Racial Violence In Kentucky: Lynchings, Mob Rule, and "Legal Lynchings"

by George C. Wright

"Wright vividly portrays the clash between racist militants and blacks who would not submit to terror. The book makes clear the brutality concealed beneath the surface veneer of moderation." -- Journal of Southern History
In this investigative look into Kentucky's race relations from the end of the Civil War to 1940, George C. Wright brings to light a consistent pattern of legally sanctioned and extralegal violence employed to ensure that blacks knew their "place" after the war.
In the first study of its kind to target the racial patterns of a specific state, Wright demonstrates that despite Kentucky's proximity to the North, its black population was subjected to racial oppression every bit as severe and prolonged as that found farther south. His examination of the causes and extent of racial violence, and of the steps taken by blacks and concerned whites to end the brutality, has implications for race relations throughout the United States.

Genres: Race, History

368 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1990

Reviews

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have lived all my life in Kentucky. Ninety percent of what I read in this book I either did not know, or had an idea of but did not fully appreciate the depth/extent. This was a good read in the sense that the writing was academic but clear and not too dense to wade through, and very well researched. This was also a difficult read for what I hope are obvious reasons, but I wanted to read it to better understand the history of my home. Most of this history, I was never taught in school or it was touched on very, very lightly.

[Clayton Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic well-researched book that dives into the many facets of how Jim Crow affected the justice system of a border state like Kentucky whether it was mob-backed lynchings or state-approved so-called legal lynchings.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book describing Whites' violence towards African Americans in Klantucky.

[Sonia Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

finished this finally this morning. Is unspeakably
really really bad, because it is written from a white perspective
whole book "dripping with injustice"
Do Not Read