Kara Sears
Sundown Towns were all-white communities, neighbourhoods, or counties that excluded Black and other minority groups through discriminatory laws, harassment, threats, and violence. If non-white people were seen in these towns after sunset, they risked being arrested, beaten, or killed. In some cases, the policy was enforced through less formal norms and sanctions, such as boycotts of businesses that served Black customers or hired Black employees. In other cases, exclusion was achieved through intimidation and harassment by law enforcement officers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Official town policy | Exclusionary covenants governing who could buy or rent property |
| Enforced through | Less formal norms and sanctions |
| Intimidation | |
| Harassment by law enforcement officers | |
| Boycotts of businesses that served Black customers or hired Black employees | |
| Consequences of breaking the law | Arrest |
| Beatings | |
| Extrajudicial killing |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
Arrest
The laws were enforced through formal and informal means. In some cases, the exclusion was official town policy or was enforced by real estate agents through exclusionary covenants. In other cases, the policy was enforced through less formal norms and sanctions. Businesses that served Black customers or hired Black employees would be boycotted by white townspeople, ensuring that Black people had few, if any, job opportunities in those communities.
African Americans who lingered in sundown towns during the daytime experienced harassment, threats, arrest and beatings. It was not uncommon for Black motorists passing through these communities to be followed by police or local residents to the city limits. In extreme cases, hostility towards African Americans resulted in extrajudicial killings.
Although it is difficult to make an accurate count, historians estimate there were up to 10,000 sundown towns in the United States between 1890 and 1960, mostly in the Midwest and West.
Brittany Griner: Russian Law and the Legal Consequences
You may want to see also
Explore related products
![A State-by-State History of Race and Racism in the United States: [2 volumes]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91w6rBsoPCL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Beatings
African Americans who lingered in sundown towns during the daytime also experienced beatings, as well as harassment, threats, and arrest. It was not uncommon for Black motorists passing through these communities to be followed by police or local residents until they reached the city limits.
In 1844, Oregon banned African Americans from the territory altogether. Those who failed to leave were liable to receive lashings under a law known as the "Peter Burnett Lash Law", named for Provisional Supreme Judge Peter Burnett.
The rise of sundown towns made it difficult and dangerous for Black people to travel long distances by car. The exclusion of non-whites from these communities was often achieved through violence and intimidation, including harassment by law enforcement officers.
Playing Songs in Public: Am I Breaking Copyright Law?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
![The World of Jim Crow America: A Daily Life Encyclopedia [2 volumes] (Daily Life Encyclopedias)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/919H341ZAxL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Extrajudicial killing
Sundown towns were all-white communities, neighbourhoods, or counties that excluded Black people and other minorities through discriminatory laws, harassment, threats, and violence. While the term most often refers to the forced exclusion of Black people, the history of sundown towns also includes prohibitions against Jews, Native Americans, Chinese, Japanese, and other minority groups.
The punishment for breaking sundown town laws could be extrajudicial killing. For example, the lynching of two Black teenagers in Marion, Indiana, in 1930, resulted in the town's 200 Black residents moving away never to return. Black people who lingered in sundown towns during the daytime experienced harassment, threats, arrest, and beatings. It was not uncommon for Black motorists passing through these communities to be followed by police or local residents to the city limits.
In other cases, the policy was enforced through less formal norms and sanctions. Businesses that served Black customers or hired Black employees would be boycotted by the white townspeople, ensuring that Black people had few, if any, job opportunities in those communities.
Laws and Their Consequences: Understanding the Gravity
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Boycotts
In addition to boycotts, sundown towns were maintained through the use of discriminatory laws, harassment, threats, and violence. If non-white people were seen in town after sunset, they risked being arrested, beaten, or even killed. In some cases, exclusion was official town policy or was enforced by the community's real estate agents via exclusionary covenants governing who could buy or rent property. In other cases, the policy was enforced through less formal norms and sanctions, such as intimidation and harassment by law enforcement officers.
Whistleblower Rights: Legal Protections and Implications
You may want to see also
Explore related products
$29.88 $36.95
![Race, Law, and the Struggle for Racial Equality in the U.S.:[Connected eBook] (Aspen Casebook Series)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61j4ojmETFL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Harassment
In addition to direct harassment, sundown towns also employed indirect methods of harassment and intimidation. For example, businesses that served Black customers or hired Black employees would be boycotted by white townspeople, limiting job opportunities for Blacks in those communities.
The use of harassment and intimidation was a key tool in enforcing the exclusionary policies of sundown towns. This was often achieved through a combination of formal and informal norms, sanctions, and covenants that governed who could buy or rent property. Real estate agents played a significant role in promulgating these exclusionary practices.
The result of these practices was a pervasive climate of fear and danger for African Americans and other minorities. The mere presence of a Black person in a sundown town, even during the daytime, could provoke a hostile response. This made it difficult and dangerous for Blacks to travel long distances by car, as they never knew when they might encounter a sundown town or how they would be received.
The harassment and intimidation tactics used by sundown towns were part of a broader system of racial segregation and discrimination that existed in the United States during the Jim Crow era. These practices were often justified under the guise of "sunset ordinances," which legalized racial segregation and gave cover to the violent and discriminatory practices of sundown towns.
Chuck Feeney: Lawbreaker or Law-abiding?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
If non-white people were seen in sundown towns after sunset, they risked being arrested, beaten, or even killed.
Racial exclusion was achieved through violence, harassment, threats, and intimidation.
In some cases, the laws were enforced through official town policy or exclusionary covenants. In other cases, the policy was enforced through less formal norms and sanctions, such as boycotts of businesses that served Black customers or hired Black employees.
Yes, it was not uncommon for Black motorists passing through these communities to be followed by police or local residents to the city limits. In addition, the rise of sundown towns made it difficult and dangerous for Black people to travel long distances by car.
