Excerpt from Southern Horrors: Lynch Laws in All Its Phases
Passage Summary:
In "Excerpt from Southern Horrors: Lynch Laws in All Its Phases," historical activist Ida B. Wells discusses the injustice and horrors of Southern lynch laws, focusing on the violence against African Americans following the Civil War.
When and How to Pair:
Have students read this text after reading Chapter 11 when the Wallaces, the Simmses, and other white men threaten to lynch T.J. Pair Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry with “Excerpt from Southern Horrors: Lynch Laws in All Its Phases,” and ask students to analyze how the act of lynching was used as a means to control African Americans. How does the historical information presented in the text inform the setting of the novel?