72 percent of Americans favored anti-lynching law in 1937

[Forward This]( [blank][Tweet This]( [blank][Send to Linkedin]( [blank][Send to Facebook]( [blank] [NOTD image header] A Gallup poll conducted in 1937 found that 72% of Americans favored passage of an anti-lynching law. Significantly, that total included 57% of Americans living in the South.[1]( Despite the support from a majority of Southern residents, Southern lawmakers consistently blocked passage of anti-lynching legislation and other civil rights laws. The legacy of lynching is devastating. More than 4,400 black Americans were lynched in the United States between 1877 and 1950.[2]( This is one of many examples showing how America’s political system consistently lagged behind American culture on addressing legalized racism. An earlier Number of the Day noted that [Jackie Robinson broke the major league color barrier in 1947](. That was a year before the U.S. military was desegregated, seven years before the Supreme Court formally outlawed school segregation, and 17 years before Congress passed significant civil rights legislation. The reality of a political system lagging behind popular culture applies to more than issues of racism. As noted in my book, [Politics Has Failed: America Will Not](, the culture leads and politicians lag behind in just about all areas of life. A national lynching memorial—the National Memorial for Peace and Justice—was recently opened in Montgomery, Alabama.[2]( [Click here to view the Number of the Day online→]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Each weekday, [Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day]( explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author. To see other recent numbers, check out the [archive](. Was this email forwarded to you? [Click here to subscribe to Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day.]( Scott Rasmussen is an editor-at-large for Ballotpedia, the Encyclopedia of American Politics. He is a senior fellow for the study of self-governance at the King’s College in New York. His most recent book, [Politics Has Failed: America Will Not](, was published by the Sutherland Institute in May. Decide which emails you want from Ballotpedia. [Unsubscribe]( or [update your subscription preferences](. Ballotpedia The Encyclopedia of American Politics [8383 Greenway Blvd., Suite 600]( [Middleton, WI 53562]( [Facebook]( [Twitter](