issues like marriage and courtship, with questions like: ‘Which is the more eligible for a wife, a lady of fortune … some societies specialized in more political topics while others eschewed them. Debates closely followed the burning issues of the day, from John Wilkes’s fight with the government to the American War, comparisons between Pitt and Fox (a …
Advertisement | Clubs | Debate | Eloquence | Gender | Middling sort | North America | Politics | Public sphere
Encyclopedia