jan 1, 1892 - Ida B. Wells research found statistics compiled by the Chicago Tribune, published on Jan 1, 1892 of the dark and bloody record of the South:

Description:

728 Afro-Americans were lynched from 1884-1892. Very few were for political causes and the rest ranged from the rape allegations against white women, to the case of the boy Will Lewis who was hanged at Tullahoma, Tenn., in 1891 for being drunk and "sassy" to white folks.

9 months after the statistics the Chicago Tribune posted, 150 more Afro-Americans joined the horrible fate of a violent death at the hands of cruel bloodthirsty white mobs. Wells stated that "To palliate this record (which grows worse as the Afro-American becomes intelligent) and excuse some of the most heinous crimes that ever stained the history of a country, the South is shielding itself behind the plausible screen of defending the honor of its women." This isn't about honor; this is about having an excuse to inflict hatred and perform their dark and bloody fantasies of being able to kill and torture with no repercussions. This isn't about protecting white women. If it was, why aren't white male rapists who rape white women receiving the same treatment that black men are? Why aren't they tortured and maimed? Because the reasoning behind the lynchings isn't fueled by rape; it's fueled by racial hatred.

The Chicago Tribune statistics also showed that only one-third of the 728 victims have been CHARGED with rape; the rest were murdered before charges could even be pressed against them or charges were never going to be pressed because they were murdered for no reason. As stated in the Red Record by Ida B. Wells, the wide range of reasons Afro-Americans were lynched included: arson, suspected robbery, assault, attempted assault, incendiarism, attempted rape, burglary, wife beating, attempted murder, attempted robbery, race prejudice, alleged barn burning, alleged murder, alleged complicity in murder, murder, self-defense, poisoning wells, alleged well poisoning, insulting whites, murderous assault, no offense, alleged rape, alleged stock poisoning, suspected murder, suspicion of rape, turning state's evidence, rape, unknown offenses, desperado, suspected incendiarism, suspected arson, enticing servant away, train wrecking, highway robbery, introducing smallpox, kidnapping, conspiracy, horse stealing, writing letters to a white woman, giving information, stealing, larceny, political causes, conjuring, and asking white woman to marry him.

Wells stated that, "During the year 1894, there were 132 persons executed in the United States by due form of law, while in the same year, 197 persons were put to death by mobs who gave the victims no opportunity to make a lawful defense. Not all nor nearly all of the murders done by white men, during the past thirty years in the South, have come to light, but the statistics as gathered and preserved by white men, and which have not been questioned, show that during these years more than ten thousand Negroes have been killed in cold blood, without the formality of judicial trial and legal execution. And yet, as evidence of the absolute impunity with which the white man dares to kill a Negro, the same record shows that during all these years, and for all these murders only three white men have been tried, convicted, and executed. As no white man has been lynched for the murder of colored people, these three executions are the only instances of the death penalty being visited upon white men for murdering Negroes".

Only 3 white men, in over a decade, for over 10,000 murders, met repercussions for lynching black people. It's also important to put into consideration that most lynchings were not a 1 murderer to 1 victim ratio; almost every one lynching was done by a mob of hundreds to a thousand whites. 3 out of 10,000 is a statistic that represents the depravity of the south. A statistic that represents how vile and inhumane a place can be like the American South was.

So why is all of this important? Like the common saying, “Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it.” Knowing about the past makes a better future so that people know not to make the same mistakes. Having the knowledge about past racial crimes or inequalities gives future people, future America, the motivation and determination to put laws and systems in place to make sure tragedies and injustices like lynchings don't ever happen again.


Photo: Photograph of Ida B. Wells

Added to timeline:

Date:

Images: