In Lincoln's Shadow: The 1908 Race Riot In Springfield, Illinois
2008 / English / PDF
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This detailed case study of the 1908 race riot in
Springfield, Illinois, which began only a few blocks from
Abraham Lincoln’s family home, explores the social origins of
rioting by whites against the city’s African American
community after a white woman alleged that a black man had
raped her. Over two days rioters wrecked black-owned
businesses, burned neighborhoods to the ground, killed two
black men, and injured many others.
This detailed case study of the 1908 race riot in
Springfield, Illinois, which began only a few blocks from
Abraham Lincoln’s family home, explores the social origins of
rioting by whites against the city’s African American
community after a white woman alleged that a black man had
raped her. Over two days rioters wrecked black-owned
businesses, burned neighborhoods to the ground, killed two
black men, and injured many others.
Author Roberta Senechal de la Roche draws from a wide range
of sources to describe the riot, identify the rioters and
their victims, and challenge previous interpretations that
attribute rioting to interracial competition for jobs,
housing, or political influence. Written in a direct and
clear style,
Author Roberta Senechal de la Roche draws from a wide range
of sources to describe the riot, identify the rioters and
their victims, and challenge previous interpretations that
attribute rioting to interracial competition for jobs,
housing, or political influence. Written in a direct and
clear style,In Lincoln’s Shadow
In Lincoln’s Shadow documents a violent
explosion of racial hatred that shocked the nation and
reveals the complexity of white racial attitudes in the early
twentieth century.
documents a violent
explosion of racial hatred that shocked the nation and
reveals the complexity of white racial attitudes in the early
twentieth century.
