Most of all, after reading this module, I was struck by the fact that the South of the country continued to remain quite extremist and harsh towards the black population. A particularly interesting factor is how the process of infringement of rights acquired a different and more complex significance. After the war, the South became a less successful and prosperous region, so other aspects of life began to manifest themselves there, which became more complex (Alsobrook 2018). This is reflected in the fact that new political and legal methods were used, which were directed against the African American population. Consequently, the essence of Reconstruction, aimed at guaranteeing equality, was subject to other transformations.
Another striking factor was that lynching has become one of the main instruments of killing the African American population. It is particularly striking that this process has taken increasingly violent forms. The paragraph mentions that “lynching was not just murder, it was ritual rich with symbolism, ” so people’s attitude genuinely amazes and makes readers think (Betz et al.). In addition, it is indicated that “southerners lynched two to three African Americans every week” (Betz et al.). These statistics indicate that the significance of the position of the white population, who held leadership positions, played a decisive role.
New Words
- Reinvigorate – to give new or renewed strength or energy to (something or someone)
- Feeble-minded – impaired in intellectual ability
Response
This fact of lynching also struck me quite strongly. It is especially surprising that this process took place with particular cruelty. All this led to the death of a large number of people. It is quite difficult to imagine that such a thing could take place in the USA. Sometimes one can only guess as to why people make certain decisions that lead to loss of life and discrimination.
References
Alsobrook, David E. “Thomas Goode Jones: Race, Politics, and Justice in the New South by Brent J. Aucoin.” Alabama Review 71, no. 1 (2018): 72–79. Web.
Jacob Betz et al., “Life in Industrial America,” David Hochfelder, ed., in The American Yawp, eds. Joseph Locke and Ben Wright (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2018)