The term "lynching" is generally regarded to be a derivation of the surname of Charles Lynch (1736-1796), a Virginia-born son of Irish Quakers who would grow up to become a justice of the peace (a post that cost him his status as a Quaker). Lynch became known for his vigilante anti-Loyalist actions, later seen as a kind of peculiar, American antecedent to the white supremacist lynch mobs that sprang up in the South, fueled in the late 1800's by such organizations as the KKK.
No comments:
Post a Comment