Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumRacial Terror and the Anti-Lynching Movement

In her 1892 pamphlet *Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases*, Ida B. Wells-Barnett analyzed the economic dynamics surrounding racial terror in the American South. She argued:

> "The Negro can do two things: save his money and leave the town; or if he stays, he can refuse to support the businesses of those who do not respect him. ... By doing so, he will strike a blow at the white man’s pocketbook, which is the only place the white man feels."

Based on this excerpt, which of the following strategies did Wells-Barnett advocate as an effective response to the threat of lynching?

  1. Leveraging demographic mobility and consumer power to disrupt the financial interests of those who condoned racial terrorAnswer
  2. B
    Seeking federal legislative oversight to regulate Southern commerce and guarantee equal employment opportunities
  3. C
    Promoting accommodationist labor practices to convince white landowners that Black communities posed no economic threat
  4. D
    Establishing legal defense funds to appeal discriminatory rulings in local Southern criminal courts

Answer

Leveraging demographic mobility and consumer power to disrupt the financial interests of those who condoned racial terror
The correct option is correct because Ida B. Wells-Barnett directly connects leaving the town (migration) and refusing to patronize white-owned businesses (boycotts) with targeting the financial interests ('pocketbook') of the white power structure that enabled and ignored lynch law.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the provided quote from Ida B. Wells-Barnett's 1892 pamphlet.
The quote identifies two tools: saving money to leave the town (migration) and refusing to support disrespectful businesses (boycott).
Understanding the direct actions proposed by the author is essential to identifying the correct historical strategy.
2
Evaluate the target and mechanism of these actions.
The mechanism is to 'strike a blow at the white man's pocketbook,' meaning economic disruption is used to force a change in behavior.
This links the action of leaving/boycotting to its intended outcome of exerting economic pressure.
3
Match these actions and mechanisms to the correct conceptual definition in the options.
The strategy corresponds to using demographic mobility (migration) and consumer power (boycott) to target the economic interests of the dominant group.
This confirms the correct option based on the text's focus on collective economic resistance.

Key Concept

Economic and community-based resistance strategies within the anti-lynching movement
Rate this question

Topics

Racial Terror and the Anti-Lynching Movement

More questions from this topic