Lynch Laws in America
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School
University of Texas, Arlington *
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Course
1302
Subject
Law
Date
Feb 20, 2024
Type
docx
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2
Uploaded by GeneralFieldWren38
Sources Worksheet
Primary Source Analysis
Read the following primary document excerpt from Yawp: Ida B. Wells-Barnett, “Lynch Law in America” (1900)
1.
We know the author was Ida B. Wells. But who, exactly, was she. What do we need to know about her before we read the document? How does this help us understand the document? After answering these questions, provide a footnote citation in course style for where you found
this information in the assigned course materials.
Ida B. Wells-Barnett was a pioneering activist and journalist, who did a lot to expose the epidemic of lynching in the US. 1
2.
What is she saying in the document? Here a brief synopsis in 1-2 sentences and some bullet points will work.
Ms. Wells speaks about the unfair treatment and unjust killing of black men. She explains that the life of a black man was not valued the same as that of a white man, and that a black man could be tortured and killed for mere accusations, despite clear cut evidence of his innocence. 3.
Who is her audience? Who do you think she is writing this for?
Her target demographic was white men, particularly those who participated in mob lynchings and those who condoned it. 4.
What does she want her audience to do with this information? What action is she expecting?
The purpose behind Ms. Wells’s article is to describe in detail the nature of the white man’s crimes in hopes that white men and women would feel remorse, sympathy, and empathy for people of color. If she gets the reaction she wants, she will effectively save the lives of many innocent black men. 5.
How would you cite this primary source in the course style?
Author name, title of document/book, location
Secondary Source Evidence
If you were planning on writing an historical essay about lynch law, having primary sources as evidence is a must. But you must also analyze and place within the historical context. For this you will use secondary source information/evidence.
1
Ida Wells-Barnett, The American Yawp Reader, Chapter 18, “Lynch Law in America”
6.
Go to the Unit 1 course materials and find some evidence that will help you explain the context of lynching. Write 2-3 sentences in your own words that define and explain this evidence. Then provide the footnote citation for this evidence in course style. Lynching was a ritualistic and symbolic form of murder. Black men were brutally beaten and tortured and put on display for white people to watch and enjoy. One of the most infamous cases occurred in Georgia in 1899, where chartered passenger trains brought approximately 4000 people to watch Sam Hose (a wrongfully accused man of murder and rape) get lynched.
2
7.
Go to the Unit 1 course materials and find a second source with evidence that will help you explain the context of lynching. Write 2-3 sentences in your own words that define and explain this evidence. Then provide the footnote citation for this evidence in course style. Lynching was widespread that Mark Twain began to refer to the US as the “United States of Lyncherdom.” Southerners were fascinated with lynching, which was known to be a national crime. Lynching was so commonplace that even children thought about lynching other children.
3
8.
Go to the Unit 1 course materials and find a third source with evidence that will help you explain
the context of lynching. Write 2-3 sentences in your own words that define and explain this evidence. Then provide the footnote citation for this evidence in course style. “Red summer” was a term coined for the summer of 1919 referencing the Longview, Texas riot. At the conclusion of WWI, race riots ravished the country, and in September of 1919, 25 people were killed, and hundreds more arrested for rebellion. This uprising was pivotal in the struggle for freedom for black men and women.
4
2
The American Yawp, Chapter 18, Section 4
3
Lynching in the New South, Introduction
4
Revolt Against Chivalry, Chapter 3, Section 1
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