Rise of Lynching “Lynching is the practice whereby a mob--usually several dozen or several hundred persons--takes the law into its own hands in order to injure and kill a person accused of some wrongdoing. The alleged offense can range from a serious crime like theft or murder to a mere violation of local customs and sensibilities. The issue of the victim 's guilt is usually secondary, since the mob serves as prosecutor, judge, jury, and executioner. Due process yields to momentary passions and expedient objectives.” Violence toward southern black people began long ago in the 1800’s. White southern people went about lynching with beatings, raping, murdering, and rioting. White people saw themselves as superior to blacks and they wanted to be respected as such. Same thing for blacks, but when blacks tried to demand respect they were simply punished. “In Texas, one black man was killed for not removing his hat in the presence of a white man and another for refusing to relinquish a bottle of whiskey.” According to an article called “About Lynching,” Lynching took place against innocent black people who only wanted equality. These cruel people may have gotten away with these killings in the eyes of the law, but God always serves justice where needed to be served. I am a believer that there is two sides to every story in every situation, but when you have whites hanging people from the black community and then posing for a picture smiling--- that is just something I simply cannot condone in. There are many anti-lynching organizations such as the NAACP that established an Anti-Lynching Bill, an ACT to assure to persons within the jurisdiction of every State the equal protection of the laws, and to punish the crime of lynching in 1922. Thankfully, today, crimes such as the lynching crimes in the 1800’s and 1900’s no longer take place with the justice system that we now
Interestingly, the book does not focus solely on the Georgia lynching, but delves into the actual study of the word lynching which was coined by legendary judge Charles B Lynch of Virginia to indicate extra-legal justice meted out to those in the frontier where the rule of law was largely absent. In fact, Wexler continues to analyse how the term lynching began to be used to describe mob violence in the 19th century, when the victim was deemed to have been guilty before being tried by due process in a court of law.
Wexler, Laura. 2003. Fire in a Canebrake: The Last Mass Lynching in America. Scribner; 2004. Print
In 1860-1960 there was lynching in the United States. When the confederates (south) lost the civil war the slaves got freedom and got rights of human beings. This was just to say because segregation wasn 't over in the South and didn 't go away for over 100 years. Any black person in the South accused but not convicted of any crime of looking at a white woman, whistling at a white woman, touching a white woman, talking back to a white person, refusing to step into the gutter when a white person passed on the sidewalk, or in some way upsetting the local people was liable to be dragged from their house or jail cell by lots of people crowds, mutilated in a terrible
Franklin Zimring (2003) examines the relationship between the history of lynching and current capital punishment in the United States argueing that the link between them is a vigilante tradition. He adequately shows an association between historical lynchings and modern executions, though this paper will show additional evidence that would help strengthen this argument, but other areas of Zimring’s argument are not as well supported. His attitudinal and behavioral measures of modern vigilantism are insufficient and could easily be interpreted as measuring other concepts. Also missing from Zimring’s analysis is an explanation for the transition of executions from representing government control in the past to executions as representing community control in the present. Finally, I argue that Zimring leaves out any meaningful discussion of the role of race in both past lynchings and modern executions. To support my argument, using recent research, I will show how race has played an important role in both past lynchings and modern executions and how the changing form of racial relations may explain the transition from lynchings to legal executions.
After the end of American Civil War in 1865, The Thirteenth Amendment was added to the constitution of the United States that stated “Neither slavery or involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have duly convicted, shall exist in the United States, nor any place subject to their jurisdiction.” By this no black people could be owned by the whites. In spite of this, blacks were severely segregated in the South. This resulted in the formation of anti-radical movement in the South called Ku Klux Klan organization which represented white supremacy by whipping ...
There have been traces of racism throughout America since the country was founded. Blacks, along with other races, were constantly fighting to be treated equally. Even though the slaves were freed in 1863, they still faced many racial and prejudice issues. However, in the early 1900s, it seemed as if African Americans were flourishing in the town of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The thought of African Americans prospering disgusted most whites to the point they wanted to do something about it. These thoughts and actions caused a horrific event known as Tulsa Race Riots that not only affected everyone in the time period, but will continue to affect us and live in our memory.
