Lynchings in the South and the Reasons They Occurred
In a time where black people were just freed from slavery, a new era of harsh behavior and torment came into the spotlight against them in America in the late 19th and 20th centuries. This harsh behavior and torment that many black people faced in between those times is called lynching. Lynching is putting a person to death by mob action without due process of law (Audio). Lynchings originated from a term formally known as lynch law. There are many origins for the term lynch law and many of the stories are not supported with evidence. According to Henry A. Rhodes, the practice of lynch law originated in Virginia during the latter part of the Revolutionary War” (Rhodes). The term lynch law comes from the activities of Charles Lynch, a colonel during the Revolutionary War and a wealthy plantation owner from Virginia. Lynch would look to punish the “Tories” in what was an extra-legal court, in which he was the head of. The “court” would take the law into it’s own hands by not giving the accused the right to a trial (Chestnut Archive). Many lynchings happened in between the time of 1882 and 1968. In between those years, a total number of 4,743 lynchings occurred; 3,446 of those lynchings involved black people, while most of the other 1,297 …show more content…
In fact, those who believed they were superior to blacks started to join a hateful movement known as the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan, also known as the KKK, is a hateful group who primarily targets black people to prevent them from enjoying their basic civil rights (SPLC). In the early 19th century, The Ku Klux Klan was formed after the Revolutionary War to keep black people scared. They would attack anyone who went against white supremacy. There are numerous stories of hateful and violent acts by the Ku Klux Klan. Here are some accounts from Jim Crow Stories on the Ku Klux
In a time where black people were just freed from slavery, a new era of harsh behavior and torment came into the spotlight against them in America in the late 19th and 20th centuries. This harsh behavior and torment that many black people faced in between those times is called lynching. Lynching is putting a person to death by mob action without due process of law (Audio). Lynchings originated from a term formally known as lynch law. There are many origins for the term lynch law and many of the stories are not supported with evidence. According to Henry A. Rhodes, the practice of lynch law originated in Virginia during the latter part of the Revolutionary War” (Rhodes). The term lynch law comes from the activities of Charles Lynch, a colonel during the Revolutionary War and a wealthy plantation owner from Virginia. Lynch would look to punish the “Tories” in what was an extra-legal court, in which he was the head of. The “court” would take the law into it’s own hands by not giving the accused the right to a trial (Chestnut Archive). Many lynchings happened in between the time of 1882 and 1968. In between those years, a total number of 4,743 lynchings occurred; 3,446 of those lynchings involved black people, while most of the other 1,297 …show more content…
In fact, those who believed they were superior to blacks started to join a hateful movement known as the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan, also known as the KKK, is a hateful group who primarily targets black people to prevent them from enjoying their basic civil rights (SPLC). In the early 19th century, The Ku Klux Klan was formed after the Revolutionary War to keep black people scared. They would attack anyone who went against white supremacy. There are numerous stories of hateful and violent acts by the Ku Klux Klan. Here are some accounts from Jim Crow Stories on the Ku Klux