“Patterns of Violence”

Racial violence manifested diversely in the Jim Crow South.
- White lawmakers showed reluctance to arrest whites for lynching and other violent crimes against blacks.
- Rare convictions by all-white juries for arrested whites indicated systemic bias.
Convict Leasing
- New South State governments created a violent, racialized criminal justice system known as convict leasing.
- This system benefitted businesses, large landholders, and public modernization projects.
- Frederick Douglass condemned the convict lease system, equating it and lynch law as intertwined evils stemming from class legislation.

African Americans, including adults and children, faced harsh imprisonment for minor offenses:
- Offenses included drunkenness, vagrancy, loitering, and disturbing the peace.
- Many were arrested and forced to labor without committing any crime.
Studies suggest that convict leasing was another form of slavery; Blackmon described it as worse than slavery.
- Women faced additional horrors in convict camps, such as forced labor and gendered violence.

Lynching solidified racial divisions in society, especially in the last 16 years of the 19th century:
- Over 2,500 lynchings occurred, predominantly targeting African Americans.
- The year 1900 recorded over 100 lynching incidents in the U.S.
Lynchings were not only viewed as extra-legal punishment but became public spectacles:
- Newspapers covered lynchings in detail, and photographs served as mementos for perverse enjoyment.
- Victims of lynching included both men and women from various backgrounds.
The case of Marie Thompson, who was lynched despite claims of self-defense, underscores the brutal reality of lynching.
Contrary to popular belief, fewer than 315 lynching victims were accused of rape; instead, murder and other offenses were prevalent.

Ida B. Wells Barnett launched a campaign against lynching in 1892 after the murder of her friends by a white mob.
Racial violence persisted without legal consequences until the civil rights movement.

An increase in race riots occurred, causing unrest among African Americans:
- In Georgia, a mob violently reacted to the execution of two African Americans convicted of murder.
- The frenzy led to severe violence and terror against Black citizens, demonstrating systemic racism and oppression.
The Atlanta Riot in September 1906 highlighted the hatred fueled by rumors and propaganda in white newspapers, leading to widespread attacks against Blacks.
- Although the militia was called in, effective public order restoration was never achieved, and many innocent Blacks were impacted.

In Brownsville, Texas, President Theodore Roosevelt dismissed African American soldiers without honor following a riot, creating distrust among Black communities.
- The decision evoked outrage in African Americans and was labeled an "executive lynching" by critics.
- Legislative investigations highlighted the systemic injustices faced by Black soldiers.

Northern cities also experienced racial hostility, paralleling Southern violence:
- Incidents in Springfield, Ohio, and Indiana demonstrated similar patterns of lynching and mob violence against Black individuals.
The Springfield riot in August 1908 became notorious for its brutality:
- A mob retaliated against accusations of crime by attacking the Black population, resulting in lynching and property destruction.

African Americans faced systemic violence, limited legal protections, and a society reinforcing racial stereotypes.
Despite challenges, there was a strong communal effort among Blacks to seek self-improvement and depend on their institutions for support.