Effects Of Lynching On African Americans In The 1920's

The term, “history repeats itself” has held true throughout the years; however, the real question is whether it “repeats itself” or if it is an ongoing issue. Jim Crow laws, segregation, and civil rights are all a part of the never-ending cycle that has been passed on generation, by generation. After all, this can be seen by the examples of Thurgood Marshall, the NAACP, the Groveland Boys, modern-day struggles, and firsthand experiences. After all, the struggles of finding equality in our society, no matter how much it seems like we “get along” with another race, or classification on people, doesn’t mean that there is an underlining of respect.

Topic: In 1866, the Ku Klux Klan was founded by many former confederate veterans in retaliation to their current Republican Party’s Reconstruction-era policies aimed at establishing political and economic equality for blacks. The Reconstruction era sparked by President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation clearly defined that the days of white superiority were in dissolution. Through a willful ignorance and an insecurity of what might postlude the civil rights movement, the KKK rose, using terror in pursuit of their white supremacist agenda. Nathan Bedford Forrest, a former Lieutenant general in the Civil war, became the KKK's first Grand Wizard. Now with a steady leader the klan became a persistent political party aimed at dismantling the increasingly

Intimidation Tactics of the Ku Klux KlanTopic: Intimidation tactics of the Ku Klux KlanQuestion: What tactics would the Ku Klux Klan use to intimidate African Americans in the US?Thesis: The KKK would impose fear in African Americans by using violent and symbolic methods to intimidate them.Since the start of the Ku Klux Klan in 1865, members have used violent means to intimidate African Americans and other groups of ethically “unclean” people. The KKK would impose fear in African Americans by using violent and symbolic methods to intimidate them. Although these tactics worked for sometime, it ultimately led to their downfall.Immediately after the 13th Amendment was passed, which officially ended slavery in the U.S., many Civil War veterans, who had fought for the Confederate side, despised the idea of blacks living among them equally. This led to them to create the Klan, as a way to control the black population in the South. One way they did this was by carrying out attacks in order to intimidate them. These attacks were usually carried out in rural areas, during nighttime, which led to the members being nicknamed “nightriders.” The Klan would travel to the victim’s house, knock down their doors, whip them, and aim loaded guns at them.1 During these encounters, many women were even sexually abused or raped. Other methods used were hateful, racist rhetoric being shouted at blacks, along with ceremonial cross burnings and public lynchings to remind people of the KKK’s strong

Whatever of good may have come in these years of change, the shadow of a deep disappointment rests upon the Negro people,--a disappointment all the more bitter because the unattained ideal was unbounded save by the simple ignorance of a lowly people. The first decade was merely a prolongation of the vain search for freedom, the boon that seemed ever barely to elude their grasp,--like a tantalizing will-o'-the-wisp, maddening and misleading the headless host. The holocaust of war, the terrors of the Ku-Klux Klan, the lies of carpet-baggers, the disorganization of industry, and the contradictory advice of friends and foes, left the bewildered serf with no new watchword beyond the old cry for freedom" (Chapter 1). They thought the Black people did not enjoy their deserved rights, like the 14th and 15th Amendments. 14th Amendments provided civil rights for African Americans, and15th Amendments provided voting rights for African Americans. Ku Klux Klan preventing African American from using the 15th Amendment to enable them to vote. Ku Klux Klan was the terrorist arm of the Southern Democratic Party. The immediate goal of these groups was to keep white and black Republicans away from polling places. Their violent tactics, targeted at black leaders, escalated during Reconstruction. White mobs killed three state legislators during these turbulent times.

After the Compromise of 1877, southern states were given back state control of the government. Consequently, white violence heightened in the south. In an article by Ida B. Wells, she discusses the unjust lynching of African Americans by white men. Wells continues in her article that the white men were not prosecuted for their actions due to their supposed need to oppress Africa Americas as result of “Negro Domination” during the Reconstruction Era (Documents in History I, 53-57). Not only was white violence a problem but so was segregation.

     Racism was not eliminated during the Harlem Renaissance. In fact, it was more prevalent then ever. The Ku Klux Klan included a membership of more then 4.5 million members by the mid 1920’s. In 1924 they passed out membership cards stating, “When aliens run the United Stated States…then the Ku Klux Klan won’t be worth a damn.” (Document C) The KKK fed on the fear created by the Harlem Renaissance. Many Whites weren’t used to the idea of Blacks having an influence, and they panicked. Organizations like the KKK utilized this fear to increase their membership to staggering proportions. They continued to torment the African-Americans, and continued the practice of racial bigotry. In 1922, Congress passed an Anti-Lynching Bill stating that, “depriving any person of his life without authority of law” was a criminal offense. (Document A) However, lynching and burnings still took place. Before the end of 1929 the KKK had lynched more then 200 African-Americans. Congress was ill equipped to enforce this bill, and it had little effect in the areas that needed it most. The KKK believed in White Supremacy and that their problems were caused by Blacks. They continued to discriminate and instill a sense of fear in these people. The use of chain gangs as a form of punishment was still in widespread

