Coatesville

Blog Post 3

John Jay Chapman

American author John Jay Chapman gave a speech about the Coatesville Lynching of 1911 in “Coatesville.”  In this event, a Black man was lynched in public for a crime while many people merely spectated and basically no one attempted to stop the event. A year after the event, Chapman visited Coatesville to give a speech about this event.

Chapman notes that he is not giving this speech “for the purpose of condemning it, but to repent of our share in it” (Chapman 71).  He does not blame any small group of people but rather marks America and humanity having responsibilities in this event.  He makes the strong allusion to the last parable, “Someone may say that you and I cannot repent because we did not do the act. But we are involved in it. We are still looking on. Do you not see that this whole event is merely the last parable, the most vivid, the most terrible illustration that ever was given … of the relation between good and evil in this world, and of the relation of men to one another?” (Chapman 73) By mentioning the last parable, Chapman brings up cruel imagery to the listeners and emphasizes how strong of a crime people are committing even though it may not seem so.  Although there are direct contributors to this cause, they are not the only perpetrators.  Chapman also focuses less on these people but rather directs his words toward people who believe they are not relevant to this event.

To these people, Chapman states, “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” (Chapman 73).  During the lynching, Chapman said there were many educated and proper citizens present but they did not have substance in the heart. Chapman successfully and effective tells people to go back to the heart where education and books cannot touch us – but the truth can.

The Guilty Spectators
During the lynching, there was a crowd of people watching the tragedy.  Although most were mere passerbys and not direct contributors, Chapman says everyone holds responsibility for this event.

http://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/lynching/