Boyle Park in Little Rock in Pulaski County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)
Lynching in America / Lynching in Little Rock
Community Remembrance Project
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 5, 2022
1. Lynching in Little Rock Marker
Inscription.
Lynching in America, also, Lynching in Little Rock. Community Remembrance Project.
Lynching in America. Racial terror lynching between 1877 and 1950 claimed the lives of thousands of African Americans and created a legacy of injustice that can still be felt today. Following the Civil War and the premature end of Reconstruction. white Southerners sought to uphold an ideology of white supremacy and used intimidation and fatal violence to re-enforce racial subordination and segregation. Lynching emerged as the most public and notorious form of racial terrorism. and state and federal officials largely tolerated these lawless killings of Black women. men. and children by not holding white mobs accountable for their crimes. Many African Americans were lynched for resisting economic exploitation. violating perceived social customs, engaging in interracial relationships. or being accused of crimes, even when there was no evidence tying the accused to any offense. Almost 25 percent of documented lynchings were sparked by charges of sexual assault, at a time when Black men were considered dangerous threats to white womanhood. White people's allegations against Black people were rarely subject to scrutiny and often sparked lethal violence without impartial investigation or trial. Many of the victims of these acts of racially motivated violence were not recorded and remain unknown, but at least 492 racial terror lynchings have been documented in Arkansas.,
Lynching in Little Rock. On May 4, 1927, a mob of armed white men captured a 22-year-old Black man named John Carter, hanged him from a telephone pole, and riddled his body with bullets in downtown Little Rock. Afterward, in a caravan of cars. the mob dragged Mr. Carter's corpse through the streets of Little Rock. They drove past city hall and the police station before stopping at the intersection of 9th and Broadway, then the heart of the city's African American community. There, the mob, now numbering in the thousands, ransacked neighboring Black businesses and churches, dragging out furniture and pulling off doors to serve as fuel for a bonfire they built in the street. In an act meant to instill fear in the African American community, the mob set Mr. Carter's mutilated body on fire as spectators watched. The mob had formed in response to rumors that a white woman and her daughter had been assaulted six miles west of downtown. Despite the absence of any evidence against Mr. Carter, the white mob terrorized the Black community causing extensive damage. The next day. photos of Mr. Carter's lynching were sold for fifteen cents apiece. Although the Governor and press criticized local law enforcement for not protecting Mr. Carter from the mob, no one was ever held accountable for their role in the lynching of John Carter. Racial bigotry and inequality were enforced through violence and lynchings during this time period causing great suffering and harm.
Lynching in America
Racial terror lynching between 1877 and 1950 claimed the lives of
thousands of African Americans and created a legacy of injustice
that can still be felt today. Following the Civil War and the premature
end of Reconstruction. white Southerners sought to uphold an ideology
of white supremacy and used intimidation and fatal violence to
re-enforce racial subordination and segregation. Lynching emerged
as the most public and notorious form of racial terrorism. and state
and federal officials largely tolerated these lawless killings of Black
women. men. and children by not holding white mobs accountable
for their crimes. Many African Americans were lynched for resisting
economic exploitation. violating perceived social customs, engaging
in interracial relationships. or being accused of crimes, even when
there was no evidence tying the accused to any offense. Almost
25 percent of documented lynchings were sparked by charges of
sexual assault, at a time when Black men were considered dangerous
threats to white womanhood. White people's allegations against Black
people were rarely subject to scrutiny and often sparked lethal
violence without impartial investigation or trial. Many of the victims
of these acts of racially motivated violence were not recorded and
remain unknown, but
Click or scan to see this page online
at least 492 racial terror lynchings have been
documented in Arkansas.
Lynching in Little Rock
On May 4, 1927, a mob of armed white men captured a 22-year-old
Black man named John Carter, hanged him from a telephone pole, and
riddled his body with bullets in downtown Little Rock. Afterward,
in a caravan of cars. the mob dragged Mr. Carter's corpse through
the streets of Little Rock. They drove past city hall and the police
station before stopping at the intersection of 9th and Broadway, then
the heart of the city's African American community. There, the mob,
now numbering in the thousands, ransacked neighboring Black businesses
and churches, dragging out furniture and pulling off doors to serve
as fuel for a bonfire they built in the street. In an act meant to
instill fear in the African American community, the mob set Mr. Carter's
mutilated body on fire as spectators watched. The mob had formed
in response to rumors that a white woman and her daughter had been
assaulted six miles west of downtown. Despite the absence of any
evidence against Mr. Carter, the white mob terrorized the Black
community causing extensive damage. The next day. photos of Mr.
Carter's lynching were sold for fifteen cents apiece. Although the
Governor and press criticized local law enforcement for not protecting
Mr. Carter from the mob, no one was
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 5, 2022
2. Lynching in Little Rock Marker
Featured marker (left) is in front of Haven of Rest Cemetery, near the site where Carter was first hanged and where some believe his remains were buried.
ever held accountable for their
role in the lynching of John Carter. Racial bigotry and inequality
were enforced through violence and lynchings during this time period
causing great suffering and harm.
Erected 2021 by Equal Justice Initiative • Arkansas Peace and Justice Memorial Movement.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Law Enforcement. In addition, it is included in the Lynching in America series list. A significant historical date for this entry is May 4, 1927.
Location. 34° 44.514′ N, 92° 21.179′ W. Marker is in Little Rock, Arkansas, in Pulaski County. It is in Boyle Park. Marker is at the intersection of West 12th Street and Westpark Drive, on the right when traveling west on West 12th Street. Marker is in front of Haven of Rest Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7102 W 12th St, Little Rock AR 72204, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . John Carter (Lynching of). Carter’s lynching and the rioting that followed is one of the most notorious incidents of racial violence in the state’s history. This event reveals much about the history of race relations in Little Rock, as well as the state’s struggle with its national image. (Brian D. Greer and Stephanie Harp, Encyclopedia of Arkansas) (Submitted on November 25, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 10, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 25, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 216 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on November 25, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Photo of "Lynching in America" side of marker. • Can you help?
