1. Lynching

2. Lynching, defined According to the NAACP, lynching is…
1. an act of killing
2. the killing must be illegal
3. three or more people must have taken part in the killing
4. the killers must claim to be serving either justice or tradition

3. 86 Years of Lynchings Causes Of Lynchings, 1882-1968 Number Percent
Homicides
1,937
40.84
Felonious Assault
205
4.32
Rape
912
19.22
Attempted Rape
288
6.07
Robbery and Theft
232
4.89
Insult to White Person 85
1.79
All Other Causes
1,084
22.85
Total
4,743
100.00

4. WARNING: THE FOLLOWING IMAGES ARE VERY GRAPHIC AND DISTURBING
“We must first give statistics, which are horrible enough, and then a few details, which are more horrible.”
-- P. Thomas Stanford, The Tragedy of the Negro in America

5. 1893: Henry Smith

6. 1911: Laura Nelson

7. 1916: Jessie Washington

8. 1920: Duluth lynching

9. 1930: Thomas Shipp & Abram Smith

10. Strange Fruit Written by Abel Meeropol Performed by Billie Holiday
Southern trees bear strange fruit
Here is the fruit for crows to pluck
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck
Black bodies swinging n the southern breeze
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
Here is a strange and bitter crop
Pastoral scene of the gallant south
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh

11. Lynching Narratives 1. What is the name of the person who was lynched?
You have been given excerpts from The Tragedy of the Negro in America, by P. Thomas Stanford. Read your excerpt carefully, and answer the following questions.
1. What is the name of the person who was lynched?
2. What was the crime lynched person was accused of?
3. Was there any evidence or proof of guilt offered?
4. What was the method of execution?
5. Did the lynchers kill the person they intended to kill?
6. Which detail from the story stood out to you? Why?
7. Is this an example of justice or injustice? Why?