The color of the third degree : racism, police torture, and civil rights in the American South, 1930-1955 / Silvan Niedermeier ; translated by Paul Cohen.
Translation of: Rassismus und Burgerrechte : Polizeifolter im Suden der USA, 1930-1955. Hamburg : Hamburger Edition, 2014. Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents:
Police torture and "legal lynchings" in the American South -- Torture and African American courtroom testimony -- The NAACP campaign against "forced confessions" -- Selective public outrage: the Quintar South case -- The investigations by the federal government.
Summary:
"Available for the first time in English, 'The Color of the Third Degree' uncovers the still-hidden history of police torture in the Jim Crow South. Based on a wide array of previously neglected archival sources, Silvan Niedermeier argues that as public lynching decreased, less visible practices of racial subjugation and repression became central to southern white supremacy. In an effort to deter unruly white mobs, as well as oppress black communities, white southern law officers violently extorted confessions and testimony from black suspects and defendants in jail cells and police stations to secure speedy convictions. In response, black citizens and the NAACP fought to expose these brutal practices through individual action, local organizing, and litigation. In spite of these efforts, police torture remained a widespread, powerful form of racial control and suppression well into the late twentieth century." -- From publisher's description.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.