ABSTRACT
T he racial disturbances of the mid-1960s made Americans aware of the strained relations between segments of the black community and the police. Often overlooked is the fact that the sources of this friction are not of recent origin. They were already present in the urban South during the period from 1865 to 1900, when the recently emancipated slaves demanded the rights of free men. Very much in the news in those years were the issues of whether or not blacks should be appointed to police forces, what constituted the legitimate use of force against suspected black lawbreakers, and to what extent police authority was recognized and accepted by blacks.
