MLK's Speech and Fannie Lou Hamer's Testimony Milestones in the Civil Rights Movement

RHETORICAL AND GENRE ANALYSIS OF TWO STYLES OF COUMMUNICATION USED DURING THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

The Civil Rights Movement of the mid-20th century succeeded in achieving major progress in reducing racial inequality and segregation across the country, but as the ongoing racial strife that characterizes life in early 21st century America demonstrates, it is clear that the movement’s work is not yet complete. Nevertheless, it is also apparent that the foundational efforts by civil rights activists such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Fannie Lou Hamer were responsible for the substantial progress that has been made over the past 70 years. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comparison of the rhetorical and genre analysis of two different styles of communication that were used by these two activists during the heyday of the Civil Rights Movement to determine how both the audience and the genres affected those communication strategies to make them more effective. Following this analysis, the paper provides a summary of the research and important findings concerning these two civil rights activists in the conclusion.

Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” Speech

By any measure, King’s speech, delivered on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, had a profound and lasting impact on American society and the Civil Rights Movement. While King’s speech would have lasting impact, the purpose of the March on Washington was modest enough, even by the standards of the day. For instance, according to one historian, “The purpose of the march was to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans” (McCurtis 3). Even the most die-hard segregationists of the day, though, were forced to sit up and take notice when King’s compelling oratory boomed across the National Mall from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. “I have a dream,” he proclaimed, and what followed was a series of declarations that blacks and whites must learn to live in harmony because, in reality, there is no viable alternative.

For example, King began his speech with the admonition that despite the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation a full century before, “The life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.” In an apparent attempt to immediately grab and hold the attention of rich whites who were responsible for Jim Crow as well as those whites who were largely disinterested in civil rights unless their pocketbooks were involved, King concluded that, “So we\'ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a sense we\'ve come to our nation\'s capital to cash a check.” It is reasonable to suggest that this last remark succeeded as an attention-getter and helped King achieve his purpose in making this speech.

The overarching purpose of King\'s speech was to use the March on Washington as an opportunity to make the case for racial equality and justice, especially with respect to the rights of African Americans (Godwin et al. 2011). In this regard, Josiah and Oghenero report that, “The speech is about the failed promises by the Americans whose dream advocates equality for all” (43). The main argument made by King throughout this speech was that the United States had failed to deliver on its constitutional promises of freedom and equality for all its citizens. Further, King argued that racial segregation and discrimination were not only unjust, it was far past the time for America to live up to its values and ideals (Vail 52).

In support of the arguments in his speech, King used a variety of types of evidence. For example, King made reference to seminal historical events in the nation’s history, including the aforementioned Emancipation Proclamation but also the Declaration of Independence, to highlight the ugly contrast between the promises of freedom and equality and the harsh reality of racial inequality for tens of millions of African Americans. In addition, King also employed vivid imagery and personal anecdotes to engage the emotions of his audience and make his case more evocative.

Delivered as an important part of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the genre of King\'s speech was a public address which was intended to inspire and galvanize the immediate audience that was gathered on the National Mall to hear him, but to appeal to the broader American public watching the speech on their televisions at home and people around the world as well. Further, King’s use of powerful rhetorical devices, such as repetition, metaphors, and allusions, served to develop an effective and persuasive message to his intended audience. Likewise, Fannie Lou Hamer also crafted an effective and persuasive message to her intended audience, even if it was intentionally cut short by an anxious American president, as discussed further below.

Fannie Lou Hamer\'s Testimony

In sharp contract to Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech which painted a promising, “City on a Hill” vision of a future America in very broad strokes, Fannie Lou Hamer’s efforts to promote civil rights were focused primarily in her home state of Mississippi. Her testimony before the Democratic National Convention (DNC) Credentials Committee on August 22, 1964, during the Democratic National Convention held in Atlantic City, New Jersey highlighted the brutal voter suppression and discrimination that was routinely faced by African Americans in Mississippi and served to attract national attention to the problem. Likewise, also in contrast to King, Hamer was visibly nervous, but clearly unafraid, when she sat down to deliver her testimony because like King, she had an important purpose in mind and would not be denied this opportunity to share her personal experiences in trying to become “a first-class citizen” by simply registering to vote with the American people.

In sum, the purpose of Hamer\'s testimony was to shed light on the experiences of African Americans in Mississippi and to advocate for voting rights and political representation for her black community in Mississippi. The main argument advanced by Hamer was that African Americans in Mississippi faced severe racial discrimination, violence, and voter suppression, which required immediate resolution. In support of her arguments, Hamer used personal narratives, empirical observations and vivid descriptions of the multiple injustices that she and others had experienced in their attempts to register to vote and run for congress from the second district of Mississippi in the Democratic primary, which she lost. Among other things, Hamer related numerous examples of her being physically abused and economically exploited, all the while having her basic constitutional rights denied. In addition, Hamer was consistent in stressing the urgency and fundamental necessity of change in the United States (Cox 140).

The genre of Hamer\'s testimony was a personal narrative which was delivered during the Democratic National Convention. Her speech aimed to raise awareness and evoke empathy from the audience at the DNC, as well as to influence political decision-making through her televised remarks. It is especially noteworthy that while then President Lyndon B. Johnson was tolerant of King’s rhetoric, he was less confident having someone like Hamer testify about her real experiences in the Old South and quickly scheduled an impromptu press conference to divert the nation’s attention away from her testimony. Nevertheless, the powerful nature of her testimony, combined with her compelling firsthand accounts, created a persuasive case for the need for social and political change. In other words, Hamer’s testimony had a significant and lasting impact on the Civil Rights Movement and the push for equitable voting rights legislation (Clabough 180).