lynch law
Extrajudicial crowd punishment
Lynch law is the practice of punishing alleged criminals through mob action rather than legal process—vigilante justice carried out by self-appointed groups, typically resulting in hanging.
The term emerged in late 18th-century America and became associated with extrajudicial killings of Black Americans in the South: Under lynch law, accusation was conviction.
The related verb lynch means to execute someone by mob action.
Loop that constricts
- hangingExecution by noose
- mob justiceExtralegal punishment by crowds
- summary executionKilling without formal trial
- ropeThick twisted fibers
gallows · tree · murder · racial terror · hate crime · prejudice · racism · bigotry
Racial separation laws
- ReconstructionPost-1865 national reunification period
- Ku Klux KlanWhite supremacist hate organization
- Deep SouthSouthernmost American states
- NAACPCivil rights advocacy organization
Ida B. Wells · antilynching · Emmett Till · sundown town · racial violence · segregation · white supremacy · terrorism
Disorderly, aggressive crowd
- crowdLarge public gathering
- posseArmed group pursuing fugitives
- vigilanteExtralegal justice-seeker
- riotViolent public disturbance
frenzy · violence · unrest · fury · anger · chaos · intimidation · aggression
Freedom from consequences
- injusticeDenial of fair treatment
- due processGuaranteed judicial fairness
- trialJudicial examination of claims
- courtTrial venue or sports surface
acquittal · investigation · prosecution · accountability · witness · testimony · evidence · verdict
noose
Loop that constricts
- hangingExecution by noose
- mob justiceExtralegal punishment by crowds
- summary executionKilling without formal trial
rope · gallows · tree · murder · racial terror · hate crime · prejudice · racism · bigotry · intolerance
Jim Crow
Racial separation laws
- ReconstructionPost-1865 national reunification period
- Ku Klux KlanWhite supremacist hate organization
- Deep SouthSouthernmost American states
Ida B. Wells · NAACP · antilynching · Emmett Till · sundown town · racial violence · segregation · white supremacy · terrorism · memorial
mob
Disorderly, aggressive crowd
riot · frenzy · violence · unrest · fury · anger · chaos · intimidation · aggression · ferocity
impunity
Freedom from consequences
- injusticeDenial of fair treatment
- due processGuaranteed judicial fairness
- trialJudicial examination of claims
court · acquittal · investigation · prosecution · accountability · witness · testimony · evidence · verdict · condemnation
lynch lawdue process
Guaranteed judicial fairness
rule of law · legal process · judicial process · fair trial · court of law
lynch lawjustice
Fair treatment under law
blind justice · impartial justice · equal protection · presumption of innocence · right to counsel
lynch, lynching, lynched, lyncher, lynchers, law, laws, lawful, lawfully