Answer:
After the Civil War concluded in 1865, southern white supremacists began enforcing ”unfavorable” acts on African Americans, such as the infamous Jim Crow laws. But before all of that, lync hing became a popular event for white suprem acist groups.
Most people now know of the K-K-K, the white supremacist group. After the civil war, the K-K-K became a large group, having a large following. The K-K-K would burn down houses, take their lives and assault African American people. Along those, they would hold events where they would drag these people out to a large grouping, beat them and torment them. The group would then hang them from the neck.
This became popular — not just in the south, even states like New York had groups that followed these ideologies.
So the main answer here is
white supremacists trying to humiliate the African American people.
