Vigilantes and Lynch Mobs

Lisa Arellano's Vigilantes and Lynch Mobs analyzes the narratives that portray frontier justice and lynching, highlighting how these stories often serve to legitimize mob violence. The book explores both sympathetic and oppositional accounts from the 19th century through the Jim Crow South, revealing how such stories shape perceptions of history. Arellano examines the power of these narratives to portray mob leaders as heroes and sustain their actions, offering insight into the enduring influence of these histories.