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Difficulty: MediumRacial Terror and the Anti-Lynching Movement

Read the following excerpt from Ida B. Wells-Barnett's 1892 pamphlet, Southern Horrors:

"The underlying motive of these outrages is to intimidate, suppress, and keep in subjection the Negro, to prevent him from becoming a social, economic, or political factor in the state."

Based on the excerpt, which of the following best describes Wells-Barnett's analysis of the primary cause of racial terror?

  1. A
    Lynching was a spontaneous community response to enforce legal statutes when local courts failed to function.
  2. B
    Racial violence was a temporary byproduct of economic competition between white landowners and Black sharecroppers under labor contracts.
  3. Racial violence was systematically used to maintain white supremacy and prevent Black advancement rather than to punish actual crimes.Answer
  4. D
    Outrages were isolated incidents carried out by lower-class individuals acting without the support of the white political elite.

Answer

Racial violence was systematically used to maintain white supremacy and prevent Black advancement rather than to punish actual crimes.
The correct answer states that racial violence was systematically used to maintain white supremacy and prevent Black advancement. In the excerpt, Ida B. Wells-Barnett explicitly argues that the true motive behind these outrages is to keep Black Americans in a state of subjection and block their social, economic, and political progress.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the provided excerpt from Ida B. Wells-Barnett's pamphlet to identify the main argument.
Wells-Barnett states that the underlying motive of the outrages (lynchings) is to intimidate, suppress, and keep the Negro in subjection to prevent social, economic, or political advancement.
Understanding the core text is necessary to evaluate the author's analysis of racial terror.
2
Compare the identified argument with the given options.
The statement that racial violence was systematically used to maintain white supremacy and prevent Black advancement directly aligns with Wells-Barnett's points on keeping Black Americans in subjection and preventing their progress.
Matching the text's thesis to the correct option confirms the author's primary claim.
3
Eliminate the incorrect options that repeat common misconceptions or misinterpret the text.
Options suggesting lynchings were spontaneous, simple labor contract disputes, or isolated lower-class events are incorrect because they conflict with the systematic and deliberate nature of racial terror described by Wells-Barnett.
Exclusion of distractors ensures the validity of the selected answer.

Key Concept

Ida B. Wells-Barnett's analysis of the true, systemic motives behind racial terror and the anti-lynching movement.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Racial Terror and the Anti-Lynching Movement

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