Lynching

1. L ynching
Am erica
i
n
R obbie G . H orace G reeley H igh School,

2. W hat wereW hat were
the prim arythe prim ary
m otivationsm otivations
behindbehind
in the earlyin the early
lynch
ing

3. 90% of the victim s were
Southern
73% of the victim s were
black
According to the T uskegee
I nstitute,
4,742
lynchings
occurred between 1882-
1968.

4. “Easy people imagine that, having hanged a
Negro, the mob goes quietly about its business;
but that is neverthe way of the mob. Once
released, the spirit of anarchy spreads and
spreads, not subsiding until it has accomplished
its full measure of evil. “
(Ray Stannard Baker, What is a Lynching?,
McClure’s Magazine. (February, 1905) )
Six out of ten people in the SouthSix out of ten people in the South
thought lynchings were justified inthought lynchings were justified in
cases of sexual assaultcases of sexual assault
“When the Negro's corpse
fell, the pieces of rope were
hotly contended for.””
((VicksburgEveningPostVicksburgEveningPost (4th(4th
May, 1919) )May, 1919) )
““mobocraticmobocratic
spirit”spirit”
AbrahamAbraham
LincolnLincoln
“When his own suffering was
more than he could stand, he
could live only by witnessing the
suffering of others.” (Erskine
Caldwell, You Have Seen Their
Faces (1937))
“…“…it is impossible for a Negroit is impossible for a Negro
accused of a crime, or evenaccused of a crime, or even
suspected of a crime, to escape asuspected of a crime, to escape a
white man's vengeance or hiswhite man's vengeance or his
justice.”justice.”
(Editorial in(Editorial in The CharlestonThe Charleston (1918) )(1918) )
PerspectivesPerspectives
……

5. W hat is L ynching?W hat is L ynching?
N onlethal punishm ent- tar and
feathering
E xecution by a m ob of one individual
who com m itted crim es/broke
unwritten social laws
F ive or m ore persons taking the law
into their own hands
M ob assem blage without legal right
acting to kill or injure people,
depriving them the right to due
process or equal protection

6. L ynchingL ynching took the place
of “the m erry-go-round,
the theatre, sym phony
orchestra” (H .L . M encken)
F or which crim e wasF or which crim e was
som eone lynched?som eone lynched?F or illegal crim es, such as m urder,
rape, or theft
B ut also, people were lynched for
insulting a white person, buying a car…
O r even, especially if it was a black

7. O rigins of L ynchingO rigins of L ynching
Am erican frontier m entality
N eeded to take due process in
their own hands
R evolutionary era- popular
sovereignty is won after long,
vicious battle
“enshrined” privilege in Am erican
life
*localism *

8. L ynch L aw and E arlyL ynch L aw and E arly
F orm s of L ynchingF orm s of L ynchingC harles L ynch established inform al courts to try
horse thieves, suspected T ories tied convicted
to trees and gave them m ultiple lashes
L ynch was tried in V irginia court but it was
declared that the “L ynch L aw” had been
appropriate because of the hysterical conditions
of war
E arly 19th
century: “T he R egulators” (W hite
C aps) - bands of citizens who punished crim inals
nonlethally (tar + feathering)
V igilance com m ittees
1835 lynching
slave revolts needed to be repressed
“patrollers”- arm ed com m ittees of
planters/thugs to restrict slave
m ovem ent/m eetings
1880s- K K K began“night-riding”

9. W hy D id the C om m unityW hy D id the C om m unity
Approve of L ynchings?Approve of L ynchings?
L ynching becam e a fast
alternative to due process
outcom e is the sam e as a trial,
sim ply expedited
B onds within the com m unity are
strengthened
E xciting, spontaneous activity
with the entire town
C rim inals were getting what
they deserved

10. W orld W ar IW orld W ar I
Am erican concerns over W W I in
E urope im peded the social
reform characterized of the late
19th
century
After the T reaty of V ersailles
concluded the war, Am ericans
becam e extrem ely disillusioned
with international relations
N ew conservatism
Anti-im m igrants
B irth of aB irth of a
N ationN ation (1915)(1915)

11. ““L ook first atL ook first at
Stacy, then turnStacy, then turn
to the little girlto the little girl
in the sum m erin the sum m er
dress, looking atdress, looking at
Stacy, and thenStacy, and then
to the m anto the m an
behind her,behind her,
perhaps herperhaps her
father, in thefather, in the
spotless whitespotless white
shirt and slacksshirt and slacks
and the cleanand the clean
white skim m er.white skim m er.
T hey will standT hey will stand
there forever,there forever,
L ynching ofL ynching of
John C arterJohn C arter
Spectators atSpectators at
the lynchingthe lynching
of Jesseof Jesse
W ashingtonW ashington
(1916)(1916)

