Robert A. Gibson
The United States has a brutal history of domestic violence. It is an ugly episode in our national history that has long been neglected. 0f the several varieties of American violence, one type stands out as one of the most inhuman chapters in the history of the world—the violence committed against Negro citizens in America. This unit on post-Reconstruction Afro-American history will examine anti-Black violence from the 1880s to the 1950s. The phenomenon of lynching and the major race riots of this period will be covered. This unit is divided into three sections: 1) lynching, 2) the most significant race riots between 1898 and 1943, and 3) the Black response to these acts of violence. Suggestions for utilization of the unit are followed by a sequence of lessons, three sample lesson plans, a list of classroom activities and projects, and a selected bibliography for teachers and students.
(Designed as part of an elective course in Afro-American History for high school students, grades 10-12; easily adaptable for U.S. History II.)
Key Words
1880-1950 Afro-American Unrest American Politics General American Prejudice Race Relations
