Read the following passage adapted from a late nineteenth-century text:
"The Southern white man says that the Negro must be kept down... We must explain to the world that the threat of 'Negro domination' and the cry of 'assault on white womanhood' are but subterfuges to justify the murder of men who are acquiring property, building businesses, and asserting their constitutional rights."
Based on this excerpt, which of the following best describes the primary driver of racial terror in the South according to the author's analysis?
- AA spontaneous and direct response to rising crime rates and the breakdown of local law enforcement
- BA moral crusade to protect Southern womanhood and uphold traditional domestic values
- The strategic use of violence to suppress Black economic competition and political progressAnswer
- DA temporary system of vigilante justice arising from the lack of formal court systems in the rural South
Answer
The primary driver of racial terror was the strategic use of violence to suppress Black economic competition and political progress.
The correct option identifies the primary driver of racial terror as the suppression of Black economic independence and political progress. In the passage, the author asserts that common justifications for lynching—such as the threat of 'Negro domination' or 'assault on white womanhood'—were mere 'subterfuges' (excuses) designed to hide the true goal of destroying the progress of Black individuals who were successfully acquiring property, running businesses, and claiming their constitutional rights.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Ida B. Wells-Barnett's analysis of the economic and political motives behind lynching, exposing the rhetoric of 'protecting white womanhood' as a pretext for racial terror.