12. M arion, I ndiana -- 1930M arion, I ndiana -- 1930

13. O ur T own:O ur T own:
H ow L ynching is R eflected
through F am ily H istoryI nI n O ur T ownO ur T own , C ynthia C arr describes her own, C ynthia C arr describes her own
investigations in her fam ily’s dark past, one O Finvestigations in her fam ily’s dark past, one O F
which she was not aware until recently. As shewhich she was not aware until recently. As she
discovers the im plications of her grandfather’sdiscovers the im plications of her grandfather’s
involvem ent in the K u K lux K lan, and especially ininvolvem ent in the K u K lux K lan, and especially in
the M arion lynchings of 1930, she realizes thethe M arion lynchings of 1930, she realizes the
tacit com pliance of her father, and thousands oftacit com pliance of her father, and thousands of
other observers in M arion, I ndiana. Afterother observers in M arion, I ndiana. After
speaking with Jam es C am eron, a survivor of thespeaking with Jam es C am eron, a survivor of the
M arion lynchings, she am ounts to the sham efulM arion lynchings, she am ounts to the sham eful
nature of her fam ily’s story. I n addition to hernature of her fam ily’s story. I n addition to her
efforts to solve her grandfather’s m ystery, C arrefforts to solve her grandfather’s m ystery, C arr
explores the observers of the lynching in B eitler’sexplores the observers of the lynching in B eitler’s
photograph. Som e seem to be on a date, som ephotograph. Som e seem to be on a date, som e
seem angry, som e seem enthralled by the prospectseem angry, som e seem enthralled by the prospect

14. T he L ynching of L eoT he L ynching of L eo
F rank (1913)F rank (1913)
R esponse of Atlanta’s Jews m irrored
response of black com m unities to black
lynchings
 B ecam e I ntroverted
 I m m ersed them selves with other
G entiles
“T he lynching of L eo
Frank was a dam nable
outrage. T here was no
excuse, no m itigating
circum stances to justify
the actions of the G eorgia
m ob. An action like that
m akes a decent m an
sick.” (Pres. W illiam
H oward T aft)

15. T he Anti-L ynchingT he Anti-L ynching
C am paignC am paign“N o torture of helpless victim s
by heathen savages or cruel
red I ndians ever exceeded the
cold-blooded savagery of white
devils under lynch law. T his
was done by white m en who
controlled all the forces of law
and order in their
com m unities and who could
have legally punished rapists
and m urderers, especially
black m en who had neither
political power nor financial
strength with which to evade
any justly deserved fate…the
I da B .I da B .
W ellsW ells

16. E fforts of theE fforts of the
N AAC PN AAC P
F ounded in 1909
M ain Platform :
B lacks have been denied of their
natural rights
Action m ust be taken against this
injustice
L ynching is not the m ost efficient
way to instill justice in a com m unity;
there are m ore expedient form s of
judgm ent

17. Anti-L ynchingAnti-L ynching
L egislationL egislationD yer B ill (1921) Provisions:
 L ynching: “m urder of a U .S.
citizen by a m ob of
3+ people
 Sheriff/official who fails to
protect prisoner is
guilt of felony
 U .S. governm ent can prosecute
lynchers if state
governm ent does not
 C ounty in which lynching occurs

18. Anti-L ynchingAnti-L ynching
L egislationL egislationW agner-C ostigan B ill (1934)
Provisions:
 m ob: 3+ persons
 State officer’s neglect---> 5 yr prison
sentence and $5,000 fine
 C onspirators--> 5-25 yr prison
sentence
 C ounty where lynching occurs:
$2,000-$10,000 fine (to fam ily, or to
federal governm ent if there is no
fam ily)
 T o prove that sum m ary execution
does not save the public m oney

19. W agner-V an N uys B ill +
G avagan B ill (1937)
 Pro-legislation senators willing to
protest the filibuster, but faced
strong dissent from Southern
senators
 F D R decided not to speak out
against the filibuster
 T he anti-lynching m ovem ent had
seventy senators and therefore, had
the opportunity to challenge the
Anti-L ynchingAnti-L ynching
L egislationL egislation

20. Presidential R eactionsPresidential R eactions
to L ynchingto L ynching“loosening of the bonds of civilization”
black m an’s runaway sexual appetite
educated blacks could help elim inate the
practice of lynching if they turned in fellow
colored crim inals to the state
T eddy R oosevelt
Any Am erican “who takes part in the action of
a m ob…is no true son of this great
dem ocracy, but its betrayer”
W oodrow W ilson, as m otivated by the
N AAC P
L ynching is a “very sore spot on our boast of
civilization”

