The Intersection of Lynching With Boyhood and Manhood

in Americus, Georgia

By Lindsey Hogan

The practice of lynching in Americus, Georgia played a significant role in shaping the masculine identities and social hierarchies within white supremacy. This extralegal violence often happened through the guise of protecting white communities, and specifically, protecting white children and women. In its rarity, these violent spectacles have been photographed and, in its abundance, lynching was reported in newspapers such as the Americus Times-Recorder and other local presses. This documentation made lynching a national spectacle, both sanctioning the patterns of violence but also stimulating civil rights movements in the North.

Investigating the history of racial violence in Americus sheds light on how the practice of lynching African American men was deeply embedded in the social fabric of South Georgia and reflected ideas about white male gender roles and racial dynamics. At least three black men were lynched in Sumter County during the late 19th century and early 20th century: Hamp Hollis (1898), Babe Yarbrough (1912), and William Redding (1913). This project focuses on the story of Babe Yarbrough as a case study of this violence.

Atlanta Georgian, 05 October 1912, p. 1.

Americus Weekly Times-Recorder,

10 October 1912, p. 2.

In many lynchings, like that of Babe Yarbrough, the justification for the act was based on accusations of a suspected sexual assault or rape of white women and girls. Across the South, the stereotype of the “Black Beast Rapist” flourished in these years, villainizing African American boys and men as sexual predators interested in white women and girls. In 1912, Yarborough was accused of an attempted sexual assault on a teenage white girl in Americus. A trial was never held for Yarborough, but he was presumed guilty of the crime by a white mob who shot him to death while he was in police custody. Many lynchings in the South have a similar story, accusations, and results as Yarborough’s.

For white men and boys, participating in lynching was a brutal affirmation of their perceived superiority and dominance, reinforcing their roles within the social hierarchy of white supremacy. By participating in lynchings, white men solidified their conception of manhood and what it meant to be a ‘man’ who protected his community from perceived threats. These lynchings were reported in the local press but with no condemnation of the violent mob actions. As the Americus Weekly Times-Recorder reported on October 10, 1912, “within four hours after 'Babe' Yarbrough, an Americus negro, attempted a felonious assault upon a little girl of twelve or thirteen years here Saturday afternoon, he had been tried and convicted in Judge Lynch's court, sitting in special session, his body filled with bullets and the terrible incident of the day ended amid the usual excitement characterizing such tragedies.”

Atlanta Georgian, 05 October 1912, p. 2.

Yarbrough’s lynching also involved the ritual inclusion of a young white boy, highlighting the intergenerational transmission of racial hatred and the normalization of brutality disguised as protection of white communities. An unidentified white boy brought attention to Yarbrough as a suspected predator and participated in the lynching. This ritualistic violence served as a rite of passage for young boys, teaching them that manhood was synonymous with the ability to exert control and inflict terror on African American communities. As scholar Kristin DuRocher notes in her study of lynching, white boys often enacted a “rite of passage” by participating in violence associated with lynching. This helped pass down the beliefs and traditions of racial hierarchies under white supremacy. Little girls also would learn from their mothers and fathers about the supposed danger of African American predators while they also learned how to support their fathers, brothers, and husbands in the cause of protecting white supremacy and the racial social order.

These practices of unjust violence ensured that the values of white supremacy were passed down through generations, embedding these oppressive structures deeply within the community lasting all through segregation and the Civil Rights Movement. In recent years, we have also gained a deeper understanding of the pervasive nature of racial violence and its long-lasting impact on African American communities of rural Georgia. The trauma inflicted on African American men, their families, and their communities was profound, leading to long-lasting psychological scars and a pervasive sense of insecurity. The constant threat of violence and the public spectacle of lynching served as a stark reminder of the precariousness of their lives and the systemic oppression they faced. Acknowledging and remembering these tragic histories of racialized manhood politics are crucial for addressing the legacy of racial terror in Americus, Georgia and surrounding counties.

Selected Bibliography

Primary Sources

"12-Year Old Boy at Americus Leads Mob to Lynch Negro." Atlanta Georgian, 05 October 1912, p. 2.

"Autos Overtake Sheriff; Negro Prisoner Lynched." Atlanta Semi-Weekly Journal, 08 October 1912, p. 4.

"Babe Yarbrough Shot by Enraged Avengers." Americus Weekly Times-Recorder, 10 October 1912, p. 2.

Secondary Sources

DuRocher, Kristina. “Violent Masculinity: Learning Ritual and Performance in Southern Lynchings.” In Southern Masculinity: Perspectives on Manhood in the South since Reconstruction, edited by Craig Thompson Friend. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2009.

Kutzler, Evan A. “Part 4: An Americus Lynching: Remembering and Commemorating.” Americus Times Recorder, 1 July 2020.

Lindsey Hogan is a senior majoring in Secondary Education at Georgia Southwestern State University. She is passionate about uncovering the ways small rural histories shape major historical events, bringing attention to stories and perspectives that are often overlooked. She strives to work for local school systems and wants to advance her education. Her goal is to inspire her future students to have a deeper appreciation for the impact that hidden histories have in shaping the past and the future.

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