42. Atticus G. Haygood, “The Black Shadow in the South,” Forum (October 1893): 167-75.


Article that begins with the observation that lynching of African Americans has become so commonplace in the South that is has ceased to surprise white Southerners. The author condemns lynching with these words. “In organized society, lynching is a crime against society. It is not a question as to what the victim deserves; it is a question as to what society can afford. In organized society, there is not higher civil or social duty than obedience to law; the lyncher is, of all men, the violator of law.” The author also concludes that increasing the educational level of African Americans is the best antidote to crimes that become a pretext for lynching.