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Difficulty: MediumRacial Terror and the Anti-Lynching Movement

In her 1904 article "Lynching from a Negro's Point of View," civil rights activist Mary Church Terrell wrote:

"Of the hundred and four negroes who were lynched during the year 1903, only eleven were charged with [assault]... It is easy to see, therefore, that the protection of white women is a mere shibboleth, a shield behind which the murderers hide to escape the condemnation of the civilized world."

Which of the following statements best describes the primary argument Terrell makes in the excerpt regarding the public justifications given for lynching?

  1. The defense of white womanhood was a false pretext constructed to mask the real motivations of racial control and terror.Answer
  2. B
    The accusations of assault were valid indicators of rising violent crime rates in rural Southern communities.
  3. C
    Lynching was a necessary, if lawless, measure to protect rural communities in the absence of functioning local courts.
  4. D
    Reforming the local judicial system to expedite trials would satisfy vigilante mobs and eliminate the motivations behind lynchings.

Answer

The correct answer states that the defense of white womanhood was a false pretext constructed to mask the real motivations of racial control and terror.
Terrell uses statistics to show that only a small percentage of lynching victims were accused of assault, demonstrating that the defense of white womanhood was a false pretext to hide the real motives of racial terror and control.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the quantitative data presented in the stimulus.
Identify that only 11 out of 104 lynching victims (roughly 10%) were accused of assault in 1903.
This establishes that the vast majority of lynchings did not involve the crime commonly cited as the justification for the practice.
2
Interpret the author's characterization of the public justification.
Identify that the author labels the justification ('protection of white women') as a 'shibboleth' and a 'shield' for murderers.
This shows the author's argument that the public excuse was a deliberate falsehood designed to hide the perpetrators' true intentions.
3
Select the option that matches this structural analysis of the pretext.
Choose the statement explaining that the defense of white womanhood was a false pretext to mask racial control.
This directly matches the author's argument that the public justification was a deceptive shield.

Key Concept

Deconstructing the pretexts of racial terror and lynching
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Racial Terror and the Anti-Lynching Movement

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