About the book
Before 1850, all legal executions in the South were performed before crowds that could number in the thousands; the last legal public execution was in 1936. This study focuses on the shift from public executions to ones behind barriers, situating that change within our understandings of lynching and competing visions of justice and religion. Intended to shame and intimidate, public executions after the Civil War had quite a different effect on southern Black communities. Crowds typically consisting of as many Black people as white behaved like congregations before a macabre pulpit, led in prayer and song by a Black minister on the scaffold. Black criminals often proclaimed their innocence and almost always their salvation. This turned the proceedings into public, mixed-race, and mixed-gender celebrations of Black religious authority and devotion. In response, southern states rewrote their laws to eliminate these crowds and this Black authority, ultimately turning to electrocutions in the bowels of state penitentiaries. As a wave of lynchings crested around the turn of the twentieth century, states transformed the ways that the South’s white-dominated governments controlled legal capital punishment, making executions into private affairs witnessed only by white people.
Editions of The End of Public Execution
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9781469670409
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781469670416
- EBook
- ISBN 9798890860088
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469670430
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469670423
- PDF
- ISBN 9798890860071
Read an Excerpt
Before 1850, all legal executions in the South were performed before crowds that could number in the thousands; the last legal public execution was in 1936. This study focuses on the shift from public executions to ones behind barriers, situating that change within our understandings of lynching and competing visions of justice and religion. Intended to shame and intimidate, public executions after the Civil War had quite a different effect on southern Black communities. Crowds typically consisting of as many Black people as white behaved like congregations before a macabre pulpit, led in prayer and song by a Black minister on the scaffold. Black criminals often proclaimed their innocence and almost always their salvation. This turned the proceedings into public, mixed-race, and mixed-gender celebrations of Black religious authority and devotion. In response, southern states rewrote their laws to eliminate these crowds and this Black authority, ultimately turning to electrocutions in the bowels of state penitentiaries. As a wave of lynchings crested around the turn of the twentieth century, states transformed the ways that the South’s white-dominated governments controlled legal capital punishment, making executions into private affairs witnessed only by white people.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The End of Public Execution about?
Before 1850, all legal executions in the South were performed before crowds that could number in the thousands; the last legal public execution was in 1936. This study focuses on the shift from public executions to ones behind barriers, situating that change within our understandings of lynching and competing visions of justice and religion. Intended to shame and intimidate, public executions after the Civil War had quite a different effect on southern Black communities. Crowds typically consisting of as many Black people as white behaved like congregations before a macabre pulpit, led in prayer and song by a Black minister on the scaffold. Black criminals often proclaimed their innocence and almost always their salvation. This turned the proceedings into public, mixed-race, and mixed-gender celebrations of Black religious authority and devotion. In response, southern states rewrote their laws to eliminate these crowds and this Black authority, ultimately turning to electrocutions in the bowels of state penitentiaries. As a wave of lynchings crested around the turn of the twentieth century, states transformed the ways that the South’s white-dominated governments controlled legal capital punishment, making executions into private affairs witnessed only by white people.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in The End of Public Execution?
History and Archaeology > History > History of the Americas
Where can I read a sample of The End of Public Execution?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781469670409
How long is The End of Public Execution and how many pages does it have?
The End of Public Execution has 266 page(s)
Who is/are the Author/s of the book The End of Public Execution?
Michael Ayers Trotti
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
The End of Public Execution is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781469670409) and paperback(ISBN 9781469670416) and ebook(ISBN 9798890860088) and ebook(ISBN 9781469670430) and ebook(ISBN 9781469670423) and pdf(ISBN 9798890860071)
Where can I buy The End of Public Execution online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy The End of Public Execution from below
Where can I buy The End of Public Execution?