1906 Atlanta Race Riot Essay

If I were to ask you what you knew about W.E.B. Du Bois and the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot, what would your answer be? You might state the obvious and say that there was a race war in Atlanta that affected many people including Du Bois but do you know the depth of the matter? The 1900’s was a powerful and intriguing time period in history that included events from the assassination of William McKinley to the infamous World Wars. While events such as these took the nation by storm there were other affairs that were rattling the people of America, specifically those in the South, that became known as the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot. The Atlanta Race riot began on September 22 and ended on September 24, 1906. American history students should read this

The 14th amendment granted citizenship to all who were born in the United States and the 15th amendment prohibited the government from denying a citizen the right to vote based on race and color. The increase in the Black population caused jobs to become competitive, the advancement of Blacks made some become business owners and others obtained education. This caused the White Elites to have some concerns and to compete, which they weren’t too thrilled about. The lynching of Sam Hose and the display and consumption of his body caused W.E.B. Du Bois, and others, to realize that they were not cared for and that Blacks as a whole were merely nothing. There was no respect for the deceased and Blacks were treated more like animals than actual living beings. The author’s stated “He was startled by the festive capture and ghoulish torture that ended in castration and incineration, with strips of Hose 's liver cooked and sold for ten cents. The message to all blacks was that they, too, could be sexually mutilated, reduced to meat, and consumed-exorcised in cannibal meaning and act.” “733:22”. Du Bois couldn’t believe how they treated the dead man’s body. Newspapers didn’t try to calm down the rising tensions between Blacks and White and instead they added more fuel to the fire. They described accounts of Black men harassing and assaulting White women which caused an uproar in the White

Lives were lost based on claims that were never found to be completely accurate. The author’s speak about how Hoke Smith, who was running for President at the time, used his power and raised tensions among Whites and Blacks. His power was superior and he was able to use it to sway and impact the newspapers into releasing certain stories. Smith wanted Blacks to stay stagnant and didn’t want them becoming too smart or powerful. Hoke created and initiated Jim Crow laws that were known to support and encourage the separation and exclusion of Blacks. He did this by ensuring literacy tests that were meant to discourage Blacks from prospering and gaining rights. The author’s said “The eventual winner, race-baiting Hoke Smith, might have conspired with ruffians who masqueraded as blacks and assaulted white girls, while Atlanta editors published unsubstantiated accounts of black beasts raping white women.” “739:52”. Editors and writers didn’t bother to investigate or confirm if these allegations were true. Since this was the early 1900’s most people were for the idea of Blacks being inferior to Whites and Whites being superior. They also didn’t care to hear whether of not Blacks were right or