The Demosthenian Literary Society is a

literary society A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of writing or a specific author. Modern literary societies typically promote research, publish newsle ...

focused on extemporaneous debate at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. It is among the oldest literary societies in the English-Speaking world and was founded on February 19, 1803 by the first graduating class of the University's Franklin College. The object of the Society is "to promote the cause of science and truth by the cultivation of oratory and the art of debate at weekly meetings." It is named after the Greek orator

Demosthenes Demosthenes (; el, Δημοσθένης, translit=Dēmosthénēs; ; 384 – 12 October 322 BC) was a Greek statesman and orator in ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prow ...

. The Society meets every Thursday during the academic school year at 7pm and once during the summer in Demosthenian Hall on UGA's North Campus. In addition to its relations with other organizations at the

, like the

Phi Kappa Literary Society The Phi Kappa Literary Society is a college literary society, located at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, and is one of the few active literary societies left in America. Founded in 1820, the society continues to meet every academic ...

, the Society maintains relationships with other

Literary Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to ...

and

Debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...

societies across the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, including the

Philodemic Society The Philodemic Society is a student debating society at Georgetown University founded in 1830 by Father James Ryder, S.J. The Philodemic is among the oldest such societies in the United States, and is the oldest secular student organization at ...

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, the

Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies The Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies, commonly known as DiPhi or The Societies, are the original collegiate debating societies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and together comprise the oldest student organization at the Uni ...

at UNC-Chapel Hill and the

Philolexian Society The Philolexian Society of Columbia University is one of the oldest college literary and debate societies in the United States, and the oldest student group at Columbia. Founded in 1802, the Society aims to "improve its members in Oratory, Compo ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

History

Augustin Clayton, James Jackson, and Williams Rutherford are recognized as the founding fathers of Demosthenian. Clayton became the first student to receive his diploma from Franklin College and went on to become a federal judge and a U.S. Representative from Georgia, with Georgia's

Clayton County Clayton County is the name of two counties in the United States: * Clayton County, Georgia in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area * Clayton County, Iowa It was also the former name of Clay County, Arkansas Clay County is a county located in the U.S. ...

being named in his honor. Rutherford and Jackson went on to become professors at Franklin College. After 167 years of male-only membership, the first female members of the Society were inducted on March 4, 1970. President Sherrill Watkins presided over the initiation of Kathy Conrad, a freshman from Atlanta, and Bebe Herring, a junior from Athens. By the late 1970s, female members were heavily active in the Society and held numerous offices—even President. Today, the Society has slightly more female than male members. Citing issues of student disenfranchisement within the UGA and U.S. political systems, the Society voted in 2012 to secede from the United States of America as the

micronation A micronation is a political entity whose members claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by world governments or major international organizations. Micronations are classified se ...

'Demosthenia.' This resolution was acknowledged as a move to raise the Society's profile and to encourage lively debate. In the wake of the

Unite the Right rally The Unite the Right rally was a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, ...

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...

in August 2017, the society removed their portrait of Confederate general and honorary member

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

from their building. The debate attracted significant media attention, with various newspapers such as the Red and Black appearing for the debate. The motion was passed by a unanimous vote of 27-0.

Demosthenian Hall

Demosthenian Hall was constructed by Dr. James Tinsley in 1824. It is the fourth oldest building at the University of Georgia and was placed on the National Register for Historic Places in 1971. The construction was financed by the Society's members, alumni, and friends. It remains the only building on the UGA campus that was privately financed and is not wholly owned by the University. In 1997, Demosthenian Hall received $200,000 in donations for the purpose of restoring the hall. The construction work restored the ceiling medallion and the rest of the Upper Chamber to its original 1824 layout and color scheme. The original hardwood floors were uncovered and restored in the Lower Chamber.

The Upper Chamber

The Upper Chamber is the meeting room of the Society. The speaker's lectern has been dated to the 1820s and may have been built specifically for the Hall. The simplicity of the carved mantels, window moldings, doors and deep paneled wainscoting emphasizes the drama of the ornate plasterwork ceiling medallion which is based on a template designed by Asher Benjamin. It is a medallion of holly leaves surrounded by swags of smaller leaves which are framed by delicate filigree. This ceiling is one of the most architecturally unique structures at the University of Georgia and is one of the few remaining examples of this form of decorative artwork.Demosthenian Hall
section of Official Demosthenian website. Last accessed 2012-03-27.

The Lower Chamber

The Lower Chamber is into one main room flanked on the right by two smaller rooms - designated the President's Office and the Library. Containing mostly donated furniture constructed in the late 18th and early 19th century, the Society has endeavored to maintain the historic feel of the rooms.

The Library

The Society has maintained an extensive library since its founding and currently owns over 2000 volumes. Its collection surpassed that of the University's main library for the majority of the 19th century. Upon the reopening of the University after the Civil War, the Society donated its books to the University to replace the library collection that had been burned. Demosthenian maintains extensive archives of past meeting minutes, Society business, and members. In addition, the most recent minutes and some historical minutes from 1829 are available online.Minutes
of the Demosthenian Literary Society. Last accessed 2012-03-27.

