Fear Terror and Lynchings Lesson starter Describe how
Fear, Terror and Lynchings Lesson starter: Describe how Jim Crow Laws affected the lives of Black Americans. (4 marks) You need four separate sentences with four separate points for full marks here.
Marking Instructions • • • Schools were separated. Public transport was segregated. Shops catered to white or black Americans only. Restaurant seating areas were segregated. Black Americans lived in fear of the KKK who promoted their prejudice through attacks on black Americans. Cinemas/theatres were separated. Toilets were separated. Drinking fountains were separated. Marriages between black and white Americans illegal. Hospitals/medical services separated. Barbers/hairdressers separated.
Today we will… • Understand what is meant by lynching • Understand why it was difficult for Black Americans to find justice in the South
Lynching This word describes a variety of murders, tortures and punishments given to Black Americans. Usually carried out by mob action.
• ‘Lynch Law’ was when white people would decide that a Black person was guilty of a ‘crime’ and would then punish them • There was no trial to decide who would be lynched – it was completely illegal • Yet little was done to stop it
Characteristics of lynching • • Black victim - man/woman/child Public place Slow death i. e. hanging White crowd looking on (including women and children) • Seen as a social occasion • Case study: Emmett Till
Case study: Emmett Till Lesson starter: Describe the process of lynching in the southern states. (4 marks) You need four separate sentences with four separate points for full marks here.
Today we will… • Understand what is meant by lynching • Understand why it was difficult for Black Americans to find justice in the South
Emmett Till • 14 yr old boy visiting relatives in Mississippi • He flirted with a white shop assistant • Body found in Tallahatchie river with horrendous injuries • Mother could not identify body • All-White jury gave a non-guilty verdict
Why was there no justice for victims of lynching? • Witness statements would be ‘lost’ or ignored • Witnesses worried about reprisals • All-white police force • All-white juries in courts • Many top lawyers and police were involved in the KKK • Black people were almost always found guilty
The Scottsboro Boys An example of injustice • Nine young men arrested for raping two white women on a train • Eight of nine sentenced to death • Little evidence • Thousands of people went to protest at the trial • One woman eventually retracted her statement • Trials dragged on for years • The case highlighted injustice for Black Americans
Task • Write a short newspaper article describing the story of either Emmett Till or the Scottsboro Boys. • It should: – Be one paragraph long (at least) – Contain information on the events – Describe what happened in the end.
- Slides: 12