21. At 7:00 in the evening, May 4, 1927, they dragged Carter's body from
City Hall down Broadway to the intersection of 9th and
Broadway...and they set a huge bonfire in the middle of the
streetcar tracks at that intersection and burnt Carter's body and one
of the arms was ripped off and used to direct traffic."
Southern trees bear a strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black body swinging in the Southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
Strange Fruit, (1939), written by Abel Meeropol
Pastoral scene of the gallant South,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolia sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh!
O bservers of the lynching of
T hom as Shipp, Abram Sm ith, and
Jam es C am eron in M arion,
B illie
H oliday,
perform ing
live
John Carter, a mentally retarded black man lynched in Little Rock, AK.
Here isHere is a fruit for the crowsa fruit for the crows to pluck,to pluck,
For the rain to gather, forFor the rain to gather, for the wind to suckthe wind to suck,,
ForFor the sun to rotthe sun to rot, for the tree to drop,, for the tree to drop,
Here is aHere is a strangestrange andand bitterbitter cropcrop..

22. ““Strange F ruit” andStrange F ruit” and
B illie H olidayB illie H olidayB illie was singing to herself- as if she was
being lynched herself
 L ynching of the spirit
“Strange F ruit” was an opportunity to put
into words what so m any people had seen
and lived through
“resigned bitterness” (B enny G reen)
L arger im pact on white liberals (in N orth)
than the im pact am ong black
intelligentsia (Albert M urrows)
B lack R esponse
 B lacks as victim s (did not approve)

23. T he M urder of E m m ettT he M urder of E m m ett
T ill (1955)T ill (1955)August, 1955, a
fourteen year old boy
visiting his cousin in
M oney, M ississippi had
whistled at a white
wom an, C arolyn B ryant
in a grocery store.
E m m ett T ill was
m urdered, lynched, by
two white m en, J.W .
M ilam and R oy B ryant,
that evening.
D espite their arrests,
the two m en were
eventually acquitted by
an all white jury.

24. H ow did theH ow did the
lynchinglynching
m entalitym entality
transcend totranscend to
m odern hatem odern hate

25. M odern D efinition ofM odern D efinition of
L ynchingL ynching
& H ate C rim es& H ate C rim es
V iolent C rim e C ontrol and L aw
E nforcem ent Act (1994)
H ate C rim es Act (2000)
"H ate crim es do m ore than threaten the
safety and welfare of all citizens. T hey inflict
on victim s incalculable physical and
em otional dam age and tear at the very fabric
of free society. C rim es m otivated by invidious
hatred toward particular groups not only
harm individual victim s but send a powerful
m essage of intolerance and discrim ination to

26. M atthew ShepardM atthew Shepard
L aram ie, W yom ing O ctober 7,
1998
T acit com pliance is participation.
M atthew Shepard,
hom osexual student at
the U niversity of
W yom ing, was brutally
killed by two L aram ie
citizens, R ussell
H enderson and Aaron
M cK inley.
Shepard never regained
consciousness after the
severe lacerations on
which surgeons couldn’t
operate, and the brain
stem dam age which he
suffered.
H enderson and M cK inley
claim ed the “gay-panic
defense”.
President C linton was
m otivated by the innocent
lynching of M atthew
Shepard to pass hate
crim e legislation that
included bias about
sexual orientation. H is
efforts were refuted in

27. Bias
motivation
Total
incidents Individual Business Government
Society/
public
Other/
unknown
/
multiple
Total 7,649 5,991 332 253 52 780
Single-
Bias
Incidents
7,642 5,985 332 253 52 779
Race 4,042 3,338 161 150 39 321
Religion 1,374 640 119 72 2 351
Sexual
Orientation
1,197 1,089 24 20 6 53
Ethnicity/
National
Origin
972 869 24 10 4 52
Disability 57 49 4 1 1 2
Multiple-
Bias
Incidents1
7 6 0 0 0 1
1
In a multiple-bias incident two conditions must be met: 1) more than one offense type
must occur in the incident and 2) at least two offense types must be motivated by
different biases.
“H ate C rim e” I ncidents
V ictim T ype by B ias M otivation, 2004

28. T he Senate "expresses the
deepest sym pathies and m ost
solem n regrets of the Senate
to the descendants of victim s
of lynching, the ancestors of
whom were deprived of life,
hum an dignity and the
constitutional protections
O n M onday, June 12, 2005, the Senate
passed a non-binding resolution apologizing
for not enacting anti-lynching legislation.
“I t’s a resolution,
not a law… I 'm afraid
we still can't say with
certainty that the last
lynching has occurred.”
(N ell I rvin Painter, Professor of Am erican
H istory at Princeton U niversity)

29. W orks C itedW orks C ited
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