Under Sentence of Death: Lynching in the South

by W. Fitzhugh Brundage (Editor)

From the assembled work of fifteen leading scholars emerges a complex and provocative portrait of lynching in the American South. With subjects ranging in time from the late antebellum period to the early twentieth century, and in place from the border states to the Deep South, this collection of essays provides a rich comparative context in which to study the troubling history of lynching. Covering a broad spectrum of methodologies, these essays further expand the study of lynching by exploring such topics as same-race lynchings, black resistance to white violence, and the political motivations for lynching. In addressing both the history and the legacy of lynching, the book raises important questions about Southern history, race relations, and the nature of American violence. Though focused on events in the South, these essays speak to patterns of violence, injustice, and racism that have plagued the entire nation. The contributors are Bruce E. Baker, E. M. Beck, W. Fitzhugh Brundage, Joan E. Cashin, Paula Clark, Thomas G. Dyer, Terence Finnegan, Larry J. Griffin, Nancy MacLean, William S. McFeely, Joanne C. Sandberg, Patricia A. Schechter, Roberta Senechal de la Roche, Stewart E. Tolnay, and George C. Wright.

Genres: History

330 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1997

About the author

William Fitzhugh Brundage (born 1961) is an American historian, and William B. Umstead Professor of History, at University of North Carolina. He graduated from the University of Chicago, and from Harvard University with an MA and Ph.D, in 1988. Prior to taking up his current position at the University of North Carolina, he taught at Queen's University, and University of Florida.

Reviews

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really informative and generally well written anthology of the many forms lynching took in the postwar South. The format makes the book accessible even to readers who might not approach the subject with much knowledge, and also lends itself to the (I think correct) conclusion that lynching is best explored as an overarching term that can be used to describe a wide variety of extralegal violence, usually (though not always) as a tool of white supremacists. I glossed over the more sociology-oriented parts of the book--the trend in the literature on lynching as "performative violence" is intriguing but to me kind of elides why lynching merits our attention--but overall it's an excellent compilation.

[Mills College Library]

364.134 U551 1997

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hoity-toity college paper. No pictures . . . you'll need to find those elsewhere. I didn't like the lofty writing but gave it 2 stars for effort and pages of [supposed] sources.