In the KKK marches the “Klan believed in keeping out blacks and other races by destroying saloons, opposing unions, and driving Roman Catholic, Jews, and foreign-born people out of the country (“The Americans Reconstruction to the 21st Century” 415). By this time, the Ku Klux Klan had developed 4 million members, while they continued discriminating against anyone who was not white or originally an American (www.georgiaencyclopedia.org, “Ku Klux Klan in the Twentieth Century”). They believed those not meeting the “perfect” white citizen standards were to not belong in society. The Klan performed many protest such as the march in Washington and other acts to encourage the stop of other races in America. The KKK was extremely racist and this caused for disagreements all across America. Other races, besides whites, were angry due to the accusations of the KKK and this caused tension throughout the United

Throughout the 1920′s the Klan’s membership saw an increase, estimates at the time ranged from 3-5 million and profits rolled in from the sale these memberships, regalia, costumes and rituals. The Ku Klux Klan used intimidation, threats, beating and even murder in their quest for a “purified America”, thus appealing to many Americans due to their proactive approach, which had not been mirrored by that of the republican government during the period. An example of such influence is the alleged election of governors in Maine, Colorado and Louisiana who had KKK support.

The start of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in 1866, expanded throughout most of the southern states by 1870. This Klan is known for its discrimination against African Americans, which has had major effects on today’s society. “Making or perceiving differences and distinctions,” is the definition of discrimination (Webster dictionary). Not only did they discriminate against Africans Americans but also Jews, and Catholics (history,com staff). Since the birth of the KKK society was not only affected by the discrimination of the Klan, but also the activities, and the brutal events.

Recently, an L.A. Times article (dated 2/13/00) reviewed a new book entitled "Without Sanctuary", a collection of photographs from lynchings throughout America. During the course of the article, the author, Benjamin Schwarz, outlined some very interesting and disturbing facts related to this gruesome act of violence: Between 1882 and 1930, more than 3,000 people were lynched in the U.S., with approximately 80% of them taking place in the South. Though most people think only African Americans were victims of lynchings, during those years, about 25% were white. Data indicates that mobs in the West lynched 447 whites and 38 blacks; in the Midwest there were 181 white victims and 79 black; and in the South, people lynched 291

One of the main reasons that white supremacy erupted at the turn of the twentieth century was the lack of protection for blacks against individual forces of power, typically with ideals centered in white superiority. An event that proves that the federal government and the state government did not sanction any protection for blacks and other minorities is the violence in the black neighborhood of Wilmington, which is part of the 1898 white supremacy campaign (Lecture 14 Slide 11). “In the name of white supremacy, this well-ordered mob burned the offices of the local black newspaper, murdered perhaps dozens of black residents — the precise number isn’t known — and banished many successful black citizens and their so-called “white nigger” allies” (Tyson 1). This act of violence took away the value of black bodies in this respective communities and implanted blacks with the idea that their lives are expendable. It is hinted that Wilmington

In the case of lynching, discourses emerge from heated debates about the meaning of the practice; these debates change over the long history of lynching in America. At different times in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the term “lynching” has implied rather different historical acts amongst the community. It has also been used to specify acts that indicated a wide range of distinct motives, strategies, technologies and meanings, as well as a politically encumbered term. For many African Americans who grew up in the South in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the threat of lynching was mundane. Photographs and postcards illustrating the popular image of an angry white mob hanging a black man does not give the full historic

     In 1919 the Klu Kluc Klan ( KKK) became a national power. The Klan was major powerhouse behind Jim Crow. Blacks were not just going to stand by and let the Klan have control over them, so b;acks used the power of the press and the courts

Another disaster that resurface during the 1920’s was the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). The KKK emerged when the United States was flooded with immigrants from all over the world. The Klan reformed in Georgia and spread across the country. “The new Klan, born in Stone Mountain, Georgia, in 1915, patterned itself on the secret rituals and anti-black hostility of its predecessor and, until 1920, it was limited to a few local chapters in Georgia and Alabama.” (p.611 ph.

This demonstrates the government’s role in initiating and prolonging racial suppression and provides the explanation for police brutality to become a federal crime(Black Radical Congress, 3). In history, racist violence, police brutality, has been used to suppress the racial blacks and to preserve power and privileges for the white race. This was done for five primary purposes. First, it has forced black people into slavery or low wage situations. Secondly, to steal land and other resources. A 3-rd was to maintain social control. A fourth purpose was to eliminate conflict in politics, social life, and employment. Lastly, the fifth purpose was to unite white people across the ethnic, class, and gender boundaries. However, after the Emancipation, lynching became a prominent form of violence used against the blacks. The use of lynching was a means of controlling and putting fear into the blacks, making them afraid to go against anything the