The NAACP

During the early 20th century, violence towards African Americans became an integral part of the imperialistic ideology to subject blacks to caste control and wage slavery. This new century was to represent more bloodshed for African Americans. During the very first year (1900), more than 100 blacks were lynched and by the time World War I broke in 1914, the count grew to more than 1100. Although the South accounted for most of this violence, there were notable instances in the North; one being the riot in Sprinfield, Illinois.
The aforementioned riot would shake the entire country. It was in August 1908 that the white wife of a streetcar conductor alleged she had been drug from her bed and raped by a black man. This African American man came to be known as George Richardson and he had been working around the neighborhood. Richardson was arrested and jailed. Although the woman recanted her story, and explained that a white man whom she refused to identify had beaten her, t...