Historically, Americans have employed the rhetorical motif "reaffirmation of principle" to cope with the social evils in their midst. This concept refers to the tendency of groups to respond to outside hostility by regrouping and reaffirming their ethos through a form of self-address. Reaffirmation of principle, like managerial rhetoric, is concerned with the status quo. Literature concerned with the rhetoric of reaffirmation can be found in the research on social movements. In addition, American history provides examples of such rhetoric in Revolutionary War public addresses, specifically, in Loyalist Tory ministers' sermons. The ministers hoped to revitalize the congregation's allegiance to England by reaffirming the principle of the divine right of kings. Generally, the preachers detailed the prescribed behaviors for the faithful, emphasized the inviolability of the sacred principle, and provided a dramatization of an evil world uninformed by it. In closing, the preachers moved from the rhetoric of explanation and persuasion to that of implementation, outlining a plan for those showing resolve. Though generalizations about reaffirmation of principle as a rhetorical motif are premature, potential areas of study include (1) social movements, (2) functional analysis, (3) group/organizational theory, (4) historical reconstruction and interpretation, and (5) ideology and symbolism. (JD)