The Psychology of Racism in Jim Crow America

Then & Now・2 minutes read

Sam Hose, a Black American, killed his employer in self-defense, sparking sensationalized stories leading to a gruesome lynching. Lynchings in the US were fueled by scientific racism, economic competition, and the need to maintain white supremacy, perpetuated by stereotypes and propaganda.

Insights

  • The brutal lynching of Sam Hose in 1899 exemplifies the extreme violence and dehumanization faced by Black Americans during the era of lynchings in the US, where false accusations, sensationalized stories, and racial stereotypes fueled horrific acts of racial violence and terror.
  • Lynchings in the US between 1889 and 1930 were not only driven by specific crimes but also by a broader context of maintaining white supremacy, economic competition, and societal control, highlighting how systemic racism, economic disparities, and distorted beliefs about race and superiority intersected to perpetuate violence and oppression against African Americans.

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Recent questions

  • What led to Sam Hose's lynching?

    Hose killed his employer after an argument.

  • How were lynchings justified in the US?

    Lynchings were justified as necessary for racial order.

  • What fueled fears of racial mixing in the US?

    Concerns about impurity and racial mixing.

  • How did economic factors influence lynchings?

    Lynchings were influenced by below-average economies.

  • What factors contributed to a culture of violence in the US?

    Threats to basic human needs and scientific racism.

Related videos

Summary

00:00

"Sam Hose Lynching: Brutal Racial Injustice"

  • On April 12, 1899, 24-year-old Black American Sam Hose asked his employer Alfred Cranford in Georgia for time off and an advance in payment to visit his sick mother.
  • An argument ensued between Hose and Cranford, leading to Cranford threatening Hose with a pistol, prompting Hose to retaliate by hitting Cranford in the head with an axe, killing him instantly.
  • Hose fled the following day, with newspapers reporting various sensationalized stories, including allegations of sexual assault on Cranford's wife and an attempted murder of their baby.
  • The Atlanta Constitution reported the possibility of Hose being lynched, burnt at the stake, or tortured due to the high excitement and indignation in the community.
  • A search for Hose continued, with a $500 reward offered for his capture, and residents showing no inclination to abandon the search.
  • Hose was found and arrested by officers on the 23rd, who took him to the town of Newman where a crowd gathered for his lynching.
  • The lynching involved stripping Hose, chaining him to a tree, stacking kerosene-soaked wood around him, saturating him with oil, and setting him on fire.
  • Hose's body was mutilated, with ears, fingers, and genitals cut off, face skinned, and body parts fought over as souvenirs before his bones were crushed.
  • Between 1889 and 1930, around 3,700 known lynchings occurred in the US, with victims targeted for reasons ranging from murder and rape to minor offenses like being rude or having differing beliefs.
  • Lynchings were perpetrated by ordinary individuals, often justified as necessary to protect against perceived black aggression and maintain racial order, with propaganda and stereotypes reinforcing racist beliefs.

19:27

Racism and Stereotypes in Southern Society

  • Powerful feelings of disgust, squeamishness, and revulsion were fueled by scientific racism, leading to fears of African Americans transmitting germs and genes threatening white racial purity.
  • Recollection from Melton Maclaurin's diary illustrates his horror at imagining "black germs" entering his body when his black friend applied saliva to inflate a basketball.
  • Concerns about racial mixing were prevalent, with instances like Lumpkin's brother refusing to eat with someone who had dined with a black man.
  • Attitudes about masculinity in white Southern men were intertwined with the need to control women's bodies to prevent impurity and racial mixing.
  • The belief that the white race was protecting and caring for African Americans, even if not acknowledged, was common due to scientific racism.
  • Stereotypes and caricatures depicted African Americans as figures of fun, entertainment, and comedy, justifying negative treatment by white Southerners.
  • Organizations like the Junior KKK and the United Daughters of the Confederacy aimed to socialize children into upholding Southern principles and stereotypes.
  • Textbooks perpetuated stereotypes, describing African Americans as docile, grateful, and better off in slavery, fostering nostalgia for the past.
  • Lynchings were influenced by economic factors, with areas experiencing lynchings often having below-average economies, and white capping aimed at scaring black families away from competition for work.
  • Lynchings served multiple functions, including removing specific individuals, intimidating the black population, eliminating competitors, and reinforcing white supremacy, driven by threats to white privilege and resources.

37:59

Genocide: Roots in Unmet Human Needs

  • Irvin Stubb, a psychologist, argues that genocide is more likely to occur when difficult life conditions frustrate basic human needs such as security, control, positive identity, social connections, and necessities like food, water, and shelter. These needs, when threatened, contribute to a culture of violence, supported by a backdrop of scientific racism, nostalgia, and paternalism, leading many to believe their actions are for the greater good.
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