Lynching in America

The end of the Civil War marked a new era of racial terror
and violence directed at black people in the United
States that has not been adequately acknoweldged or addressed
in this country. Following emancipation in 1865,
thousands of freed black men, women, and children were
killed by white mobs, former slave owners, and members of
the Confederacy who were unwilling to accept the anticipated
end of slavery and racial subordination.
The violent response to
freedom for former slaves was
followed by decades of
racial terror lynchings and
targeted violence designed
to sustain white
supremacy and racial
hierarchy.
No one was more at
risk of experiencing violence
and targeted racial
terror than black veterans
who had proven their valor
and courage as soldiers during
the Civil War, World War I, and World
War II. Because of their military service, black veterans were
seen as a particular threat to Jim Crow and racial subordination.
Thousands of black veterans were assaulted, threatened,
abused, or lynched following military service.
The disproportionate abuse and assaults against black
veterans have never been fully acknowledged. This report
highlights the particular challenges endured by black veterans
in the hope that our nation can better confront the
legacy of this violence and terror. No community is more deserving
of recognition and acknowledgment than those
black men and women veterans who bravely risked their
lives to defend this country’s freedom only to have their own
freedom denied and threatened because of racial bigotry.
Bryan Stevenson, Director
2 Photo by David Turnley/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images