EJI Documents 2,000 More Victims of Racial Terror Lynchings in New Report:
Reconstruction in America
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The Equal Justice Initiative has released a new report, Reconstruction in America, which documents nearly 2,000 more confirmed racial terror lynchings of Black people in America than previously detailed. The report examines the 12 years following the Civil War when lawlessness and violence perpetrated by white leaders created an American future of racial hierarchy, white supremacy, and Jim Crow laws—an era from which our nation has yet to recover.
In 2015, EJI issued Lynching in America, a comprehensive report detailing 4,500 racial terror lynchings of Black people by white mobs between 1877 and 1950. Today’s report examines the Reconstruction era, when nearly 2,000 additional lynchings have been confirmed between 1865 and 1876, raising the total number of documented lynchings to nearly 6,500.
Reconstruction was a time of great promise for emancipated Black people who could finally raise their families, pursue education, and seek advancement through voting and hard work. Constitutional amendments were passed to provide rights to formerly enslaved people, but they were never enforced. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down protections for Black people and allowed lawless violence to undermine Constitutional guarantees by prioritizing a doctrine of “states’ rights.” Congress and the North eventually retreated from any effort to protect Black people who were ultimately subjected to a century of Jim Crow laws, racial segregation, lynching violence, economic exploitation, and exclusion.
Explore the report
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Reconstruction in America
In the era of Reconstruction, thousands of Black women, men, and children were killed, attacked, sexually assaulted, and terrorized by white mobs and individuals who were shielded from arrest and prosecution.
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Lynchings and Racial Violence During Reconstruction
Watch a data visualization of the nearly 2,000 racial terror lynchings of Black people between 1865 and 1876 across the United States. The legacy of lynching is evident in racially motivated violence that continues today.
Watch the video
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Read More and Share
Read coverage of the report in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Montgomery Advertiser, and The Guardian. You can also share our report announcement on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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About the Equal Justice Initiative
The Equal Justice Initiative works to end mass incarceration, excessive punishment, and racial inequality.
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