How Americans Justified Lynchings Through Scientific Racism 

From the 17th century through the mid-19th century, slavery had been a common practice within America. In 1865, slavery was abolished; however, white Americans still held many prejudices against black Americans. As black men and women worked towards social equality, white people did whatever it took to suppress them in order to maintain their social status (Dray 36-37). Along with the general mistreatment black people received on a daily basis, there were also hundreds of occasions where black men, women, and children were lynched (Dray 49).

According to the white Americans, many people believed that black people deserved this treatment. Black people were viewed as inferior to whites in all aspects. In the late 1800s, many intellectuals began studying the Negro race to reinforce their own superiority. Social Darwinism along with other fields within scientific racism fed into the overall mob mentality of the white Americans of the South and justified their treatment of the black Americans during this period. In the late 1800s, many intellectuals began studying the Negro race to reinforce their ideas on their own superiority. This research, known as scientific racism, lead to Social Darwinism. Additionally, this research aided the overall mob mentality of white men and women of the South, and justified their “right” to lynch whoever they chose to. Two influential researchers of the time were Charles Darwin and Robert Chambers. In the mid-1800s, Darwin published his thesis, Origin of Species. His contribution to the scientific community challenged many accepted theories about religion, humans, and how the world came to be. From his research, he proposed that humans are not superior to animals, but are in the same kingdom. Additionally, he did acknowledge that there are differences among human race, but never explicitly said that one was superior to another. At this time, Chambers was also studying evolution. His hypothesis stated that “evolution was man’s progressive journey over time through the various races, with the Negro race the lowest stage and the Caucasian race the highest and most perfect” (Dray 95).

Another famous intellectual of the time was Herbert Spencer. Studying the research of Darwin, Spencer coined the term “survival of the fittest. ” Also known as “natural selection,” this meant that the strongest survive, and the weakest die off. After reading over Chamber’s ideas, Spencer merged the two hypotheses and introduced Social Darwinism to America. Social Darwinism states that the Caucasian race was the fittest and the Negro race was the weakest. Additionally, he believed that different races had their respective social rank for a reason, making it pointless to fight for racial equality (Dray 95). Despite this, there are always people who are willing to fight for their rights, so white men had to find other ways to protect their social status. Prior to the Civil War, slavery was a common practice in the South. At the time, the slaves were kept subservient by various punishments such as whipping. After freedom was granted to all slaves, white people turned to more severe methods, such as death, as a way to remind all black people that they will always be superior. Over time, these killings gained popularity. Soon enough, mobs formed and began to lynch hundreds of black people. This could only go on for so long. The South was criticized for their lynchings without cause, and the public conscience was also affected. In response to this, the white people responsible began to give reasons for their acts (Wells 58). According to Ida B. Wells, she said that there were three popular reasons that were used during this time. Prevent “race riots” from happening (Wells 58). Prevent black participation in the government (Wells 59). The final excuse was rape. This excuse was accepted from the late 1800s and lasted through the early 1900s (Wells 60). From 1865-1872, white men used lynchings as an excuse to avoid race riots. However, according to the recorded information of the time, there was never any riot that took place. Also, there was no black rioter ever proven guilty (Wells 59).

The men soon realized that another excuse must be made. The next excuse emerged during Reconstruction. In 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment was passed which gave black men the right to vote. White men refused to accept that black men could vote. They said that it was a “white man’s government,” and that only white men should hold any authority in the government. Hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan formed, and these mobs believed they had the right to lynch any person they wanted. They mainly went after black men to prevent them from exercising their right to vote. Soon after, voting participation from the black community was eliminated (Wells 59). White men realized they needed one final excuse. Lasting from the late 1800s until the early 1900s, rape became the primary reason for lynchings. These men knew that the reputations of their wives were very important and that there was no crime worse than invading the “sacred white womb” (Dray 100). Unsurprisingly, rape did not occur nearly as often as the white men claimed. In many cases, the man had no intention of engaging in non-consensual activities with these women.

In fact, there were many reported cases where the women were the ones instigating the relationships (Wells 31). Despite this evidence, white men refused to believe that white women could ever mix with black men. To support their opinions, many studies were performed. The studies that were conducted all branched from a field of science known as scientific racism. One of the initial topics that gained popularity during this time was physiognomy. Physiognomy is ts the science of judging character based upon facial features. Peter Camper, a German scientist, proposed that because black people had “snoutlike” noses, they were closest to animals in comparison to whites. Another popular field of science was phrenology, the study of how human character is related to skull shape. One of the leading phrenologists of the time was Dr. Samuel Morton. From his collection of over eight hundred skulls, he concluded that blacks, Chinese, and Native Americans had the least mental capacity. One of Morton’s students, Josiah Nott, said that whites and blacks were two different species and that white people saved black people from barbarism by taking them in as their slaves (Dray 96-97). This research was so powerful, that it influenced the minds of the people, law, and court decisions. Looking deeper into white America’s view of black men, specifically their sexual nature, Nathaniel Shaler, Agassiz, and Edward Cope presented research on the mental development of black people.

They said that due to their skull closing at an early age, black people were not mentally developed past the age of fourteen. Shaler went on to say that black people could not control their sexual desires due to this developmental issue. He also believed that the rapes of white women were due to their apelike behavior, and the desire to retaliate against former owners (Dray 98-99). Over time, more research was published which reinforced their view on black men, which also helped support their rape allegations. As mentioned throughout the essay, the overall opinion from white people on black people is that they are inferior to white people and lack self-control. Throughout this period, lynchings were accepted, and even supported, by the people of the South. Thousands of people were mercilessly killed (Dray 36-37). Additionally, scientific research was conducted to prove their point further. Despite this, people began changing their view on lynchings over time. In 1893, Governor Jones from Alabama spoke out about how lynchings are unacceptable and asked the public to do whatever they could to prevent these crimes (Wells 125-126). Looking at today’s view on race, America has not yet reached the racial equality that many strive for. Although there are still people that believe in scientific racism and Social Darwinism, the general opinion throughout America is that no race is genetically superior to another, and one day, racial equality may be within reach.