A Voice to Remember: Recovering the Rhetoric of Mordecai Wyatt Johnson

This dissertation will recover Mordecai Johnson's rhetoric to demonstrate how he addressed the political issues of his time, which were often related to race, and were frequently reduced or even forgotten. In this dissertation, titled “A Voice to Remember: Recovering the Rhetoric of Mordecai Wyatt Johnson,” I perform and analyze the rhetoric associated with him. Johnson was well known for being the president of Howard University; the goal of this project is to recover the rhetoric and identify the common themes. The two themes identified in Johnson’s rhetoric are religion and education. Personal traits and associations with religion are traced throughout Johnson’s life. Johnson’s early exposure to religion played a significant role in his life. In the recovery of this historic information, its religious context adds to discussions of history from the time of his birth in 1890 through his schooling and beyond. Johnson’s rhetoric can be observed through his use of the African American Jeremiad, as well as his early association with the Black social gospel movement. The second theme uncovered in the recovery of Johnson’s rhetoric is tied to his educational goals. This research will observe and discuss the issues of Black education related to Johnson. This project will relate to Johnson’s position from the early periods associated with the Black intellectual tradition. Focusing on the words Johnson used and examining why he used them allows for a deeper understanding of historical events. Narrowing the focus of history reveals a period when leadership in Black communities first emerged through the efforts of clergy members. By focusing on the successes of Black educational leaders during Johnson’s leadership, it brings into focus how religious leaders of the time used their positions to reach not only their communities but also beyond. This recovery will reveal Johnson’s close relationship and experiences, as reflected in his personal religious convictions, which have been noted throughout his career.