Dennis Downey is Professor of History and Director of the University Honors College at Millersville University. He is at work on a new book, A World Apart: The Story of the Pennhurst State School and Hospital.
Lynching, the extralegal killing of a victim by individuals or a mob, was commonplace in the United States at the turn of the twentieth century. Though counts vary, in the heyday of lynching following the Civil War, at least 3,500 incidents were recorded; more than 80 percent occurred in the American South and targeted African Americans. Though less frequently, lynchings also occurred in ...
During eight decades of continuous operation (1908-87), Pennhurst evolved from a model facility into the subject of tremendous public scandal and controversy before the federal courts ordered it closed and the remaining residents moved ...
Connecting the Past with the Present, Building Community, Creating a Legacy