Researcher ORCID Identifier
Graduation Year
2021
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
History
Reader 1
Skyler Reidy
Reader 2
Tomas Summers Sandoval
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2021 Gabriel V Das
Abstract
This thesis explores the context of Duluth, Minnesota between the years 1918 and 1920, and how the history, politics, and society of Duluth contributed to two separate lynchings within two years of each other. A brief history of Duluth will be established which describes its demographics, race relations, politics, and work environment in the early 20th century. The lynchings will be discussed in chronological order. Olli Kinkkonen’s murder in 1918 is analyzed within the context of World War One, nationalism, workers’ rights, and anti-Finnish sentiment in Northern Minnesota. The lynchings of Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson, and Isaac McGhie will be explained in the context of racism, civil unrest, and lynch mobs. Corruption of the press and law enforcement is a significant theme in both instances.
Recommended Citation
Das, Gabriel, "What Produced Four Lynchings in Duluth, Minnesota in 1918 and 1920?" (2021). Pomona Senior Theses. 240.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/pomona_theses/240
