Hate Crimes Against African Americans
Hate Crimes Against African Americans
R. Jamal Brown
University of Phoenix
Com/156
August 26, 2012
David Bliss
Hate Crimes Against African Americans
Hate crimes have affected African Americans in more ways than just violence; therefore, our government needs to approach hate crimes differently. Aside of the fact that the United States has elected the first African American president, hate crimes has still occurred before and during his presidency. Of the 7,624 hate crimes committed in 2007 alone, 2,659 of those hate crimes were done on African Americans ("Hate Crimes Against African Americans", 2012). From the history of slavery, lynching, murders, the burning of crosses and churches, to the brutality that police officers have committed on African Americans, the black community has been affected tremendously in all aspects. The feelings and emotions of the African American society has been crushed and walked upon for over 400 years.
In the nineteenth century, lynching was used to terrorize Blacks to maintain white supremacy. Lynching was open public murders of Blacks suspected of committing crimes. Lynching was normally done by hanging or shooting African Americans. During these years, the supremacy of white people thought that in order to control Blacks, they had to pump fear into them. Prior to 1882, there was no record or history of lynching in America (Gibson, 2012). In 1882, the recordings of lynching began with the Chicago Tribune. Other institutes such as the Tuskegee Institute, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (N.A.A.C.P.) independently kept records of the lynching (Gibson, 2012). This crime mainly occurred in the southern states however, it occurred throughout the United States. In the state of Mississippi, it was rated the highest in lynching African Americans (Gibson, 2012). Whites justified lynching black people as a law or “Neighborhood Watch” so to speak, included major crimes to minor offenses. Lynching blacks was
R. Jamal Brown
University of Phoenix
Com/156
August 26, 2012
David Bliss
Hate Crimes Against African Americans
Hate crimes have affected African Americans in more ways than just violence; therefore, our government needs to approach hate crimes differently. Aside of the fact that the United States has elected the first African American president, hate crimes has still occurred before and during his presidency. Of the 7,624 hate crimes committed in 2007 alone, 2,659 of those hate crimes were done on African Americans ("Hate Crimes Against African Americans", 2012). From the history of slavery, lynching, murders, the burning of crosses and churches, to the brutality that police officers have committed on African Americans, the black community has been affected tremendously in all aspects. The feelings and emotions of the African American society has been crushed and walked upon for over 400 years.
In the nineteenth century, lynching was used to terrorize Blacks to maintain white supremacy. Lynching was open public murders of Blacks suspected of committing crimes. Lynching was normally done by hanging or shooting African Americans. During these years, the supremacy of white people thought that in order to control Blacks, they had to pump fear into them. Prior to 1882, there was no record or history of lynching in America (Gibson, 2012). In 1882, the recordings of lynching began with the Chicago Tribune. Other institutes such as the Tuskegee Institute, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (N.A.A.C.P.) independently kept records of the lynching (Gibson, 2012). This crime mainly occurred in the southern states however, it occurred throughout the United States. In the state of Mississippi, it was rated the highest in lynching African Americans (Gibson, 2012). Whites justified lynching black people as a law or “Neighborhood Watch” so to speak, included major crimes to minor offenses. Lynching blacks was
References: Hate Crimes Against African Americans. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.civilrights.org/publications/hatecrimes/african-americans.html Gibson, R. A. (2012). The Holocaust:Lynching and Race in the United States, 1880-1950. Retrieved from http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1979/2/79.02.04.x.html Zheng, J. (2008, Summer). A Guided Tour through Hell. Southern Quarterly, 45(4), 118-124. EBSCOHost. Christie, R. (2008, February/March). Double Whammy. American Journalism, 30(1), 16-25. EBSCOHost. Shively, M., & Mulford, C.F. (2007, June). Hate Crime in America. NIJ, (257).