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"Lynching Black People Because They Are Black" by Frederick Douglass, April 1894

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Courtesy of Library of Congress, Douglass, Frederick, "Lynching Black People Because They Are Black," Christian Educator, April 1894

Description

This is an article written by Frederick Douglass and published in The Christian Educator in 1894. It focuses on the horrible treatment and violent abuse of African Americans in southern states after the end of legal enslavement in the United States and the Civil War.

Full Transcript of "Lynching Black People Because They Are Black"

Transcribed Excerpts from "Lynching Black People Because They Are Black"

Source-Dependent Questions

  • As you read these excerpts, what do you learn about life for an African American in the South during this time period?
  • What evidence does the author share that gave reason why African Americans were pushed to flee the South and migrate North?
  • Douglass writes, "I have waited patiently, but anxiously, to see the end of the epidemic of mob law and persecution now prevailing at the South. But the indications are not hopeful... It is no longer local, but national; no longer confined to the South, but has invaded the North." With this statement in mind, refer back to the Great Migration Railroad Strike article. Why would African Americans migrate north, to cities like Waterloo, when they didn't know what conditions they were entering into?

Citation Information 

Douglass, Frederick, "Lynching Black People Because They Are Black," The Christian Educator, April 1894. Courtesy of Library of Congress