KKK and lynching - Lecture notes from Jim Crow, Bootleggers and Okies module. PDF

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Lecture notes from Jim Crow, Bootleggers and Okies module....

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Race relations in the late 19th and 20th centuries: Jim Crow, Lynching and the KKK Contents of the lecture: Racial context of the early 20th.c Race relations in the period after the American civil war – Klan was a militia force of intimidation, anyone who came down to help the African American community in the south where intimidated as well as other members of society such as Jews, Catholics etc. however later on it was supressed as an organisation.  

Rise of the second KKK Lynching: spectacle and fear depicts migration from south to north and south to west. We need to link the mobility of the African American population and their economic aspirations to the rise of white supremacy organisation.

Period where white identity was contested and uncertain, it meant organisations like the KKK became newly attractive to a white population that was frightened by the physical and social mobility of African Americans. Rich white businesses men thought that this movement had economic ramifications – meant the leaving of a labour force they had come to rely on. WW1 created a national self-doubt for Americans, unsure of their identity of an individual nation. This was also a period of self-doubt for individual white Americans too. Still from To Kill a Mockingbird, 1962 - rape accusation central to story Rise of concern with mobile African American males and white women. This is a good example of how this relationship caused generated justifications for things even so far as lynching. When we think about prohibition and the danger of alcohol there was a focus on when African American men drink, this was perceived by commentators such as Willard as a link to the aggressiveness of African American men. Big picture demographic changes alongside cultural developments that are changing the way the races relate to one another. In this period African American soldiers are returning from WW1 and refusing to accept the second-class citizenship they are offered. All of these create a period where white supremacist organisations and the rise of lynching can flourish.

Another aspect of race relation we need to understand is the question that concerned any white supremacist was the fear of interracial mixing. Most of the legislation passed in this period was to restrict the rights and movement of African Americans and informal cultural control – these are designed to stand in the way of racial mixing and keeping the races apart. This is because they

didn’t want to ‘dilute the white bloodstock’ and didn’t want the colour line to become unclear. White supremacists saw it in their interests to segregate as much as possible, this map shows how late the dates that Anti-Miscegenation laws where overturned – reflects the conservativism in the US. These efforts to both control and to prevent racial mixing really underpin much of the activity of the Klan in the early 20th.c KKK initiation, 1920’s © Jack Benton—Hulton Archive/Getty Images The KKK are known for their ritual, secrecy and illegal intimidation and violence towards certain groups within society. This is an initiation society – the dress had 2 purposes, maintaining secrecy and the purpose of unifying and creating a shared identity. Women’s Klan gathering, early 20th century Image published in Los Angeles Times, by Barbara Ehrenreich, 1 September 1991 A women’s Klan was not the case in the post-civil war era. But later on women decided they wanted to take on a public and political role as part of the Klan. Separate men and women’s Klan, they do not mix, segregation is maintained. The women’s Klan’s intention was to reinforce traditional conservative roles for women – facilitating women’s public political participation but at the same time reinforcing conservative norms e.g. working outside the home is unacceptable. This picture illustrates the aspect that some people even during ceremonies like people’s weddings etc, would wear their Klan outfit. The Klan for many women and men was something that was an intrinsic part of their life, their community and family was in the Klan. Poster advertising Klan event, 1920s, Poultney, Vermont Image from Vermont Historical Society Archive The Klan was everywhere in the early 20th.c – its peak membership around 1920 was formally American. In many small towns and communities, the leaders of that community would be a member of the Klan. Vermont – very liberal state – first state to abolish slavery, but even in states like this the Klan was active and keen to recruit. There is some interesting language being used on this poster, it is appealing to those who feel like the nation is under threat, not a local concern, is a national threat. Even though this is going to be a formal political event, it is also going to involve the ritual. So well known that someone of another racial or ethnic group would not be welcome, it does not need saying, but it does specify that all protestant members are welcome so that other religious groups know they are unwelcome. Period which the Klan is operating on a national level and is very effective in using new types of media to get its message across.

Below cover of Time magazine 1924. Former dentist! Hiram Evans: Grand Wizard (1922-39), left in regalia, Washington DC 1925.

They used the front cover to promote Hiram Evans – gave up his job to become a full time white supremacist political leader and was so respected and well known that he made the cover of the Time magazine.

symbol of mainstream. many members of the uneducated the case, there members – this

KKK members named themselves (can be exampled below, Grand Wizard). This organisation became a white supremacy and this was the political The views of this organisation were aligned with Americans. Historians disagree over who are Klan in this period – they used to think members were southerners who didn’t know any better – this was not were members from all classes e.g. upper middle-class is where they get their power from.

When we think this perspective very popular

about the racial violence of the Klan we need to take with us, this is not just a few people in society, it was and touched many people’s lives.

