Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America - Assignment Example

The paper "Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America" is a great example of an assignment on history. The lynching which occurred in the U.S., which Without Sanctuary examines, occurred mostly in the Southern s like Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia and Alabama. These events mostly took place between the years 1882 and 1968. The events would have been extremely traumatic for African American families of the time. The effect of the lynchings would have been compounded by the fact that there were photographs and souvenirs available of the events, which would have featured family members of the families of the victims. Psychologically, this type of event would have caused fear in the African American community, and it would be difficult to carry out normal daily tasks if affected by such fear. Being unable to leave the house for fear of falling victim to these groups would have made living a normal life possible. Additionally, lynchings would also have caused some anger in the African American community, as they were being unnecessarily targeted by racist groups through no fault of their own.

The images tell an interesting story of the legal system in America during this time. The fact that these events were so commonplace, and were being broadcast so publically in the form of these photographs, means that the legal system would have understood that this was going on but there was very little fear of the law for these groups. It seems important that these events are discussed as part of American history in schools, despite the fact that it may be disturbing for some people, particularly the images. It is important to remember that racism existed in such an outward way in the U.S. as little as 50 years ago, and these murders were being carried out on the African American community in the public eye. It also helps people to understand more the history of race relations in the U.S., which is important for building a better future. Read More