Saving lives one bale at a time: cotton production’s connection to lynchings in the U.S. South during the early Twentieth Century
Publication Date
1-1-2023
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Applied Economics
Volume
55
Issue
15
DOI
10.1080/00036846.2022.2099522
First Page
1700
Last Page
1712
Abstract
The extralegal lynching of innocent individuals from discriminated groups remains a dark, lasting mark on the United States’ history. Following the conclusion of the Civil War, former slaves and their descendants were frequent targets for this form of violence. A significant existing literature finds various contributing factors to the pattern of violence. However, the current paper is the first to document a relationship between the weather and the lynching of African Americans in the U.S. South during the early twentieth century. Within affected communities, we find heavy May rains reduced cotton yields which raises the probability of a lynching during the subsequent year.
Keywords
Lynchings, Cotton Production, Weather Fluctuations, Economic Shock
Department
Economics
Recommended Citation
Paul Lombardi and Amer Mriziq. "Saving lives one bale at a time: cotton production’s connection to lynchings in the U.S. South during the early Twentieth Century" Applied Economics (2023): 1700-1712. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2022.2099522