Link between the Klan and Lynching The Klan and other supremacists organisations racialised Americans to the extent they became willing participants in lynching – even if they didn’t do it themselves they were able to look the other way. Lynching postcards – where private individuals or photographers took a photo at a lynching event and then sold the postcard as a souvenir. Think about the mindset of a person who would produce or buy one of these as a souvenir – what does it say about the attitudes of this person – so far down this path of dehumanisation, they don’t even see their humanity at all. The Shipp and Smith lynching, Marion, Indiana, 1930, photo by Lawrence Beitler This is an example of a lynching which in many wasy is typical- it is taken by a press photographer and of course centres on the broken black bodies. Representation of African American bodies as simply bodies and not as simple anymore. There is a way that the white audience are captured within these images. You get a sense of the crowd enjoying this event, this isn’t something that is being watched with horror or fright but rather there are people laughing and smiling. There is a man in the centre pointing at the bodies in triumph and satisfaction. Also, there are other people who have attended the event in the spirit of curiosity, the white community are coming together to share an

experience- for example the couple holding hands. The overall impression is that there is no sense of shame or embarrassment. This particular lynching is really important because its one incredibly rare example where there was a lynching victim who managed to get away. Three men in Marion were accused of attacking and raping a white woman, the woman denied this attack had taken place. But the three men who were waiting in jail for their day in court were seized by a mob and lynched. However, the third African American, James Cameron, managed too escape, and in affect spared by the lynch mobtaken back into custody and tried for the crime and spent 25 years in jail for it. It isn’t a true escape. James Cameron ((1914-2006((, photographed in early 20th century- a lynching survivor and civil rights activist He wen on to become an important part of the African American civil rights movement, he regularly discussed his experience in his early life influenced him to become an activist.

Lynching of 3 circus performers, Duluth, MN, 1920 It isn’t just the states in the South where lynching took place, Northern states also had evidence of lynching. You get a sense of the idea that it is a display of a trophy to photograph a lynching, the comparison with hunting where a hunter catches a lion and shows it off- similar accurance is happening in this photo. It’s a case of the white community were torn about what was happened and this is revealed in the quotations in newspaper accounts of the time. Some local newspapers weren’t saying that justice had been served, the idea that these individuals had been accused to be interlocal within community. The mini appalist journal ((local state paper)) said that the action of the lynch mob had put a bad name on the state of MS. They saw it as humiliating- they thought it could only happen in the South and now it is in the North they are really ashamed it could happen. They didn’t want to be linked to the beliefs of the South. The eely miner- another newspaper- while the thing was wrong in principal it was most affectivethe idea they will not assault anymore young girls now they are dead. Suggesting that there is an acknowledgement somewhere that this is wrong and isn’t the correct process. Will Stanley lynching postcard distributed at Jesse Washington lynching, 1916 The charred body of Will stanley, lynched by burning in Temple, Texas, July 29-30, 1915. The card bears the advertising stamp “Katy electric studio temple Texas H. Lippe Prop” Inscribed in brown ink- “this is the barbecue we had last night my picture is to the left with a cross over it your son Joe”

for a long time there was a confusion- it was thought this was a depiction of a lynching of Jessy Washington, but actually this was a postcard of another lynching but it was being sold at the Washington lynching. Both men had been accused of crimes against white victims, in neighbouring towns, the Stanley case he was accused of murdering a white couple. This postcard was distributed to the Washington lynching the following year. This is a professional organisation= a way to make money and a profit, this is a commercial opportunity for businesses around the time. Will Stanley brings to mind notions of the hunting trophy, the town of temple standing around and enjoying the view of their defeated enemy. This isn’t just one that was bought and kept as a souvenir but someone actually sent it to their mum. Emphasises on the dehumanisation of the African American population- he doesn’t understand the humanity of the victim of the lynching. Friends, neighbours etc, who were law abiding citizens accepted this as normal because they had been programmed to de-humanise the African American population. focus geographically is on the Southern states but not exclusively. This is something that we see taking place across the 20th century, during WW11 in the aftermath and then took on a new form in the civil rights era. Sceptical lynching’s were a big phenomenon and a community display. Lynching then becomes where someone is seized and taken to a secret location.

Lynch mob trial, 1947

Greenville, SC,

Some of the 28 men lynching of Willie the courtroom in Carolina following the May 21st, 1947. Image Press photographer

acquired in the Earle celebrate in Greenville, South jury’s verdict on from Associated

The response of the lynching changes century.

federal government throughout the 20th

In this example, where the FBI get involved in trying to prosecute the lyncher’s and try to say that lynching is murder and unacceptable. In this case, Willie was accused of murdering a white taxi driver, seized by a mob and shot across a state line, not a sceptical lynching. Instead of swooping the instant under the carpet, the FBI got involved, the 31 defendants went on trial. Racial prejudice

was to the faw throughout, threats were made, witness intimidation, and all defendants found innocent. Despite the attempt of the federal government to prevent these sort of lynching’s, the local court and its jury changed the intention. Statue of James Meredith in Oxford, Mississippi, Student sentenced to 6 months in prison for noose threat in 2014, charged with conspiracy to violate Civil rights and use of a threat of force to intimidate African American students. The legacy of lynching. Violence against African Americans has never stopped in the US- but one particular type is the noose threat. Placing a noose ((a hangman noose)) in a prominent place is a threat and a sense of intimidation which is something that is still happening in the 21st century. This photo is photo of Meredith who was a civil rights activist, and a white student was sentenced for 6 months for hanging a noose round the neck. Many others take place in especially in the deep south but not solely- the noose threat there isn’t acknowledge still today. Conclusion 1. Period represents nadir of race relations in US 2. But why? Legacy of slavery OR failure of federal government OR pervasiveness of institutional and personal racism 3. Why did ‘normal’ US citizens tolerate or enjoyed lynching, KKK activities? 4. African-Americans not passive victims in this period, not cowed into submission...