• The US Constitution (1787)
• and the Bill of Rights (1789)
Question 1:What do these documents above specifically argue for, what do these documents argue against, and how are these arguments in conflict and / or harmony with each other- show some contradiction among them,too?
The reading for this question :
1.1787 US constitution
2.Bill of Rights.
3. Declaration of Independence ( www.ushistory.org/declaration )
Make sure to include outside sources ,too.
In contrast to the three “pillars”, we have also discussed the fourth “pillar”, grassroots activism of African-American citizenship during American Revolutionary times.
Our class readings also mentioned other marginalized, or excluded groups, such as poor white farmers, women, and “Indians” as excluded from the “cornerstone” documents.
• Question 2: Why would Thomas Paine’s democracy be in favor of the above grassroots group movements, and absolutely love their ability to improve our notion of communication and citizenship?
Brainstorm key terms to get you started: being “sober and orderly”, “walk worthy”, why is it important to “extend the sphere” of participants?
I will post Paine’s reading, too
Always include 2 sources from the reading+notes, per question and 1 outside one
Some of the notes below may help you, too
African Lodge Number 1
• first black masonic lodge in US
• Boston, March 6, 1775
• Prince Hall inducted with 14 others
• petitioned Massachusetts legislation to abolish slavery
Duties of a Black Mason
• believe in one supreme being
• be good subjects to the law of the land
• have no hand in any plots or conspiracies or rebellion
• show love and benevolence to all the whole family of mankind
• help and assist all his fellow men in distress
• show pity and compassion for strangers
• pay strict regard to the meetings of the lodge (p. 40-41)
View this brief video for a great history of the Prince Hall Story
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuEQJ6WVDI8 (Links to an external site.)
Global Connections
Interestingly, Marrant and Hall’s speeches indicate the Black Mason organization had global connections:
• geographical references to Jerusalem, Cyprus, Rhodes, Malta, Africa, and northern Europe
• historical ties to biblical stories of building Noah’s ark and Solomon’s temple.
The readings tell us Marrant himself traveled to:
• Africa
• England
• Jamaica
• Nova Scotia
• United States
Marrant describes the Masons as:
• one indissoluble fraternity
• with Lodges over the whole terrestrial globe
• with members accepted in every nation…with brotherly love
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Because they are everywhere,
the Black Masons are the
first global civic organization!
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“Black Presence in the Era of the American Revolution”
The Black Presence in the Era of the American Revolution chapters offer significant reflections on colonial African-American citizenship.
Preachers and Activists
These readings cover a variety of preachers and activists.
African Episcopal Bishops Activist Absalom Jones
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:
• masters 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!
More Global Connections
These readings also reference “global” connections and travel to:
• Nova Scotia
• Jamaica
• Europe
Local Activism
We also read about local “activism” as part of African-American citizenship in Philadelphia:
1793
• Yellow fever outbreak
• Allen, Jones, and black community perform “heroic service” assisting with the ill and dead.
1797
• city calls on the black Masons for another crisis
• to mobilize assistance against threatening British troops.
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Pillars of Citizenship
Grassroots Activism
We can build on what we learned last week:
• Declaration of Independence: permanent revolution
• Constitution: consolidated state power
• Bill of Rights: norms of citizenship
• African-American Revolutionary War rhetoric: grass roots activism
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With the contribution of African-American
American Revolutionary War rhetoric:
We can now add “grass roots activism”
to our country’s historical foundations of communication and citizenship.
Grassroots activism becomes the fourth pillar of citizenship!
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The 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).
Think About It
• For centuries, before print and digital capabilities, humans had to tell stories to pass on information.
• As humans, we’ve all seen and experienced Fisher’s theory in action, too.
o When we visit with old friends, we “catch up” with one another by telling our stories of our lives-lived.
o I know in my own family, at gatherings, we tell the same-old funny stories, over and over, again and again.
o 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, and 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 hearers’ experiences
• the story squares with the stories readers might tell about themselves
• representative of our character and societal and cultural values (Griffin, p. 328)
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Weekly Readings
The African-American rhetoric we’re studying this week is loaded with narratives and story-content used:
• as analogies (comparisons)
• as examples
• to persuade
• to make a point
Examples
There’s dozens and dozens of narratives used in our readings this week, but here’s a couple examples:
Cyrus Bustill
• uses the analogy (comparison) of “serpents and doves” when instructing folks to speak properly:
“Be ye wise as serpents and harmless as Doves…when you are wronged” (Lift Every Voice, p. 22)
John Marrant
• uses story of Cain as an example of man’s masonry skills demonstrating his superiority to animals. This story is part of the argument that man is the greatest work of god, and therefore, slavery is wrong (p. 31).
Black Clergy Readings
My favorite story in the Black Clergy readings is the story about African-American citizenship, Philadelphia, and local activism (pages 101 and 109).
• 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.
• 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 we know that after 1793 the black community continued to fight for equal rights, were denied, but called upon again in another crisis, down the road. This story “squares up” with what we know to be the Civil Rights struggle in our country.