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Entitled: "A chain gang." Two ankle shackles attached to each other by a short length of chain are known as a hobble or as leg irons. These could be chained to a much longer chain with several other prisoners, creating a work crew known as a chain gang. The walk required to avoid tripping while in leg irons is known as the convict shuffle. The chain gang would perform menial or physically challenging work as a form of punishment (repairing buildings, building roads, or clearing land). The introduction of chain gangs into the United States began shortly after the Civil War. The southern states needed finances and public works to be performed. Prisoners were a free way for these works to be achieved By 1955 the use of chain gangs had been phased out nationwide, with Georgia the last state to abandon the practice. Photographed (cropped) by Carl Wels, 1898.
