Ideology, Space, and the Problem of Justice: the Lynching of Emmett Till

Ideology, Space, and the Problem of Justice: The Lynching of Emmett Till A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Scripps College of Communication of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Pamela L. Royse March 2011 © 2011 Pamela L. Royse. All Rights Reserved. This dissertation titled Ideology, Space, and the Problem of Justice: The Lynching of Emmett Till by PAMELA L. ROYSE has been approved for the School of Communication Studies and the Scripps College of Communication by Raymie E. McKerrow Professor of Communication Studies Gregory J. Shepherd Dean, Scripps College of Communication ii ABSTRACT ROYSE, PAMELA L., Ph.D., March 2011, Communication Studies Ideology, Space, and the Problem of Justice: The Lynching of Emmett Till Director of Dissertation: Raymie E. McKerrow This dissertation examines the rhetoric generated by the death of Emmett Till in 1955. While many of the facts surrounding Till’s death are still subject to question, most accounts of the incident agree that Till was kidnapped and murdered by two white men, Roy Bryant and J. W. Milam, while he was vacationing with relatives in Mississippi. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People defined Till’s death as a “lynching,” a charge that Mississippi’s white press opposed and disputed. In a region that perceived the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decisions (1954, 1955) as a threat to the foundation of Southern life, many white citizens viewed the “lynching” label as a ploy by the NAACP to incite racial animosity and dismantle segregation. As news coverage of the case continued, the debate over the crime turned ideological, redirecting public concern from the issue of justice to the preservation of state rights, segregation, and American democracy. This rhetoric influenced the outcome in the murder trial; attorneys for the defense justified their request for an acquittal on the grounds that it would thwart the threats of miscegenation and communism. Although the jury declined to convict Bryant and Milam, the acquittal ultimately increased the power of Till’s story. To explain in Burkeian terminology, “Emmett Till” became a representative anecdote that symbolizes racial injustice. Consequently, Till’s story inspired members of his generation to persevere in their struggle for civil rights. To this day, speakers invoke the story of Emmett Till as a rhetorical resource. Using critical exegesis, this dissertation traces the iii emergence of the Till anecdote and accounts for its power by investigating three components of the rhetoric, including 1) the stakes involved in defining Till’s death as a lynching; 2) the intersection of space and ideology that emerged in the rhetorical response to the incident; and 3) the longevity of Till’s influence as a representative anecdote. Approved: _____________________________________________________________ Raymie E. McKerrow Professor of Communication Studies iv In memory of Jerry Dudek Because yellow tulips are perennial and always full of promise v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As time closes on this chapter in my life and the end of the project draws near, I want to acknowledge the debt of appreciation I owe to so many at Ohio University. I will be forever grateful that the School of Interpersonal Communication provided the opportunity for me to pursue my Masters at the Chillicothe Campus. The education I received from each and every professor who taught in that program continues to shape, in no small way, the person and scholar I am today. Additionally, I owe several professors at the Athens campus a special debt of gratitude. I want to thank Dr. Scott Titsworth, for giving me the opportunity to serve as his assistant for the basic course. Dr. Titsworth, thank you for having faith in me. I will always remember our pedagogical discussions; if I am a good teacher, it is due to your encouragement and patience. I learned so much from my professors at Ohio University, and I thank you all. During my doctoral program, however, there were two courses that changed my life, and I want to thank these professors specifically. Dr. Raymie McKerrow, although I have told you this, I want to state it for the record: The class on post-Colonial rhetoric and whiteness was the most important and formative educational experience of my life. Dr. Judith Lee, your class on the rhetoric of race has had the most profound effect on my scholarship. You introduced me to the rhetorical storm that surrounded the Emmett Till case, and for that I am especially grateful. Both of these classes changed the way I think; they liberated my thinking from an intellectual straightjacket. I also want to acknowledge and thank the members of my dissertation committee: Dr. Julie White, who has consistently reminded me to probe the political implications of discourse; Dr. Jerry Miller, for encouraging me to stretch my methodological approach, and Dr. Roger Aden, who taught me early on that vi “rhetoric is orientational,” and encouraged me to explore the intersection of speech and space. Thank you each for your encouragement and insight. I also thank Dr. McKerrow, Dr. Miller, and Dr. Aden for their encouragement, and especially, for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself. This dissertation has relied heavily on Dr. McKerrow’s ideas about space, time, and discourse. The process of researching and writing this dissertation has taught me much about these topics. I am thinking especially of Dr. McKerrow here, and I thank him for his encouragement throughout the process, and particularly for the gift of time. The process of completing this dissertation has also heightened my sense of irony. Given my emphasis on McKerrow’s theories, I find it especially ironic that time and space have not been given more serious consideration in other areas of our discipline. Perhaps more than anything, this experience has highlighted for me the particular threats that time and space pose to interpersonal relationships. Thus, in addition to thanks, I want to take this opportunity to express my regrets, as well as my hopes. Miles and boundaries separate me—and have separated me for a while now, from those I love the most. My pursuit of education, and now my work, have removed me from both home and family. When I examine the costs exacted from my interpersonal relationships, I am forced to question whether this has been worth the sacrifice. My sisters, Deanna and Shari, perhaps best understand the depth of my regrets. If I had the power to tell the future back then, I’m not sure I would have embarked on this course. If I had the power to reverse time, and if it would buy me even a few more days with my mother, Shirley Royse, I would abandon this pursuit. I will live the rest of my life wondering if I could have made a difference, if only I had been home, instead of in vii Pennsylvania. To my brother, Cliff, I regret that time and space keep me from seeing my nephew, Paul, more frequently. To my nieces and nephews, Zach, Johanna, Jocelyn, Clayton and Elijah, I regret that my choices distance me from your lives and families, as well. I am reminded that space-time is a thief, and that we never recover what it steals from us. I understand this intimately. Other space-time ironies are positive, however. Despite the distance, perhaps even due to it, I have been blessed with the opportunity to know my father, Clifford Royse, a little better. Writing this makes me realize it’s been a while since we talked. I’ll call you, Dad, as soon as I am finished. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Dedication ........................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. vi Chapter 1: Ideology, Space and the Problem of Justice ...................................................... 1 The Lynching of Emmett Till ......................................................................................... 1 Significance of the Verbal Rhetoric ............................................................................ 7 The Rhetorical Significance of a Word ...................................................................... 9 Space, Ideology, and the Failure of Justice ............................................................... 11 The Longevity of Rhetorical Salience ...................................................................... 16 Chapter 2: Waging War Over the Word ........................................................................... 22 The Contested Meaning of “Lynching” ........................................................................ 22 It Would Appear from this Lynching: Power, Politics and the Act of Defining ...... 24 The History of Lynching: American Revolution to the Civil War ........................... 28 Reconstruction and the Racialization of Lynching ................................................... 31 Post-Reconstruction: Federalism and the Betrayal of Black Citizenship ................. 43 The Racialization of the Meaning of Lynching ........................................................ 45 Discussion ................................................................................................................. 49 Chapter 3: The Land of the Free and the Home of the

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