Lucy Mclean White Violence Analysis

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Lucy McMillan, a Former Slave in South Carolina, Testifies About White Violence, 1871 Both the whites and blacks sought to protect themselves against attacks. They both had the propensity to turn violent. The tides were in favor of whites who were adequately equipped with weaponry. Black people were as violent as the white people. The whites, therefore, should not be solely responsible. This is particularly seen when the black attacked fellow black conservatives who were not members of the Union League. According to the document; Lucy McMillan, A former slave in South Carolina, testifies about the white violence, 1871, in the book, Major Problems in American History, Vol 3, black people appear to be submissive and weak while the whites tend to be the villains in the story. In my opinion, that is misleading. The misconception that only the whites were violent is disproved according to Steven Hahn’s essay in the same book, which portrays a contrary position. After the Union League recruitment of black people, the blacks harassed fellow blacks who did not support Republicans. The black Conservatives and Democrats were most affected. An example is given in which they attacked colored conservatives and even…show more content…
It shows us who were responsible for advocating for white violence and how they acted in an inhumane manner. From the document, The Ku Klux was merciless when dealing with the blacks. This is seen when Lucy McMillan testifies about how her husband was taken away from her and how her house was burnt. She also talks of the Klan’s drowning, whipping and killing of people. This document tells me that the historical time period in which it was written was marred with racism and white violence. It is found in a history textbook because it the issues it raises like racism and white violence are part of the U.S. history. It is also found in a textbook to educate
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