TOW #22: Coatesville by John Jay Chapman, The Best American Essays of the Century

On August 1912, John Jay Chapman gave a speech commemorating the lynching of an African-American man in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. He shows his disgust towards those who watched the lynching and towards the American people for allowing these racist, heinous crimes to continue to occur. Throughout his speech, he uses asyndeton and a condescending tone in order to push listeners to move away from this hatred and towards a love for everyone regardless of race.

In his speech, Chapman uses asyndeton in order to put emphasis on the topic at hand. He says, “I say that our need is new life, and that books and resolutions will not save us, but only such disposition in our hearts and souls as will enable the new life, love, force, hope, virtue, which surround us always, to enter into us.” By not including an “and” when listing “life, love, force...” he is able to speed up the pace of his speech, overall putting emphasis on the gravity of what he is saying. Listeners can fully appreciate and be drawn in on what Chapman has to say.

Chapman also uses a condescending tone towards the American people and America in order to show his disgust towards the deep-rooted hatred that lingers on even fifty years after slavery was abolished. He says, “I saw a seldom revealed picture of the American heart and of the American nature. I seemed to be looking into the heart of the criminal – a cold thing, an awful thing.” He compares America to a criminal to show his ill-felt emotions towards the racist and heinous crimes in America. By doing this, he can instill shame into his audience and make them want to end the hatred in their country.

Overall, by using asyndeton and a condescending tone, Chapman is able to successfully argue that America needs to shift its mindset towards African Americans and plead the American people to stop letting such wicked acts of hate as lynchings plague the country. Though only two people came to listen to his speech, the transcript was published in Harper’s Weekly, extending his audience all across America.

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