Organization of the Society

Meetings

The Demosthenian Literary Society was founded for the specific purpose of promoting the art of extemporaneous speech.About us
section of the official Demosthenian website. Last accessed 2012-03-27. During meetings, members introduce original resolutions that have not been shared with others prior to their presentation. This method of debate challenges members and guests to formulate speeches based on solely prior knowledge and without extensive preparation. Speakers are also subject to questions from the audience and are limited to speeches of up to five minutes in length. Each meeting of the Demosthenian Literary Society is run in accordance with Parliamentary Procedure as set out in

Robert's Rules of Order ''Robert's Rules of Order'', often simply referred to as ''Robert's Rules'', is a manual of parliamentary procedure by U.S. Army officer Henry Martyn Robert. "The object of Rules of Order is to assist an assembly to accomplish the work for which ...

Officer Positions

After being active members for a designated amount of time and completing adequate service to the Society, members are eligible to run for officer positions. The Society has 13 officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, Chief Justice, two Associate Justices, Treasurer, Hall Administrator, Hall Preservationist, Historian, Sergeant-at-Arms, Librarian and Custodian. The offices of Treasurer, Hall Administrator, Hall Preservationist, and Historian are all year-long positions elected every Spring while the others are elected each semester.

Faculty Advisors

These advisors are members of the University of Georgia faculty and serve as a liaisons between the University and the Society. Notable faculty advisors who have greatly contributed to the Society include: Albert B. Saye and Dr. Cal Logue (1981- 1988). Recent faculty advisors include: * Dr. Daniel Kapust (? - 2008) * Dr. John Murphy (2008- 2011) * Dr. John Knox (2011- 2017) * Professor Hatidža Mulić (2018- 2019) *Dr. Cassia Roth (2019- present)

Annual Programs and Traditions

All Night Meeting

On the Saturday that falls closest to the anniversary of the Society's founding, the All Night Meeting is hosted at Demosthenian Hall. The All Night Meeting lasts for twelve hours, from 7pm Saturday to 7am Sunday. Dinner is served and then the meeting opens with guest keynote speakers; the meeting then continues with debate among current members, guests, and alumni of the Society throughout the night and into the morning. Each year at the All Night Meeting, current members are recognized for their service and devotion to the Society by being awarded with Speaker's Keys.Speaker's Keys
section of the Demosthenian website. Last accessed 2012-03-27.Speaker's Keys were briefly discontinued and not given out from the year 1997 to 2007.

Hat Debate

Starting in 1995, the Thursday closest to Halloween has been designated as the date that the Demosthenian Literary Society hosts the annual Hat Debate. Members submit resolutions (usually of a humorous nature) and challenges (certain tasks people must complete during their speeches) before the program that are then put in a hat to be drawn from. Participants are called up one-by-one to the lecturn, pull out a resolution and/or challenge, and then must immediately present a speech in the affirmative while completing the drawn challenge.

Orations and Declamations

Once a year in early April, the Society hosts a program dedicated to presenting orations and declamations, speeches that are originally written by the presenter and those not written by the presenter, respectively. Members may compete in each category of prepared speech for an award of one speaker's point. The Judicial Council judges the orations and declamations and declares the winners at the following meeting.

Intersociety Debate

Each spring, the Demosthenian and the Phi Kappa Literary Societies hold a debate to highlight the oratory skills of the societies' best speakers.Constitution of the Demosthenian Literary Society
from the official Demosthenian website. Last accessed 2012-03-27. Due to a change in relations between the two societies, the 2020 Intersociety Debate is being held between the Demosthenian Literary Society and the Georgia Debate Union. Debate is usually held in the Hatton-Lovejoy courtroom at the

University of Georgia School of Law The University of Georgia School of Law (Georgia Law) is the law school of the University of Georgia, a Public university, public research university in Athens, Georgia. It was founded in 1859, making it among the oldest American university law sc ...

. Judges are randomly selected for the debate from a pool of nominations submitted by members of both societies.

Notable alumni

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, fantasy and science fiction author *

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, Confederate General and Senator *

William Yates Atkinson William Yates Atkinson (November 11, 1854 – August 8, 1899), was the 55th Governor of Georgia from 1894 to 1898. Early life Atkinson was born in the Oakland community in Meriwether County, Georgia on November 11, 1854. He graduated from the ...

, Governor of Georgia Famous alumni
section of official Demosthenian website. Last accessed 2012-03-27. * John Barrow, U.S. Congressman * Pope Barrow, U.S. Senator * Robert Benham, first African-American chief justice, Georgia Supreme Court * William Tapley Bennett Jr., diplomat *

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, founder of

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* John A. Campbell, U.S. Supreme Court Justice *

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, American United Methodist bishop * Augustin Clayton, Statesman, Judge, U.S. Congressman from Georgia *

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, Governor of Georgia *

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, Georgia Public Service Commissioner *

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, first person to refer to junk e-mail as "spam" * Arthur Hinds, member of the Celtic/Pagan band

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* Phil Kent, political consultant *

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, U.S. Congressman *

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, Physician, best known for the first use of inhaled sulfuric ether as an

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, first obstetric anesthetist *

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- Civil Rights activist, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and publisher of the

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* Count Emilio Pucci, fashion designer *

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, political consultant *

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, better known as writer

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, U.S. Senator and former governor of Georgia *

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, first Secretary of State of the

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, U.S. Senator and Congressman *

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and recipient of a MacArthur Foundation "

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" *

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, Post-civil war equal rights advocate and

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* A.E. Stallings, poet & translator (recipient of a MacArthur Foundation "

") *

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, former Minority Leader of the

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