Lynchings and Mob Violence in America

Lynching of Persons of Mexican Origin in America
In the article “The Lynching of Persons of Mexican Origin or Descent in the United States, 1848 to 1928” by Carrigan and Webb, the authors set out to provide a realistic figure on the exact number of Mexicans in America to be lynched by mobs between the years of 1848 and 1928. During this 80 year timeframe the authors also attempt to identify the causes of this type of violence and how Mexicans responded. Overall, the work is very well-conceived and executed and provides a significant insight into the world of 19th century and early 20th century America. This paper will provide an examination of the article by Carrigan and Webb and discuss its aims, merits, and accomplishments in detail in order to show why this article can be recommended to anyone interested in American history.
The article focuses on documenting the number of lynchings suffered by Mexicans in America during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It provides a history of research on mob violence against Mexicans, details about particular cases, historical context, statistics on lynchings (most took place in Texas, followed closely by California), theories surrounding mob violence, the racial aspect of the lynchings, and how Mexicans asserted themselves to protect themselves against the threat of mob violence and lynching. The main thesis of the article is that the history of mob violence against Mexicans during this time period represents a stark quality of the American character to which traditional theories of vigilantism do not apply.
The authors’ challenging of other historical viewpoints is evident throughout, particularly in the section that addresses frontier theories of mob violence. The authors show that these theories are limited in that they do not fully explain the use of mob violence in places where legal systems were in place. The authors contest that the legal system actually facilitated mob violence against Mexicans.
The evidence for the article comes from primary texts in both English and Spanish, as the authors use various legal and primary documents, such as newspaper reports and personal accounts to paint the picture of mob violence. The primary sources include the Los Angeles Star newspaper from 1856, the Delaware Herald from 1919, the Minneapolis Evening Tribune from the same year, the New York Times from the same year, the El Paso Times from 1881, the New York Times from 1877, and many other examples.
I personally liked the article very much because it was very informative. It described a side of American life that I was previously unfamiliar with. There was nothing about the article that I personally found unappealing. I think that the author could have made the work stronger by including more tables and graphs and pictures to really bring the concept to life. I would definitely recommend the article to others but mainly to the intended audience—i.e., students of history and in particular of American racism. The article supports Foner’s Give Me Liberty by showing how the legal system in American cities supported the lethal mob violence demonstrated against Mexicans.
The importance of this work is evident in the fact that it highlights the racist history of American culture towards Mexicans and how American society has used the law to legitimize illegal and inappropriate forms of violence and vigilantism towards minorities. A suggested reading to accompany this work would be Zoot Suit Riots by Roger Bruns, as it also focuses on how the law has facilitated oppression of minorities in America’s history.
Works Cited
Carrigan, William D., and Clive Webb. “The lynching of persons of Mexican origin or
descent in the United States, 1848 to 1928.” Journal of Social History 37.2 (2003): 411-438.