Mayor
Mayor Tilman is the head of Jessup County government structure. He is in place to oversee the growth and well-being of the County and its inhabitants. Ironically, he, like the Sheriff, is involved with the Ku Klux Klan and he's in power in order to keep it for the Klan while stripping away basic human rights for black people and anyone who opposes them.
Coercion
The FBI is able to get a confession out of the Mayor. Ironically, they won't be able to use his confession because he was coerced to confess the truth of the murders by an FBI agent threatening to torture him.
Justice
The police force in Jessup County is led by Sheriff Ray Stuckey, who is in place to uphold the law and protect and serve the members of the public in his county. Ironically, he allows the Ku Klux Klan to perpetrate acts of hatred and violence, and even murder without consequences as he belongs to the Klan himself.
1964
1964 is the year that the Civil Rights Act was passed in the United States. The irony is that this film is set in 1964 and we see the reality of violence and the brutality of the conviction of hatred of members of the Ku Klux Klan to oppose this monumental year of justice.
The Truth
Mrs. Pell is the first to reveal the truth about what happened to the three Civil Rights workers who were kidnapped. For telling the truth, ironically, she is beaten by her husband, the Deputy, as he is loyal to the Klan over her and over the truth.
