Blog # 2

It is quite obvious that lynching, although dehumanizing to the African American peoples, was quite empowering for whites during the late 1800s through the early 1900s. The fact that image was marketed and distributed all over the United States illustrates that. Whites wanted to reinforce a sense of unity among themselves and felt the need to do so by creating this notion of superiority over African Americans. They would sell pictures/images of the lynching and also other items used during the process such as chain links, teeth, etc. Photography was the primary driving force for this ideal, people from the North for example, even if they hadn't come into contact with an African American could still be a part of this cultural practice. 

Moving forward in time, African American artists are using the very same images that once dehumanized an entire race as framework for provoking thought and understanding about the history of our nation and the idea of trying to overcome such brutality. It is interesting how African American artists are taking the photos of lynching to provoke an anti-lynching discourse.