As a reader I understand the form and the roles in this novel. The Symbolism of lynching is the practice of representing thins and attributing symbolic meanings or any significance to many different relations, situations, and events that can be taking place. A literal form in lynching is being in accordance with conforming, and stating the obvious in any giving situation. Literal can be expressed, which is what this novel represents. Between the FBI`s attempt at caring on all lynching, and having federal government cases which was represented by the civil rights. In the novel it reads “I did everything I could to try to find out who was in the lynching,” says Mattie Louise. Mattie Louise was a sweet hearted woman who wanted peace. Also in the novel she also says “You got to forgive”. (240) Despite the strategies you have to forgive and move on with your life even if something is solved or unsolved. Also it is pursing you to live life to every extent because you never know what might take place at any giving day. Why would you live your life unhappy? The lynching in the South was definitely remembered, although the civil rights legislators were held responsible for the ongoing lynching and torturing, there could possibly be a solution. Laura Wexler proved that she could at least make a difference in justice and creating a healing
In the late 1800's, more and more blacks became victims of lynchings and Jim Crow laws that segregated blacks. To reduce racial conflicts, I advised blacks to stop demanding equal rights and to simply get along with whites. I urged whites to give black better jobs.
Wells, Ida B. Southern Horrors. Lynch Law in All Its Phase. New York: New York Age Print, 1892. Print. 6.
Between 1882 and 1952 Mississippi was the home to 534 reported lynchings’ more than any other state in the nation (Mills, 1992, p. 18). Jim Crow Laws or ‘Black Codes’ allowed for the legalization of racism and enforced a ‘black way’ of life. Throughout the deep-south, especially in rural communities segr...
Southern Horror s: Lynch Law in All Its Phases by Ida B. Wells took me on a journey through our nations violent past. This book voices how strong the practice of lynching is sewn into the fabric of America and expresses the elevated severity of this issue; she also includes pages of graphic stories detailing lynching in the South. Wells examined the many cases of lynching based on “rape of white women” and concluded that rape was just an excuse to shadow white’s real reasons for this type of execution. It was black’s economic progress that threatened white’s ideas about black inferiority. In the South Reconstruction laws often conflicted with real Southern racism. Before I give it to you straight, let me take you on a journey through Ida’s
means of depriving blacks of their rights. During Ida B. Wells-Barnett time, lynching was a
Lynching: the mob murder of someone who might be considered a public offender. While white Southerners may have considered themselves vigilantes, in reality they were killers with biased intent. In the Southern United States during the 1960s, lynching occurred frequently relative to standards such as today. Though lynching changed the lives of people directly connected to victims, they also changed mindsets and actions where they occurred and around the nation. Thus, the motives of racial based lynching and the crimes themselves affected people, legislature, and culture in the South for years to come.
While researching, he found that the act of lynching was a way of restoring honor to a person that was wrong. Dray writes about the name lynch, coming from a Quaker named Charles lynch. Lynch was known for his foul mouth. He set up improvised courts that routinely sentenced suspected horse thieves and British sympathizers to beating during the war. Lynch was later sewed by the victims of his makeshift court system and he was exonerated. The court felt Charles lynch was appropriate given the stressful circumstances. Dray added this passage to demonstration America government’s Laissez-faire attitude when came to civil matters. Another key point, Dray added, was the assault on Sen Charles Sumner. Comparatively to Lynch victims, Charles Sumner was assaulted for allegedly insulting a Senator’s Butler. The attack was considered justified, even though the attack happened at Sumner's office. It was said to be the proper act, done in the proper place at the proper time . Dray's restating these events helps solidify his claim of lynching is not just in racism. Dray did not discredit Afro-American as victims in later years. However, in the south early years’ blacks was viewed as property. Because of that, Dray conclude that early lynching was psycho-cultural
Lynching: to be killed by hanging, mod action, or without legal authority. This word has a very deep meaning especially in the late 1800s to the late 1900s. To most white men lynching meant nothing to them unless they had committed a crime such as stealing cattle or murder ,but to black men this was not a word they loved to hear and manly fear this 8 letter word.