A Noose at the Square, a Knife in the Dark: An Argument on the Employment of Secrecy in Early Twentieth-Century Lynching in the American Deep South

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North American Studies (MA)

Aalst, Thijs-Jan van (2023)

A Noose at the Square, a Knife in the Dark: An Argument on the Employment of Secrecy in Early Twentieth-Century Lynching in the American Deep South

Master thesis | North American Studies (MA)

In this thesis, the argument is made that the extent to which secrecy was employed in early twentieth-century lynching in the American Deep South is dependent on whether that secrecy provided the desired sense of security from persecution to those participating in a lynch mob. Using three case studies, ranging from a highly publicized and public killing in Waco, Texas, to a group slaying of remotely situated Mexican Texans by a division of Texas Rangers, to a highly coordinated attack on a jewish factory boss in the dark of night, it is argued that either the cover of obscurity or the anonimity in a large group setting could each supply the needed sense of safety for those participating in the lynching to commit to the act fully. The circumstances which would dictate the public or secretive approach varied widely in the studied cases, yet there are some common grounds to be found among them as well.

Lynching

Mexican: African American

Early Twentieth Century