Peak Lynching Frequency: 100+ Black Americans Killed Annually at Turn of Century

At the turn of the twentieth century, lynching reached its statistical peak, with the Equal Justice Initiative documenting more than 4,000 racial terror lynchings in the South between 1877 and 1950. The years 1890-1920 saw the highest sustained rates. Lynchings were advertised in newspapers, attended by thousands, photographed, and commemorated with postcards. Local and state officials participated or stood aside. The federal government repeatedly refused to pass anti-lynching legislation.