Reflecting over The Redwood Massacre Depicted in the Movie Rosewood

Violent, racially motivated conflict dominated the South during the early 20th Century. Some of the most deadly, inhumane racial disturbances occurred amongst blacks during this time. In this paper I will discuss what we know today as “The Redwood Massacre”, a brutal event that took place in a rural area known as Levy County located in Rosewood, Florida, U.S. in January of 1923 that would cost innocent blacks their lives due to racial violence. Though blacks predominantly populated Rosewood, soon this would come to a change. The morning of January 1st, 1923 would be the beginning of something Rosewoods citizens never saw coming. The alleged beating and rape of Fannie Taylor, a young white woman married to James Taylor, who was a worker of the Cummer and Sons saw mill in Sumner, would not only spark the rise of a riot but with the news spreading rapidly lead to a history of events that would later come along. Fannie Taylor accused her attacker of being a black man who lived in a community nearby. White men believed this rumor to be true and believed it to be Jesse Hunter, who had been serving time for having carried a concealed weapon. They quickly set out on the hunt for Jesse Hunter, a convict who had just escaped from a crew that he’d worked for.
After watching the movie I have a new found respect for blacks who endured racial prejudice and were subject to the mistreatment because of their skin color. The movie made me feel really sad and it gave me visual of what may have taken place in Rosewood, Florida. The violence that the people suffered was hurtful to watch and unimaginable. Reading the report does not have the same effect of the movie because in the movie actually has a more vivid idea of the violence that occurred.
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...lot of the historical events that took place in the report in the movie. He could have made them a little more accurate but I feel like that would have taken away from the movie. It would have made it more historical instead of making it grab my attention as it did. After reading the article The Rosewood Massacre and watching the film Rosewood, I learned that blacks were very easily subject to racial prejudice. Whites were gullible and persuaded to do things no matter how wrong or what harm it could cause to others. I knew the justice system was unfair but it seemed as if they did not have one at all or justice was only for whites. The Rosewood Massacre time period was not one I would wish anyone to be a part of; it was horrible.

Works Cited

Lovejoy(1993). The Rosewood Massacre. Florida Board of Reageants.
Singleton.J.(Director). (1997) Rosewood[Motion picture].