The legacy of slavery on hate crime in the United States

摘要

Does slavery play a role in explaining why some areas are more prone to hate crimes? Using county-level data on slavery in 1860, I find evidence that U.S. counties with a higher share of slaves in the population more than 150 years ago are more likely to observe hate crime incidents today. One percentage point increase in the share of slaves in the population in 1860 is associated with 0.018 more hate crime incidents per 100,000 population directed at blacks today. Additionally, there is evidence that slavery is associated with more hate crime incidents directed towards Jews and LGBT population. This result supports previous studies which find persistence in cultural norms and racial attitudes.