Anti-Black Violence
Examine the anti-black violence between 1865 and 1920
The history of violence against African Americans in this country is so horrific as to be almost beyond belief. Anti-black violence was extremely prominent in the middle 19th century as well as the beginning 20th century. As blacks entered life after slavery with hope of better opportunities, they soon discovered that Reconstruction did not mean freedom. Racial equality seemed to constantly be a major problem in political and everyday life. Violence against African Americans occurred from the first days of Reconstruction but became far more organized and purposeful after 1867. The Klu Klux Klan began in Tennessee in 1866 spreading rapidly through the South. Klansmen sought to keep blacks in subjection through terrorist actions. Harassments the homes of blacks, beatings, rapes, and murder became common as much as celebrated in many southern cities. The violence they displayed were no out-the-blue outburst of racism but shaped by social forces. The Klan believed that blacks would weaken their society and sought violence as a solution to remain politically and socially superior. Lynching was also linked to the anti-black violence of 1889-1909. Over seventeen hundred were …show more content…
lynched during these times typically because whites felt threatened by an influx of migrant blacks in sparsely populated districts. Whites associated the deaths of blacks as maintaining social order over the black population. They were intimidated by the intelligence and power of the black man and instead of embracing this, decided to suppress or eliminate the “competition.” Lethal mob violence purpose was to ultimately stabilize the white class structure and preserve the privileged status of the white supremacy. Anti-black violence is known as the most inhuman chapters in the history in America by white people.
This unit of post Reconstruction Afro-American history will examine anti-Black violence from the 1880s to the 1950s. Immediately following the end of Reconstruction, the Federal Government of the United States restored white supremacist control to the South and adopted a “laissez-faire” policy in regard to the black man. This policy resulted in black disfranchisement, social, educational and employment discrimination, and peonage. Deprived of their civil and human rights, Blacks were reduced to a status of “second-class” citizenship. A tense atmosphere of racial hatred, ignorance and fear bred lawless mass violence, murder and
lynching. While African Americans have suffered more or less continually from an ongoing nightmare of segregation, discrimination and violence, there have been periods when things seemed to improve somewhat—as a result, for example, of the modern civil rights movement—and periods when things got worse. For about the past 20 years, it seems, things have been getting steadily worse. We are now in the midst of a reign of terror against people of color generally, and against the African American in particular.
The history of violence against African Americans in this country is so horrific as to be almost beyond belief. Anti-black violence was extremely prominent in the middle 19th century as well as the beginning 20th century. As blacks entered life after slavery with hope of better opportunities, they soon discovered that Reconstruction did not mean freedom. Racial equality seemed to constantly be a major problem in political and everyday life. Violence against African Americans occurred from the first days of Reconstruction but became far more organized and purposeful after 1867. The Klu Klux Klan began in Tennessee in 1866 spreading rapidly through the South. Klansmen sought to keep blacks in subjection through terrorist actions. Harassments the homes of blacks, beatings, rapes, and murder became common as much as celebrated in many southern cities. The violence they displayed were no out-the-blue outburst of racism but shaped by social forces. The Klan believed that blacks would weaken their society and sought violence as a solution to remain politically and socially superior. Lynching was also linked to the anti-black violence of 1889-1909. Over seventeen hundred were …show more content…
lynched during these times typically because whites felt threatened by an influx of migrant blacks in sparsely populated districts. Whites associated the deaths of blacks as maintaining social order over the black population. They were intimidated by the intelligence and power of the black man and instead of embracing this, decided to suppress or eliminate the “competition.” Lethal mob violence purpose was to ultimately stabilize the white class structure and preserve the privileged status of the white supremacy. Anti-black violence is known as the most inhuman chapters in the history in America by white people.
This unit of post Reconstruction Afro-American history will examine anti-Black violence from the 1880s to the 1950s. Immediately following the end of Reconstruction, the Federal Government of the United States restored white supremacist control to the South and adopted a “laissez-faire” policy in regard to the black man. This policy resulted in black disfranchisement, social, educational and employment discrimination, and peonage. Deprived of their civil and human rights, Blacks were reduced to a status of “second-class” citizenship. A tense atmosphere of racial hatred, ignorance and fear bred lawless mass violence, murder and
lynching. While African Americans have suffered more or less continually from an ongoing nightmare of segregation, discrimination and violence, there have been periods when things seemed to improve somewhat—as a result, for example, of the modern civil rights movement—and periods when things got worse. For about the past 20 years, it seems, things have been getting steadily worse. We are now in the midst of a reign of terror against people of color generally, and against the African American in particular.