BDC CH. 2 Flashcards
Ida B. Wells + The Campaign Against Lynching
How did the idea of lynching transform beginning in 1880?
- wave of lynching on blacks began
What are some statistics on lynchings between 1880-1910?
- lynch victims increased from 68% black to 91% black
- proportion of lynches in South went from 82% to 95%
LP
Why did the NAACP receive backlash from the black community for their fight against lynching during this period?
- felt they were putting too much energy into small issue
- chances of getting lynched were relatively small + # who were killed by lynching fairly modest
CN
What was considered the most important facet/danger of lynching?
- ability for whites to kill w/o repercussions
- never arrested/indicted for crimes
What did the lack of punishment for lynchers convey to the black community?
- weren’t entitled to federal protection
- black lives so low in importance that the loss of one isn’t even a crime to whites
- placed highest black person at mercy of lowest white
(WBP)
How has the idea of African Americans changed as Jim Crow Laws came into effect?
- blacks viewed increasingly subhuman
- were regressing as a race since end of slavery
What was the most prominently used statistic that whites would use to prove blacks were becoming more heathens?
- increase in black crime
- “blacks were 56% of pop. in MI but 90% of crime”
What was the most common defense whites would use for the lynching of black men?
- the “epidemic” of black men raping white women
- lynching = necessary preventitive measure
How did the courts aid whites in allowing false rape charges to suffice against black men?
- did not ask women “victims” for testimonies as evidence
- slow/unreliable w/ cases overall
DS
How did the South’s obsession w/ imaginary black mens’ rape of white women (Southern Rape Complex) help to reinforce white supremacy?
- helped exclude mixed children + deemed all white women/black men relationships nonconsensual
(HD)
How did the issue of mixed children interfere in the plans for prolonged white supremacy?
- whites could stay in power only by excluding blacks integrating into white society
- through marriage/mixed children
- white men slept w/ black women = white men scared white women would find black men mutually attractive
- white women barring mixed kids would destroy social hierarchy + white male authority
(SW)
How did white men fix the issue of mixed children + keep the defense of lynching alive?
- white men - defended sleeping w/ black women saying they are “sexually promiscuous”
- white women - could “never” have consensual sex w/ black man (thus all their sex is rape)
- mixed children = became excluded from “whiteness”
- “one-drop” rule + miscegenation made illegal
- deemed “colored”
(WWMOD)
How did the black hyper-sexuality myth portrayed by white men affect the lives of African Americans besides a continued defense of lynching?
- justified denying black voting + being on jury + job discrimination
(BBJ) - segregation necessary as intermingling will only lead to rape + interracial marriage + end of white race
(RIE)
Why did black organizations fail in the 1880s to successfully campaign to ban lynching?
- crime rate statistics did not paint blacks in positive light
What arguments were made by campaigners to defend the rising crime rates among African Americans?
- legal system was unfairly strict on blacks
- convict lease system used for cheap black labor
- argued against educated blacks having a higher chance to commit crime than non-educated
(LCA)
What made the issue of black rape on white women hard for black leaders to successfully argue?
- if they said some cases were consensual they risked violent action from whites Southerners
- questioning white women purity could be fatal
How did black leaders respond to the false black rape issue?
- defenses were very cautious/apologetic
- deplored mob violence but also condemned high crime rate of blacks
- defended punishment of assault on white women
- accepted lynching as an answer to rape
(DDDA)
Who was Ida B. Wells + what were her stances on lynching?
- black journalist from Memphis
- outspoken critic against lynching
What advantages did Wells enjoy over many other blacks in the South?
- mulatto parents w/ good jobs + skills
- able to attend higher education
MA
How did Wells respond to the death of her parents?
- took over care of her younger siblings + became teacher to support family
(TB)
What incidents in 1883 + 1887 helped launch Wells to prominence in the black community?
- (1883) - successful discriminatory lawsuit against train company (didn’t let her use first class ticket)
- (1887) - lost an appeal to another discriminatory railroad lawsuit victory
What made Wells such a unique journalist at that point, especially in her opinion of the black community?
- strong worded woman
- not afraid to criticize high profile black figures/black masses
- openly disputed cases of rape on white women by black men (caused her to be run out of Memphis)
(SNO)
What incident occurred March 9, 1892 that sparked the beginning of Wells’ fight against lynching?
- three black grocery store owners abducted from jail/killed by whites
- originated due to white grocery owner jealous of profits going down competing w/ black grocery store
- tensions escalated that got black store owners imprisoned (physical fighting + black militia shooting)
- judge calls disarmament of Tennessee Rifles (black militia) + forbids sale of firearms to blacks
(DF) - black store owners killed three days later
What was Wells’ response to the triply lynching in Memphis + its effect?
- denounced lynching as pure murder
- condemned black leaders for not doing more/taking advantage of federal patronage
- urged blacks to leave Memphis for Oklahoma
- supported Memphis railway boycott
- questioned purity of white women
(DCUSQ)
