The author traces the history of extrajudicial violence in the South from before the Civil War through Reconstruction and afterward, attributing changes in practice and frequency to factors such as abolitionist agitation and wartime disorder. Subsequent chapters examine purported patterns of criminality among Black residents, economic conditions, and arguments for segregation, concluding with reflections on prospective social arrangements and a forceful plea that southern society be secured for the white population. The work presents historical narrative, statistical and moral claims, and prescriptive recommendations about race relations and public order.