Lynchings

Lynching refers to the execution or torture of a person by a mob outside the bounds of the legal system, often carried out in public and intended to intimidate a group. The acts have taken forms such as hanging, shooting, burning, or blunt force, and frequently involved elements of spectacle, terror, and intimidation of broader communities.

In the United States, lynching became a defining instrument of racial terrorism from the late 19th century into the mid-20th century, especially against Black people in the Southern states. While exact counts vary by source, scholars estimate thousands of Black Americans were lynched between the 1880s and the 1960s, with perpetrators rarely held legally accountable. White supremacist groups, law enforcement complicity, and local authorities sometimes facilitated or tolerated the violence. High-profile cases, such as the 1915 lynching of Leo Frank and the 1955 murder of Emmett Till, drew national attention and helped galvanize civil rights activism.

Legal responses and collective memory have evolved over time. Activists and researchers documented victims and pushed for federal anti-lynching measures, and in 2022 the Emmett Till Antilynching Act made lynching a federal hate crime. Commemorative efforts, such as public memorials and databases cataloging victims, aim to acknowledge the harm, educate the public, and address enduring racial trauma.

Lynching has also occurred in other countries and contexts, where mob violence and extrajudicial killings have been used for political or social repression. Today, discussions of lynching intersect with human rights, civil rights history, and ongoing efforts to confront racial violence, memory, and justice.