Hangmans NooseEssay title: Hangmans NooseThe Hangman’s KnotI as well as many people don’t understand the symbolism of the the hangman’s knot or the history behind its uses. I have always came to understand that it was an offensive knot to others because of the lynchings going on during slavery time period. Even today the hangman’s knot still plays a role in modern hate crime acts; However the hangman’s knot dates back to as early as the 16th century. The brutality portrayed by the knot brings out many feelings among many different people, And with that causes many acts of violence and rage toward others. The hangman’s knot, or also known as noose is a hard subject for many African Americans to talk about or discuss. Because at the time of these crimes the African American race was looked down upon. They were treated like animals and were never given the least bit of respect, they were tortured, beaten, and then hanged. I can agree that if this happened to my ancestors I would be offended by the many things that used to happen, and the symbols that are used in hate crimes today.
The hangman’s knot is designed to be a slipknot that can be easily tightened but difficult or somewhat impossible to loosen depending on the number of friction wraps made into it. While researching this knot I’ve found out its very similar to a fishing knot used to tie hooks to microfilament line called a uni-knot. The hangman’s noose is also used on most marine watercraft as a life saving devise, which makes it very convenient to throw with the large mass on the end. Which other variations of this knot, say with only one horizontal loop called a slip-knot is often used to tie down a lot of objects. The original design for the hangman’s knot required it to have six to eight horizontal wraps, but urban legend says it should have thirteen horizontal wraps. Which dated back to be a false legend because any more than eight wraps in the knot would cause it to become sloppy and defeat the original purpose of the knot.
The knot when made with a large enough diameter rope creates a noose. The wraps create a large cylinder mass right above the loop. When placed around the condemned’s neck the noose is usually putt behind the left ear. This knot was designed so that when the person being hanged fell, the knot would deliver a striking blow to the back of the head causing it to snap the fourth and fifth vertebrae in the spinal cord. Causing immediate paralysis and loss of consciousness. A very brutal form of execution.
The hanging method of the death penalty has been used for hundreds of years. Mostly dates back to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. They would have public gatherings and hang people from a devise called the gallows which is a large square frame usually with a deck platform for the condemned to stand on. These gallows were often built side by side, or even connected for multiple hangings. The hanging death penalty is still used to this day even in the United States. Washington and New Hampshire are two of the states that have it as an option for a convict. If no options of the death sentence are presented the convict has the option to choose this method of execution. As history has dated back many common modern day misdemeanors were mandatory hangings. Any thing from :gambling, murder, using obscene language, being rude to females, rape, robbery, arson, aiding in a slaves escape, talking back to a white man and touching a female were all hangable offenses. These offenses made it very easy for white supremacy leaders to charge African American slaves with ridiculous crimes, but often the crimes were not even committed by the black man at all. The white suprmecy mob would hold a false trial and use there own judgment. I believe these laws were an excuse during the time just to hang black slaves, because you never hear of a white man from these times being hung for using obscene language
The noose for many people is a racist symbol of life years ago. It is a cowardly reminder of what it used to stand for and what it was used for. Col. John lynch gave the noose such a derogatory meaning by holding trials in his front yard and sentencing the convicted to be hung. After there sentencing the condemned was hung in his back yard, which brought forth the term lynching. This period of lynching lasted for five decades, during the time of the reconstruction and great depression era. Huge mobs were formed called lynching mobs, they would steal black prisoners from the local jails and hang them. These were not just normal hangings, the prisoners would be tortured, burned, and shot thousands of times. This Southern mobs were the main people carrying out these public lynchings. Even though lynching of African American men, women, and children has been abolished, White supremacy believers still use the hangman’s knot as a
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If you know what is a ‘gift’ you are able to use from a white person and send it to him or her family, friends, the community, or the FBI with a picture of the actual recipient. But if you don’t, they have to see it with your own eyes.
There was also an issue raised with one inmate. Although they said the crime was committed by a black man, the police were only able to obtain a “latinny” knife. That is the same knife they found at the home of this inmate in a black prison, they even had to use a different one. When the black community called the police on this, they were told that he had no weapon. Then it was used to stab the other inmate of the same prison.
When you look at the criminal record, it makes you wonder if those on the police list of the ‘Black People for Life’ are racist or other kind of bigot. They have a history of being racist, they would not hesitate to be racist. Even though we may think they make good police, they are not racist. They are more of a criminal. When these guys are released, they will serve a year. That means some sort of sentence will be handed down and they will still be allowed to wear the ‘black’ badge.
Many of us believe that African Americans are less racist, less of a degenerate group that are still growing rapidly. However, they all look different at first glance.
I believe that in America these days, we are very, very far off in our development. We have come much further than we ever have before, but for the first time in generations, we are not only living off the wealth, but also the culture we now live in. A lot more people came to live in the United States at the end of World War II than in the previous five decades. The young were drawn to America because of the culture of freedom, but also because of the high crime rates in the late 1980s, and their desire to become better citizens in the country. In the late 1900s, this cultural change was a big part of what led to the migration of American white men onto all forms of social and political life. Today, that is not as popular as it used to be. There is also no longer a very high degree of acceptance of black folks or of black history. Many Whites are still able to look themselves in the mirror to have a hard time finding the same kind of ‘racial and social issues’ and ‘economic hardships’ or the same ‘reproductive issues’ as a ‘white’ black or Mexican immigrant. Many Whites that are very happy with their life and relationships are in college now and are being promoted in the mainstream of American life right now.
One thing I have learned about the Black People for Life for many years after my conviction of lynching: In many rural states, you may find that you have become more conservative. Even though your parents, friends, neighbors and the authorities are happy in your favor or even want you to not call them racists because in some instances you might be guilty of one of those things, you still don’t want to call them racist. In my case, many people tried to call me racist or even anti-racist, as I believe I was being unjustly targeted and even harassed by the police. In fact, I have been arrested more than once for this type of activity. When I was a 16 year old, some