Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Title
The overground railroad of the Jim Crow era: A rhetorical analysis of the Negro Motorist Green Books
Availability
Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Abstract
From 1877-1965, African Americans experienced travel restrictions due to Jim Crow legislations. On public transportation, African Americans were often asked to switch seats to accommodate white passengers. In response to the discrimination faced on public transportation, African Americans transitioned to using the automobile for travel. Victor Hugo published the Negro Motorist Green Books from 1937 to 1967, which served as a guide for African Americans to find hotels, restaurants, and gas stations willing to serve African American customers along their routes. This thesis uses Massey’s scholarship on space to analyze how the rhetoric within the Negro Motorist Green Books enabled marginalized bodies to move through restricted space. Additionally, the visual advertisements through the strategic absence of African Americans portrayed as travelers (yet presence as workers) created a false sense of freedom and a hollow invitation for African American travelers.
Year of Submission
5-2020
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of Communication Studies
First Advisor
Catherine H. Palczewski, Chair, Thesis Committee
Second Advisor
Ryan E. McGeough, Thesis Committee Member
Date Original
5-2020
Object Description
1 PDF file (viii, 133 pages)
Copyright
©2020 Cecilia Louise Cerja
Language
EN
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Cerja, Cecilia Louise, "The overground railroad of the Jim Crow era: A rhetorical analysis of the Negro Motorist Green Books" (2020). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 1039.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/1039
