We Shoot Back: The Deacons versus White Supremacy

• In Event: Time in a Bottle: Analyzing Historical Conflict Data

Abstract

Why do some civilians form militias while others do not? Civilians respond in a variety of ways to conflict. Scholars argue that insecurity and state absence explain the rise of militias, however, many communities live in areas where the state is absent but civilians do not take up arms. To address this under explored puzzle, I examine the emergence of civilian militias during the civil rights movement in the Southern United States. Civilian militias emerge not when there is a lack of state security but instead when competing violent specialists behave as predatory actors. To reduce predation, civilians shift resources away from production of goods and towards the production of defense against opportunistic actors. With the help of original archival subnational data, I show that civilians are more likely to form militias in response to predatory actors. I collect a new dataset on the United States' 3,000 counties, including the location of a southern Black militia called the Deacons, Klan territory, and state forces. My argument contributes to an evolving idea of statehood not as a monopoly on violence but instead limited competition between the government and non-state armed actors.

Author

• Adrian Arellano, University of Michigan