Under Sentence of Death

From the assembled work of fifteen leading scholars emerges a complex and provocative portrait of lynching in the American South. With subjects ranging in time from the late antebellum period to the early twentieth century and in place from the border states to the Deep South this collection of essays provides a rich comparative context in which to study the troubling history of lynching. Covering a broad spectrum of methodologies these essays further expand the study of lynching by exploring such topics as same-race lynchings black resistance to white violence and the political motivations for lynching. In addressing both the history and the legacy of lynching the book raises important questions about Southern history race relations and the nature of American violence. Though focused on events in the South these essays speak to patterns of violence injustice and racism that have plagued the entire nation. The contributors are Bruce E. Baker E. M. Beck W. Fitzhugh Brundage Joan E. Cashin Paula Clark Thomas G. Dyer Terence Finnegan Larry J. Griffin Nancy MacLean William S. McFeely Joanne C. Sandberg Patricia A. Schechter Roberta Senechal de la Roche Stewart E. Tolnay and George C. Wright.