Dyer Bill

Historical Context of Dyer Bill

In 1922, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Dyer bill. Due to a filibuster by mostly White southerners, the bill was defeated in the U.S. Senate. Some critics of the Dyer bill argued that the legislation would interfere with states' rights. Although the Dyer bill failed to pass Congress, it was a major political achievement that laid the foundation for future antilynching legislation. For example, the Costigan-Wagner antilynching bill proposed in 1935 garnered support from many members of Congress, but the support was insufficient to defeat the opposition of southern senators. However, the Costigan-Wagner bill was another historical moment that brought attention to the practice of lynching and failure of law enforcement officials to punish those who initiated it.

Lynching, although not limited to the South, was highly concentrated in southern states. Statistics indicate that between 1882 and 1968, lynching occurred most often in Mississippi, Georgia, and Texas. Lynching was primarily a response used by southern Whites to express their dissatisfaction with the outcome of the Civil War, which many Whites believed had led to too much freedom for African Americans. However, lynching was a common occurrence across the United States. In Nebraska, for example, William Brown was beaten unconscious, dragged by an automobile, and burned for allegedly robbing a White man. States where lynching was reported not to have occurred during that time period include Alaska, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. False criminal charges, such as alleged rapes or whistling at a White woman, were common tactics used by police to promote lynching. Some African Americans were lynched simply because of the color of their skin. Although to a much lesser extent, Whites were also lynched. Generally, the lynching of Whites occurred in western states, where they were suspected of murder or stealing cattle. Consequently, the extent and circumstances by which African Americans and Whites were the victims of lynching were very different.

On a daily basis, African Americans were the direct targets of violence and intimidation at the hands of Whites. Lynching was embedded throughout American culture, and it is documented that more than 4,700 African Americans were lynched. Although estimates vary, figures from Tuskegee Institute and the records of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) director Walter White indicate that nearly 5,000 lynchings occurred in the United States between 1882 and 1927, and about two thirds of the victims were young Black men. Lynching took many forms, ranging from hanging to dismembering the victim's body. Public announcements were often issued about the time and location of a scheduled lynching. Public squares and parks were prime [Page 249]locations for lynching. It was common practice for families to watch and cheer, as if they were spectators attending their favorite sporting event. Memorabilia, including pictures, postcards, fingers, toes, and other body parts belonging to lynching victims, were often preserved to commemorate a lynching, while also serving as a method of intimidation against African Americans.

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