TY - JOUR TI - Genocide DO - https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3474D3K PY - 2016 AB - The primary purpose of this thesis was to determine whether black Americans were the targets of genocide at the hands of white Americans. In order to answer this question thoughtfully, it was necessary to first establish a definition of genocide. The growth of the field of genocide studies has resulted in numerous, and sometimes contradictory, definitions of genocide. Therefore, the genocidal nature of an atrocity is based solely on the definition of genocide used. In order to mitigate this definitional bias, I used three different definitions of genocide: the prototypical definition of genocide, the United Nations’ definition of genocide, and Raphael Lemkin’s original definition of genocide. Using each definition to evaluate the genocidal nature of violence against black Americans, I concluded that black Americans were not the targets of genocide carried out by white Americans. However, Lemkin’s two-phase model of genocide suggested that black Americans were the survivors of genocide and the racialized violence (physical, economic, and social) they experience in America is a foundational part of American national culture not an attempt at racial eradication. KW - Global Affairs KW - Genocide KW - African Americans--Violence against LA - eng ER -