Negophobia by Mark Bauerlein Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Negophobia by Mark Bauerlein - Essay Example The riot was based on color and race discrimination among Blacks and Whites in Atlanta which ultimately spread from Atlanta to Georgia and throughout the United States of America. The actual riot began on 22nd September, 1906 and ended on 26th September, 1906 between White and Black masses, in which Black African lost around 40 lives. The riot didn’t occur suddenly because of any one issue; instead it was an explosion in retaliation of continuous plot weaved on the false accusations made on Blacks in regard of White women by some criminal minded people. Historic Background of Atlanta: In the beginning of the twentieth century, Atlanta was progressing rapidly. White and Blacks had different vision and identities but were parallel in growth and competition. The growth in the Black’s population and their expansion in social intermingling threatened the White elites who then favored Jim Crow’s Segregation concept and stood hard to separate seating arrangement in publ ic transport and discouraged neighborhoods with blacks. On the other hand, Black elites were gaining power, were getting majorly involved in politics and were promoting Black youngsters in almost every walk of life. This cold war started showing its signs and finally surfaced in the middle of the Gubernatorial contest during which desperate leaders played an unethical trick to create racial tension in order to win the favor of the majority. This was done through the instigation of a rumor based campaign focused on â€Å"Negro-Crime†. Here, African American males were accused of sexual crimes against White females, although there was no evidence that this was occurring, and the driving factor was simple prejudice. The air of hatred, racial and sexual inequality diffused in the atmosphere and provoked a claim for a new vision for South Atlanta. Causes: At the end of the civil war, tension remained high between the Whites and the Blacks, with both races unsure of what the years to come would bring. In Atlanta, election hype created enthusiasm between the two majority groups within the State as a consequence of the growing powers of Blacks in jobs, voting rights, and other political realm. The competition between Blacks and Whites was heightened by the growing status differences, and many Whites were concerned that they would no longer be able to think of or treat the Blacks as being inferior. This drove the creation of rumors and threats to demoralize blacks in the society. Whites were charged by the manipulated stories during Gubernatorial Elections of 1906. The main candidates were Hoke Smith and Clark Howell, who were struggling against each other for democratic elections. They both were linked with publishing newspapers and therefore took advantage of their powers in print media and published false stories to attack Black communities who were running successful businesses like saloons and bars. To destabilize Blacks and their businesses, Atlanta Georgi an and Atlanta News began to air false stories of Black men molesting and then raping white women. Both candidates were looking ways to demoralize Blacks and prevent them from voting therefore did multiple attacks narrating that White Women are victimized by the Blacks which made Whites furious and brought them to streets. These stories circulated throughout the city with lurid stories and cartoon sketching saying that White’