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ANTILYNCHINGMOVEMENT
Antilynchinglawrally
Lynching,theapprehensionandhangingofanindividualbyamobunderthepretenseofadministeringjustice,wascommon
throughouttheSouthintheearly1900s.ItwastypicallyassertedthattheAfricanAmericanvictimsofwhitelynchmobshadattempted
torapewhitewomen,butlynchingswereusedforavarietyofotherreasonsaswell.Itisestimatedthat1,000lynchingsoccurredbetween1900and1915,and
theybecamesocommonplacethattherewaslittledonetostopthem.Inruraltownswhereentertainmentwashardtocomeby,lynchingswerepopularsocial
gatheringsforwhitefamilies.
AfricanAmericanjournalistIdaWellsBarnettbeganoneoftheearliestantilynchingcrusadesafterthreeofhermalefriendswerelynchedin1892.Asthe
editoroftheMemphisFreeSpeechandHeadlight,shewroteablisteringeditorialcondemningthelynchings.AracistmobpunishedWellsBarnett'saudacityby
destroyingthenewspaper'soffices.Undaunted,shebeganalecturetourtospeakoutagainstlynching,andshealsohelpedtofoundantilynchingsocieties
liketheWomen'sLoyalUnioninNewYorkandanantilynchingandantisegregationsocietyinGreatBritain.In1895,shepublishedARedRecord,astatistical
recordoflynchingsoverathreeyearperiodandahistoryoflynchingsincethefreeingoftheslaves30yearsearlier.
TheNationalAssociationfortheAdvancementofColoredPeople(NAACP)publiclybegantocondemnlynchinginthe1910s.Theorganizationheldpublic
meetings,lobbiedpublicofficials,andbeganpressinvestigationsintotheissue.ItreporteditsfindingsasThirtyYearsofLynching,18891918in1919,the
sameyearitheldanationalconferencethatcalledforfederallawstooutlawlynching.
CongressmemberGeorgeH.WhiteofNorthCarolinahadintroducedthefirstantilynchingbillintheHouseofRepresentativesin1900,butitdiedincommittee.
RepublicancongressmemberLeonidasDyerofMissourithenemergedasthechampionoflegislativeattemptstoendlynchingintheUnitedStates.He
proposedanantilynchinglawintheHousein1919andattemptedtopassitseveraltimesbeforeitwasfinallydefeatedintheSenatein1922.
DespitethefailureoftheDyerAntiLynchingBill,thepublicitythatitreceivedhelpedtoreducethenumberoflynchingsintheSouth,asSoutherners
maintainedthatlynchingwasaproblemtheycouldtakecareofwithoutfederalintervention.After83lynchingsin1919,thenumberfellto11in1928and
graduallydwindledafterthat.Inthe1950sand1960s,however,lynchingwasagainassociatedwithracialconflictwhencivilrightsworkerswerethreatenedand
sometimeskilledbymobs.
MelissaStallings

FurtherReading
Brown,MaryJane,EradicatingthisEvil:WomenintheAmericanAntilynchingMovement,18921940,2000Ferrell,ClaudineL.,NightmareandDream:
AntilynchinginCongress,19171922,1986Freedman,Suzanne,IdaB.WellsBarnettandtheAntilynchingCrusade,1994Harris,JacquelineL.,Historyand
AchievementoftheNAACP,1992Royster,JacquelineJones,ed.,SouthernHorrorsandOtherWritings:TheAntilynchingCampaignofIdaB.Wells,1892
1900,1997.
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ImageCredits
Antilynchinglawrally:LibraryofCongress
MLACitation
Stallings,Melissa."AntilynchingMovement."AmericanHistory,ABCCLIO,2016,americanhistory.abcclio.com/Search/Display/256023.Accessed2Dec.2016.

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