Black Competition and White Vengeance: Legal Execution of Blacks as Social Control in the Cotton South, 1890 to 1929

In: Social science quarterly, Band 73, Heft 3, S. 627-644

Abstract

Data on the number of black executions from 400+ counties in 6 states of the Cotton South 1890-1909 & 1910-1929 (representing pre- & postdisenfranchisement periods) are used to examine the utility of competition explanations, particularly Hubert M. Blalock's threat hypotheses (Toward a Theory of Minority-Group Relations, New York: Wiley, 1967; see SA 16:1/67C8904), for explaining geographic variation in the frequency of legal black executions (BEs). The relationship between black population concentration & BEs is assessed before & after introducing direct measures of racial competition. Findings for the earlier time period suggest that economic competition between the races had a substantial influence on the frequency of BEs within counties. However, a persistently strong relationship between black population concentration & BEs indicates the operation of social forces not included in the models. For the postdisenfranchisement period, the relationship between a county's racial composition & BE virtually disappears, & none of the direct measures of racial competition exerts a significant influence on BEs. The evidence from the earlier & later time periods combined indicates that a real variation in the propensity to execute blacks was shaped by both economic & political competition between the races. 2 Tables, 2 Figures, 35 References. Adapted from the source document.