Lynchings refer to extrajudicial killings, often by a mob, typically targeting African Americans in the United States from the late 19th century into the early 20th century. These brutal acts were used as a method of racial terror to enforce white supremacy and maintain social control, reflecting deep-seated racism and the failures of the legal system to protect Black lives. Lynchings were often public spectacles, intended to instill fear within African American communities and discourage any form of resistance or civil rights activism.
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