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University Microfilms International A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Order Number 0014431 Religious discourse as cultural narrative: A critical analysis of the rhetoric of African-American sermons Hamlet, Janice Denise, Ph.D. The Ohio State University, 1989 Copyright ©1089 by Hamlet, Janice Denise. All rights reserved. UMI 300 N. Zceb Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 RELIGIOUS DISCOURSE AS CULTURAL NARRATIVE: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE RHETORIC OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERMONS DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Janice Denise Hamlet, B.A., M.A. , M.A ***** The Ohio State University 1989 Dissertation Committee Approved by Josina Makau Linda James Myers Beverly Moss A Advisor epartment of Communication Copyright by Janice Denise Hamlet 1989 To the memory of those African-American preachers who preached, marched, and died for the cause of civil Rights in America. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I express sincere appreciation to Dr. Josina Makau for her guidance, suggestions and encouragement throughout this research endeavor. My appreciation is also extended to the other members of my advisory committee, Drs. Linda James Myers and Beverly Moss for their insight and suggestions. Special thanks go to Dr. Stephanie Shaw for editing earlier drafts and for offering me regular doses of encouragement. X also wish to thank the Reverend Fred L. Shuttleworth of Cincinnati, Ohio, who provided me with an eyewitness account of the events of the Civil Rights struggle. Gratitude is extended to the Reverend and Mrs. Phale D. Hale of Columbus, for loaning me resources which became a part of the project. My gratitude is also extended to Dr. John J. Makay for providing me with the encouragement I needed to do this specific research project. To my parents I offer sincere thanks for their unconditional love and unyielding faith in me. Above all, I give praises to God for blessing me with the will to endure. VITA July 8, 1954 ............... Born - Reidsville, North Carolina 1972 ........................B.A. , Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, North Carolina 1978 ........................ M.A., Ohio State University 1979-80.. .................... Graduate Research Associate, Office of Learning Resources, Ohio state University 1980.. ........................ M.A., Ohio State University 1890-81.. .................... Media Specialist, Westerville City Schools, Westerville, Ohio 1981-83.. .................... Teacher, Ohio Department of Youth Services, Columbus, Ohio 1983-84 . ................ Graduate Teaching Associate, School of Journalism, Ohio State University 1984-85 ...................... Graduate Research Associate, Office of Communication Services, Ohio State University 1985-87 ................. Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Communication, Ohio State University 1987-88 ...................... Assistant Professor, Ohio Dominican College, Columbus, Ohio 1989-present ............... Assistant Professor, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan iv FIELDS OF STUDY MAJOR FIELD: Rhetorical Studies MINOR FIELDS: Organizational Communication Mass Communication v TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ................................................11 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................... iii VITA ...................................................... iv CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .................................. 1 Background ................................ 1 Purpose of Study .......................... 2 Justification of study ................... 8 Research Procedures ....................... 11 Theoretical Framework ..................... 15 Organization of the Study ....................20 Definition of Terms .......................... 21 S u m m a r y ....................................... 24 R e f e r e n c e s ...................................25 II. LITERATURE REVIEW .............................. 29 Introduction .............................. 29 African-American Protestant Preachers and the Civil Rights Movement: 1955-68 .................................. 30 Studies on African-American Sermons and Afrocentricity ........................ 41 S u m m a r y ................................ •. 46 R e f e r e n c e s ................................... 47 III. METHODOLOGY....................................... 50 Introduction .............................. 50 Research Procedures ........................ 50 Methodological Overview ................... 65 Summary .............................. 76 R e f e r e n c e s ............ 77 IV. THE CULTURAL CONTEXT ............................ 80 Introduction .............................. 80 vi The Preslavery Era: African Culture .......................... 82 The Slavery E r a .............................. 87 The Post-Slavery E r a ....................... 100 S u m m a r y ...................................... 113 R e f e r e n c e s ..................................116 V. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT ......................... 121 Introduction .............................. 121 The Civil Rights Movement: 1955-1968 ................................ 122 Scope of Context ........................... 145 S u m m a r y ...................................... 151 R e f e r e n c e s ..................................152 VI. THE SERMONS .................................... 156 Introducation .............................. 156 The Cultural Context ..................... 157 Involvement in the Civil Rights Movement .......................... 159 Universal Love and Nonviolence ............ 167 Individual and.Collective Esteem .......... 174 Biblical and African-American H e r o e s .................................... 179 The Black Frame of Mind Component in the S e r m o n s .................182 African-American Preachers1 Contribution to African-American C u l t u r e .................................... 192 S u m m a r y ...................................... 194 R e f e r e n c e s .................................. 195 VII. C O N C L U S I O N ...................................... 197 Introduction .............................. 197 Summary of Findings ......................... 197 Implications for Further Research . .•. 203 S u m m a r y ...................................... 205 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................... 206 APPENDICES A. Sermon Titles and Background Information . .214 B. Scriptural References .......................... 217 vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Background One of the most important social upheavals in the United States during the past twenty five years has been the Civil Rights Movement.1 This period of social protest was characterized by the flash of blackjacks, the horrible glows of house bombings and cross-burnings, piercing shouts of hatred, and the cries of despair. The situations which prompted these acts were evident. Schools, neighborhoods, restaurants, theaters, city buses, restrooms and even drinking fountains were rigidly segregated, and because of these and other conditions, African-Americans were protesting. The protests began in the South, and like wildfire, quickly spread to the North. African-Americans wanted to end discrimination so that they could have access to better housing, jobs, and pay. They also wanted the right to eat inside nice restaurants and sleep in hotels, to sit wherever they liked on public buses, and to be addressed in a manner that conveyed 1 respect. In essence, they wanted the American dream to be real for them, too. In terms of the magnitude of the evils that needed to be corrected, the number of persons who were directly affected, the courage of the leaders and participants, the concern felt by a national audience, and the corrective measures proposed or taken by the government, the effort the Civil Rights Movement made to gain equality for African- Americans in mainstream society engaged the nation more