AfricanAmericanStudies.buffalo.edu

Statistics, and Reasons 
As one would expect, there are no accurate statistics available on how many people were murdered through lynching. What we have is only a rough indication. 
Below the statistics table is a list of reasons that the lynchers gave to justify their murders. It should be emphasized that regardless of how ludicrous the reason was, very often the murdered victim was not even the guilty person.

Lynchings: By State and Race, 1882-1968 *

State White Black Total
Alabama 48 299 347
Arizona 31 0 31
Arkansas 58 226 284
California 41 2 43
Colorado 65 3 68
Delaware 0 1 1
Florida 25 257 282
Georgia 39 492 531
Idaho 20 0 20
Illinois 15 19 34
Indiana 33 14 47
Iowa 17 2 19
Kansas 35 19 54
Kentucky 63 142 205
Louisiana 56 335 391
Maine 1 0 1
Maryland 2 27 29
Michigan 7 1 8
Minnesota 5 4 9
Mississippi 42 539 581
Missouri 53 69 122
Montana 82 2 84
Nebraska 52 5 57
Nevada 6 0 6
New Jersey 1 1 2
New Mexico 33 3 36
New York 1 1 2
North Carolina 15 86 101
North Dakota 13 3 16
Ohio 10 16 26
Oklahoma 82 40 122
Oregon 20 1 21
Pennsylvania 2 6 8
South Carolina 4 156 160
South Dakota 27 0 27
Tennessee 47 204 251
Texas 141 352 493
Utah 6 2 8
Vermont 1 0 1
Virginia 17 83 100
Washington 25 1 26
West Virginia 20 28 48
Wisconsin 6 0 6
Wyoming 30 5 35
Total 1,297 3,446 4,743
*Statistics provided  by the Archives at Tuskegee Institute.

The Reasons Given for the Murder of African Americans 
From Stewart E. Tolnay and E.M. Beck, A Festival of Violence: An Analysis of Southern Lynchings, 1882-1930. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1992.

  • Acting suspiciously 
  • Gambling 
  • Quarreling 
  • Adultery 
  • Grave robbing 
  • Race hatred; Race troubles 
  • Aiding murderer 
  • Improper with white woman 
  • Rape 
  • Arguing with white man 
  • Incest 
  • Rape-murders 
  • Arson Inciting to riot 
  • Resisting mob 
  • Assassination 
  • Inciting trouble 
  • Robbery 
  • Attempted murder 
  • Indolence 
  • Running a bordello 
  • Banditry 
  • Inflammatory language 
  • Sedition 
  • Being disreputable 
  • Informing 
  • Slander 
  • Being obnoxious 
  • Injuring livestock 
  • Spreading disease 
  • Boasting about riot 
  • Insulting white man 
  • Stealing 
  • Burglary 
  • Insulting white woman 
  • Suing white man 
  • Child abuse 
  • Insurrection 
  • Swindling 
  • Conjuring 
  • Kidnapping 
  • Terrorism 
  • Courting white woman 
  • Killing livestock 
  • Testifying against white man 
  • Criminal assault 
  • Living with white woman 
  • Throwing stones 
  • Cutting levee 
  • Looting 
  • Train wrecking 
  • Defending rapist 
  • Making threats 
  • Trying to colonize blacks 
  • Demanding respect 
  • Miscegenation 
  • Trying to vote 
  • Disorderly conduct 
  • Mistaken identity 
  • Unpopularity 
  • Eloping with white woman 
  • Molestation 
  • Unruly remarks 
  • Entered white woman's room 
  • Murder 
  • Using obscene language 
  • Enticement 
  • Non-sexual assault 
  • Vagrancy 
  • Extortion 
  • Peeping Tom 
  • Violated quarantine 
  • Fraud 
  • Pillage 
  • Voodooism 
  • Plotting to kill 
  • Voting for wrong party 
  • Frightening white woman 
  • Poisoning well 



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