African American Rhetoric Summary And Reflection
Narratives
African-American Rhetoric in the
American Revolutionary War
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Cyrus Bustill
Baker, educator, entrepreneur, abolitionist, leader in the free African community in Philadelphia.
First African American school teacher in Philadelphia, 1776.
Bustill’s speech was delivered:
In 1787
In Philadelphia
To a group of slaves
Walking the Tightrope
Like many African-American preachers of the time, he had to walk a rhetorical tightrope by:
Speaking defiantly enough to engage listener, yet not enough to alarm slaveholders or the authorities.
Making clear his opposition to slavery, yet insisting that slaves must take no action to liberate themselves (p. 20).
What does he preach?
He preaches love, the antithesis of slavery and racism.
love for one another
A love without distinction
Love that will leave the marks of peace and love: kindness, respect, regard, forbearance, sufferance, moderation, moderation, and gentleness, sobriety and meekness.
On Slavery
He implies divine destruction for slave owners since the “Great Maker” sees all (p. 23).
In due time, he argues, God, in his mercy, would liberate all slaves (p. 20)
Bustill asks men:
For sobriety
To “walk worthy”
And to “conduct ourselves as men” (p. 25)
Black Churches
During the Revolution and early America we see:
Methodist, Baptist, and Episcopal black churches became a safe haven for African-Americans amidst slavery.
Resistance rhetoric came in the form of clergy members and their sermons.
Church Freedom Rights
It was key for slave masters to forbid African-Americans church freedom rights, to avoid political organization:
Master forbid slaves from going to church
Opposition came from both slave masters and northern white clergy
Freedom had to be “sober and orderly”
By 1831 black preaching was illegal!
Next Class
Based on our lecture, the course readings, and personal experiences, students will write and submit their own summary and reflection on our readings regarding African American Rhetoric. There is not necessarily a “right” answer for this assignment, instead students will be graded on completeness, spelling, grammar, and format.
*3 of 10 Weekly Reading Summaries and Reflections. (1 page typed, double-spaced, 12 point font)
Due before 11:00 am on Thursday
Grassroots Activism
Let’s try and build on what we talked about last week:
Declaration of Independence: permanent revolution
Constitution: consolidated state power
Bill of Rights: norms of citizens
African American Revolutionary War Rhetoric: grassroots activism
Grassroots activism becomes the fourth pillar of citizenship.
Narrative Paradigm Theory
The Narrative
A narrative is a story
Theory based on the fact that humans are “storytelling animals”
Humans use stories to effectively impact others in communication (Griffin, p. 327).
For centuries, before print and digital capabilities, humans had to tell stories to pass on information.
Narrative Cont.
As humans, we’ve all seen and experienced this theory in action.
When we visit old friends, we “catch up” with one another by telling stories of our lives-lived.
Sometimes we tell the same stories over and over.
We often see public speakers use stories for impact in their speech presentations
Narrative Rationality
The narrative theory and power of the story is rooted in narrative rationality.
Rationality includes:
Narrative probability
Narrative fidelity
Narrative probability
The probability of a story is:
The characteristics that make something a “good story.”
“follow-ability, completeness, believability” of a story (Hart, p. 92).
The coherence of a story, or how the story “hangs together” (Griffin, p. 328).
The story is probable, we have details, facts.
Narrative Fidelity
The fidelity of a story is:
The “reliability and truthfulness” of a story (Hart, p. 92).
When a story “rings true” with the hearer’s experiences.
Representative of our character and societal and cultural values (Griffin, p. 328).
Narrative and African American Rhetoric
The African American rhetoric we’re studying this week is full of narratives.
Example: Black Clergy Readings tells the story of African American citizenship, Philadelphia, and local activism.
Leaders of the black Philadelphia community Allen and Jones organized to assist the city with the 1793 Yellow Fever outbreak and in 1814 when the British were threatening Philadelphia.
Probability and Fidelity Cont.
The story has narrative probability because it is believable, we have dates, facts and other publications who verify the black community’s heroic support to the city in this crisis.
The story has narrative fidelity, or rings true, because this story makes sense with what we know to be the Civil Rights struggle in our country.
