Description
The Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill, proposed by Missouri Republican Representative Leonidas C. Dyer, classified lynching as a federal felony, which would have given the federal government authority to prosecute lynching cases at a time when state and local authorities rarely did. The U.S. House of Representatives approved the bill on January 26, 1922, but its passage was halted by Democratic opposition in the U.S. Senate. The North Eastern Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs (NEFCWC) published this broadside to publicize the names of those in Congress who voted against the bill and encouraged voters to cast ballots against them.
Transcript of Broadside Calling Out American Senators Who Voted Against the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill
Source-Dependent Questions
- Why did the North Eastern Federation of Colored Women's Clubs (NEFCWC) publish this broadside? Provide the evidence from the document that led you to this conclusion.
- What did the NEFCWC mean when it included the phrase, "Two victims always of a lynching - a human being and civilization?"
- Compare the list of senators in this broadside with the Lynchings by State and Counties in the United States. What parallels can be drawn between the two sources?
Citation Information
"A terrible blot on American civilization. 3424 lynchings in 33 years ... Prepared by the Committee on public affairs The Inter-fraternal council. Issued by District of Columbia anti-lynching committee North eastern federation of Colored women's," 1922. Courtesy of Library of Congress