I know that every state is different, and in Pennsylvania that
Lynching had repercussions that were long lasting. The man who
thought he was going to be Governor, lost. This man was lynched in a
County where Quakers had Safe Houses, and major stops on the
Underground Railroad.
When I came to California in the 70's, the KKK were strong in rural
areas. What amazed me was when they started showing up on College
Campuses, and big cities, the whites attacked them. They could not
get enough police to protect them, and eventually stopped showing up.
So I know that all whites, nor even most whites are racists. We live
in a diverse society, and our children need to learn tolerance early
on.
Anita
-- [log in to unmask] wrote:
You really should read Abraham Lincoln's Young Man's Lyceum speech,
which he delivered when running for congress as a Whig in 1838, at
age 28.
Lincoln makes the classical conservative argument for why respect for
the law is fundamental to the survival of democracy. As Lincoln
demonstrates, whatever short term benefits may derive from vigilante
justice are given back many times over in the undermining of the
institutions necessary to prevent anarchy and to sustaining ordered
liberty. Mob justice--lynching--destroys the conditions that makes
possible a civil society.
Ronald Reagan understood this full well--for Reagan, respect for the
law was fundamental. In this, Reagan, unlike the people who call
themselves conservative today, understood the dangers that are
intrinsic to democracy. The kind of Jeffersonian--I would venture to
say Utopian--faith that Mr. South demonstrates in the ability of the
people accurately, in the heat of the moment, to perceive the public
good and act to achieve it, is endearing. Its also hopelessly
naive. This is the kind of faith that Robespierre had in "natural"
justice--and it leads to the same conclusions and the same ends.
No one with any appreciation for the deep capacity inherent in
humanity to commit depraved acts, all the while with the self-
delusion that their actions are rational and defensible, should ever
want to see mob justice. This is the kind of misunderstanding of
human nature that led otherwise thoughtful and intelligent people in
the United States to defend Leninist and Stalinist communism with
such determination.
You can find Lincoln's speech at the following address:
http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/lyceum.htm
---- Original message ----
>Date: Sun, 24 Jun 2007 17:46:39 EDT
>From: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: The Law & Lynching (was Re: Topic Picnic and Its
Derogatory Commutations ...
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
>Just got back from a weekend conference (more on that later) and
saw the
>chain on lynching. No one has stepped forward with the beneficial
uses of
>lynching, so I will.
>
>My g-g-grandfather was a gold miner in Idaho Territory (now Montana)
during
>a period (1850's) when highwaymen routinely robbed miners and
citizens, and
>killed a fair number in the process. My g-g-grandfather was robbed
of a bag
>of gold dust and two pistols while on a stagecoach from Alder Gulch,
Montana
>to his home in Virginia City, Montana. Now, he was one of the
founders of the
>Virginia City Citizens Committee for Vigilance (was in fact
treasurer), so
>some of the members and he went out, found the highwaymen who had
robbed the
>stagecoach in a bunkhouse (along with the gold dust and pistols) and
summarily
>took them outside and "strung em up." During the following period
of about
>a year, 50-60 highwaymen and other criminal thugs in Montana were
also found
>guilty by the citizen "Vigalanties" and were hung (including the
infamous
>Plummer Gang).
>
>Something then happened. Crime virtually came to a standstill in
Montana.
>Perhaps a lesson to be gained there.
>
>Some years ago I was in Virginia City doing some genealogical
research and
>checked into the historic hotel in town. The old guy behind the
desk looked
>at my name and asked me if I was related to my g-g-grandfather. I
told him
>yes and the connection. He said "well your g-g-grandfather hung my
grandfather
>Henry Plummer." We laughed and I bought him dinner and a few
drinks that
>night. He let on this his grandfather deserved what he got.
>
>Moreover, if the theory behind capital punishment is deterrence,
then maybe
>we need to bring public hanging back for public display so those who
would
>commit capital crimes could see how they will be rewarded. Puting
someone to
>death in secret doesn't seem to me to fully meet the goal of
detering others,
>since we can't really see how horrible the execution is.
>
>J South
>
>
>
>************************************** See what's free at
http://www.aol.com.
Kevin R. Hardwick, Ph.D.
Department of History
James Madison University
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