Thousands of people of different ethnic groups (mostly whites and blacks) fell victim to lynchings in America for a range of crimes or violations. America saw almost a hundred years of lynchings, highlighting the demographic and economic changes many southerners did not want to face. The number of victims lynched was very high, but the exact number may never be known. Lynchings, mostly committed by extralegal groups, were feared my many, mostly in the Deep South. These were public events conducted by—and both watched and encouraged by—local people. Efforts to stop lynchings were extensive; reporters investigated thousands of unjust lynchings, politicians stood up for the civil rights of blacks, and bereaving families shared their horrible stories
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Many blacks were free and were finally allowed to vote, following passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, Many white southerners were still devastated by the loss of the Civil War and had no motivation to vote, creating a shift in government to 33 percent white and 62 percent black (13). White southerners were outraged by the fact that blacks were now free; the south now had to abide by new federal laws enforced by federal solders within the military districts in the southern states. They were upset that their way of life in the south was changing. This led to the development of extralegal groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) that used threats and murder to “keep the Negroes in line.” (13). In April 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes withdrew federal troops from South Carolina, allowing the Radical Republican regime to dissipate and southerners to redeem the …show more content…
These mobs would target carpetbaggers (people who moved from the Northern States), scallywags (those who supported the north’s cause), and whites of other religions or social belief such as Jews and non-believers of Christ. Whites of other races and ethnic groups were not as affected by the Jim Crow laws as blacks were. More often than not, blacks were accused of raping a white woman or murdering someone, and after the mob had inflicted the punishment on the accused, the victim would claim to have never been victim to a sexual assault or was out of town for a few weeks (5).
Lynching mobs had two main reasons for their actions. They started as acts of justice, but later served as public displays of supported and tolerated acts aimed at racial differences and social transgressions of blacks. First, it was “the social aspect, righting some social wrong or perceived social wrong, (such as a violation of Jim Crow Laws).” (2) Second, it was “the economic aspect” (2). For example, if an immigrant, black farmer, or merchant were lynched, the land or market would then be opened for any white southerners to purchase and
Many blacks were free and were finally allowed to vote, following passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, Many white southerners were still devastated by the loss of the Civil War and had no motivation to vote, creating a shift in government to 33 percent white and 62 percent black (13). White southerners were outraged by the fact that blacks were now free; the south now had to abide by new federal laws enforced by federal solders within the military districts in the southern states. They were upset that their way of life in the south was changing. This led to the development of extralegal groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) that used threats and murder to “keep the Negroes in line.” (13). In April 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes withdrew federal troops from South Carolina, allowing the Radical Republican regime to dissipate and southerners to redeem the …show more content…
These mobs would target carpetbaggers (people who moved from the Northern States), scallywags (those who supported the north’s cause), and whites of other religions or social belief such as Jews and non-believers of Christ. Whites of other races and ethnic groups were not as affected by the Jim Crow laws as blacks were. More often than not, blacks were accused of raping a white woman or murdering someone, and after the mob had inflicted the punishment on the accused, the victim would claim to have never been victim to a sexual assault or was out of town for a few weeks (5).
Lynching mobs had two main reasons for their actions. They started as acts of justice, but later served as public displays of supported and tolerated acts aimed at racial differences and social transgressions of blacks. First, it was “the social aspect, righting some social wrong or perceived social wrong, (such as a violation of Jim Crow Laws).” (2) Second, it was “the economic aspect” (2). For example, if an immigrant, black farmer, or merchant were lynched, the land or market would then be opened for any white southerners to purchase and