The Effects Of Lynching During The Civil Rights Movement

Lynching’s were publicly announced, tickets sold, picnics packed, and people dressed up and traveled long distances for the occasion. Hangings, burnings, and dismemberments goes back to slavery. “Although the practice declined after the 1930s, several high-profile lynching’s took place during the civil rights era of the 1950s and 1960s” . Lynching’s are considered as a cruel form of punishment, were used for not only vicious crimes, but also for minor crimes or for no reason at all. Hine emphasizes that “Black people were murdered, beaten, and mutilated for trivial reasons” . This cruel practice tortured many southern blacks, they were terrorized and murdered in front of spectators, clergymen, and business leaders for minor aggrievances, such …show more content…
Many African Americans struggled with white supremacy. Hine states “White southerners—and most white northerners-had long been convinced that as a race they were superior to black people intellectually and culturally” (Hine 340). Many whites felt that African Americans could only play a docile role in society. Many whites felt that African Americans should not hold political positions. “Many white southerners resented the presence of black people in public facilities, places of entertainment, and businesses” . Many African Americans were reluctant in some aspects of segregation; however, most complied to avoid the brutal violence they would have to endure had rose against …show more content…
Many community leaders such as Ida B. Wells and James Weldon Johnson dedicated their lives to social justice and equal rights. These leaders went on to create organizations like the NAACP to ensure the civil and political rights of African Americans. Nevertheless, many southern African Americans are still haunted by the aftermath of lynching. “The horror of these crimes still weighs heavily on black communities in the South, where lynching memories are often vivid. The anguish is made worse by the realization that some of the killers are still alive and may never be prosecuted” . Between the years of 1882 and 1968, there were more than 200 anti-lynching bills were introduced to congress. Yet, there was not ever one passed. However, in 2005 the United States Senate showed remorse for not acting during this time. “The Senate is apologizing not for something it did, but for something it failed to do. It never approved a law against lynching” . Had action been taken in the late 1800s or early 1900s, or had the Dryer Anti-Lynching bill passed, lynching’s would have been classified as a felony allowing the federal courts to prosecute cases, taking it out of the hands of state and local