Lynching is defined as unlawful act of terminating one’s life through shooting, hanging, and burning, with the intention of inflicting fear, intimidation, oppression, punishing people accused of violating laws and social norms, and imposing control of a given population. It was commonly conducted by mob thus fuelling social injustice in the society. In most cases, politicians have used lynching as a way of punishing people who fight against the ruling regimes and poses a social challenge to them. However, lynching is considered a felony and unlawful act that is punishable under the law (Apel, 40).
Historically, lynching emerged between 1889 and 1932; a period that was characterized with civil war, political unrest and oppression of African-Americans, especially in the southern region. The same trend escalated in the 19th century when the white democrats gained their political power and formed laws that segregated blacks from whites thus fuelling racism and discrimination. Approximately, 3400 African-Americans and 1300 whites died as a result lynching in American. The ratification of Emancipation Act of 1833 fuelled oppression and suffering of African-Americans through lynching. White democrats in the south used lynching as one of the disfranchisement techniques that deprived African-Americans right to vote (Segrave, 52). This implied that African-Americans did not have political leaders that could have fought for their rights.
Discussion
The picture provides elaborate and informative illustrations on how lynching process took place during the 1889 and 1932 period in America. Although African-Americans and whites were subject to lynching, African-Americans formed the greatest percentage of the people killed, punished, and executed through lynching process. This aspect is evident in the picture because one can see the body of an African-American man hanging on the tree. The man’s hand are tied with either a rope or chain; an aspect that shows one was tied before being executed. In most cases, lynching done via hanging was carried out in the forest as evident the picture. By then, lynching was not considered a criminal offense as members of the community were allowed to witness and participate in it (Markovitz, 26). The picture portrays a crowd of people, including children at the scene. This aspect affirms the fact that the man was killed either by the mob or the crowd. The background of the picture shows a leader or a politician, with two soldiers beside him. This concept articulates that police and political leaders supported lynching of African-Americans.
The body of the black man hanging on a tree branch with hands tied with a rope is shocking and unpleasant. This depicts the suffering, oppression, and intimidation that African-American went through during this period. The crowd surrounding the scene looks at the dead man and shows no concern because they did not value African-Americans at all. The society had lost its morality and did not value and preserve human life. By then, lynching had become an ordinary aspect that people never paid much attention.
Looking at this picture today will be traumatizing because it will rekindle past experiences that transpired during 1935. Lynching is considered a felony and a crime under the law and one should be sanctioned for committing the offense. The picture elicits different feelings and emotions than it deed in 1935, as it will symbolize lack of humanity, remorse, and value of human life. The picture could not have elicited new feelings and emotions, if it was in 1935 because lynching was a common thing, and it was socially accepted.
Works cited
Apel, Dora . Imagery of Lynching: Black Men, White Women, and the Mob. New York: Rutgers University Press, 2004. Print.
Markovitz, Jonathan. Legacies of Lynching: Racial Violence and Memory. New York: U of Minnesota Press, 2004. Print.
Segrave, Kerry. Lynchings of Women in the United States: The Recorded Cases, 1851-1946. New York: McFarland,, 2009. Print.
