Lynching in Literature

Paper Summary:

Lynching was certainly the cruelest form of racial segregation and discrimination; mob violence was used as a weapon against black men to crush their spirits. After the Civil War, most black men found themselves in a very ugly situation, as lynch law was frequently against them, which resulted in tens of hundreds of deaths. Ida Wells was one of those few courageous black writers and activists who spoke about the horrors of lynching and started an anti-lynching campaign. The paper studies the causes of lynching and nature of anti-lynching campaign in the light of Wells' three pamphlets, which were later published in a book form titled, "Southern Horrors and Other Writings" by editor Jacqueline Royster.

From the Paper:

"Lynching refers to use of mob violence against any person with or without a reason. In the days after the Civil War and during the period of Reconstruction, slavery became even more intense than it was ever before. This is because Southerners were now being forced to grant Black Americans their due rights, something that they were absolutely not willing to do. In the days before the Civil War, slavery was prevalent and no one openly objected to it or talked about civil rights of black people. Slaveholders assumed they were superior to their slaves and felt no one could take this right away from them. But as soon as people started discussing civil rights for blacks in public especially the Northerners and some members of the salve community, Southerners became even more austere as they feared loss of their superiority."

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