...law.... [Francisco] Ramirez loudly frequently stated that though life had been poorer, matters were a lot better off before 1848 and he used a phrase that would not be heard again, this land is our land." (Juan Gomez-Quinones)

Christopher Waldrep based much of the research for his influential 2002 book, The Many Faces of Judge Lynch, on newspaper accounts of lynching and cast the racial aspects of such mass violence as primarily a black and white phenomenon. He credits African American activists and journalists such as Ida B. Wells for developing an awareness that led the U.S. Senate to declare in 2005 that "lynching succeeded slavery as the ultimate expression of racism in the United States following Reconstruction." It was the African American journalists of the 1880s and 1890s who "persuaded Americans to think of lynching as racial."

While Waldrep's analysis and acknowledgment of the fine work of Wells and other African American journalists is factually correct, his understanding of the role of the press in identifying and labeling such acts of public violence is limited by his sources. His work is based on a careful examination of English-language newspapers across the country, including California, and therefore is limited in both coverage and perspective by the language of those newspapers. Had he reviewed Spanish-language newspapers in California and other parts of the Southwest following the United States' 1846-48 war against Mexico, he would have found that Latino journalists had a racial understanding of extralegal violence long before African American journalists did so in the post-Reconstruction era, and he could have provided his readers with a richer understanding of the racial nature of lynchings.

Use of such sources might destroy the idea that lynchings were not seen as racial violence until the 1880s and 1890s. They also would help...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



More articles from California History
"Californios! Whom do you support?" El Clamor Publico's contradictory ..., December 22, 2006

Looking for additional articles?
Search our database of over 3 million articles.

Looking for more in-depth information on this industry?
Search our complete database of Industry & Market reports by text, subject, publication name or publication date.

About Goliath
Whether you're looking for sales prospects, competitive information, company analysis or best practices in managing your organization, Goliath can help you meet your business needs.

Our extensive business information databases empower business professionals with both the breadth and depth of credible, authoritative information they need to support their business goals. Whether it be strategic planning, sales prospecting, company research or defining management best practices - Goliath is your leading source for accurate information.