Ida B Wells Research Paper

Lynching is called the last great skeleton in our nation's closet: It terrorized all of black America, claimed thousands upon thousands of victims in the decades between the 1880s and the Second World War, and leaves invisible but horrifying scars to this day. In the book, “At The Hands Of Persons Unknown”, by Philip Dray demonstrates that throughout America, not just in the South, blacks were accused of any crime or even just violating social or racial customs. The blacks everywhere were hunted by mobs, abducted from jails, and men and women were shot, hanged, tortured, and burned, often in sadistic, picnic-like "spectacle lynchings" involving thousands of witnesses that enjoyed watching.

Wells-Barnett was an investigative journalist and was involved in researching, reporting, publishing pamphlets, and eventually campaigning against the historical tragedy known as lynching. She became aware of these atrocities occurring against African Americans at an alarming rate in the United States. Wells-Barnett had published a total of three pamphlets that had worked through the half-truths and outright lies to uncover the inhumane activity of lynching mob. In Mob Rule in New Orleans, Wells-Barnett stated, “Legal sanction was given to the mob or any man of the mob to kill Charles at sight by the Mayor of New Orleans, who publicly proclaimed a reward of two hundred and fifty dollars, not for the arrest of Charles, not at all, but the reward was offered for Charles’ body, “dead or alive.” (Wells-Barnett 842) This statement reflects the mindset of the majority of white Americans during this turbulent time. Consequently, Ida B. Wells-Barnett became not just a reporter of the facts, but a crusader for the cause of justice for

She talked about how the act of lynching was a racist strategy to eliminate black men by means of racism. Ida B. Wells was also outspoken about the charges of rape against African-American men. Ida B. Wells believed that these charges were trying to hide the consensual relations between white women and African-American men. Whites were so shocked and infuriated by these allegations that they destroyed her newspaper office while Wells was away and dared her to return to Memphis. Not intimidated by any of the white men's threats, Wells kept a gun in her house and advised that guns should be kept in the homes of all African-Americans during that time, as a means for protection.

Ida B. Wells posited in the May 21, 1892 edition of the Free Speech that “Nobody in this section of the country believes in the old thread bare lie that Negro men rape white women,” upon the journalistic evidence that states “Eight negroes lynched since last issue of the “Free Speech” one at Little Rock, Ark., last Saturday morning where the citizens broke into the penitentiary and got their man; three near Anniston, Ala., one near New Orleans; and three at Clarksville, GA., the last three for killing a white man, and five on the same old racket - the new alarm about raping white women. The same programme of hanging, then shooting bullets into the lifeless bodies was carried out to the letter.” Miss Ida B. Wells; Southern Horrors Lynch Law In All Its Phases.

In the aftermath of the lynching and her outspoken criticism of it, her newspaper's office was sacked. Wells then moved to New York City, where she continued to write editorials and against lynching, which was at an all time high level in the years after Reconstruction. Joining the staff of The New York Age, Wells became a very respected lecturer and organizer for anti-lynching societies made up of men and women of all races. She traveled throughout the U.S. and went to Britain twice to speak about anti-lynching activities.

In her speech, Ida B. Wells appeals to emotion and logic by using statistics and real-life stories of lynchings. She also counters the apologists’ defense of lynching by using strong language and statistics to disprove the validity of their claims. Finally, Wells offers a solution on how to end lynching and ensures that crimes will still be punished, even if lynching subsides. Despite the criticism of Wells and many other authors and activists, lynching persisted in the United States for a substantial period of time. Lynchings were so frequent in Southern states that Montgomery, Alabama, has plans to build a lynching memorial to recognize the mistreatment of black citizens and memorialize the victims. However, lynchings then were not the public disgrace they are now considered, and the unjust treatment of black citizens continued even after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Activists like Wells have continued to identify racism when they see it in hopes to create a more equal society, but many would argue that an equal society still has not been

The next tragic turn of events served as a platform for Ida B. Wells to lash out at the horrific act of lynching in the south in the late 1800's. In 1892 three of her friends were lynched. Thomas Moss, Calvin McDowell, and Henry Stewart. These three men were owners of People's Grocery Company, and their small grocery had taken away customers from competing white businesses. A group of angry white men thought they would eliminate the competition so they attacked People's grocery, but the owners fought back, shooting one of the

In regards to Southern Horrors, Ida B. Wells argued against the unjust lynching of African Americans under the circumstances of conserving and even restoring human rights. The idea of human rights was out of reach when it came to African Americans in the society of the South through the 1890’s. The public degradation of African American human rights elevated entirely when Wells shared a story of a man with the last name Grizzard. This man was an African American of lower status and was “charged” with the alleged rape of a white female. Instead of simply jailing him for the supposed crime he committed, the white folk of the town knifed him to death, severed his hands, and left him bloody, naked, and defenseless. In a corresponding situation, a white man actually raped an African American girl and the fellow members of her community

She mentions the lynch law being created by whites, and not government therefore making it not a law. Whites claimed lynching was done to protect the white women of these men black who were “rapist and animals”. When in reality most white women who accused these black men of sexual harassment and rape didn't want to be protected from them. In fact these white women admired black men, for their hard work and strength. What surprised me most was the reverse of roles in the situation. White men were never charged with the actual rape of black women and children. Ida B Wells touches base on a story about 3 white men who raped a young black girl, they went to court, and was acquitted of all the charges. Switched roles these white men were able to walk freely, but reverse roles back again and 3 black men would have been brutally

Emancipated blacks, after the Civil War, continued to live in fear of lynching, a practice of vigilantism that was often based on false accusations. Lynching was not only a way for southern white men to exert racist “justice,” it was also a means of keeping women, white and black, under the control of a violent white male ideology. In response to the injustices of lynching, the anti-lynching movement was established—a campaign in which women played a key role. Ida B. Wells, a black teacher and journalist was at the forefront and early development of this movement. In 1892 Wells was one of the first news reporters to bring the truths of lynching to proper media attention. Her first articles

Ida Wells Barnett was born in Holly Springs, Missouri, on July 16, 1862, exactly 2 months and 6 days later prior to when United States President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in Confederate-held territory. Ida attended Shaw University, also known as Rust College, a school that was established for freed men after the Civil War. Like her father, Ida attended Shaw University, but was expelled for rebellious behavior after a confrontation with the college president. While visiting family in the Mississippi Valley in 1878, at the age of 16, she became primary caregiver to her six brothers and sisters, when both of her parents and brother succumbed to yellow fever, leaving her and her five other siblings orphaned.

Their names were Thomas Moss, Calvin McDowell and Henry Stewart. The three men were owners of a popular store called People's Grocery Company and there were those who believed that the store had taken customers to competitors white-owned businesses. In response, a group of angry white men tried to eliminate competition attacking the People's Grocery store, cuyosdueños resisted and shot an attacker. The owners of People's Grocery were arrested, but did not take long for a lynch mob broke into the jail where they were arrested. The mob took the three men from prison and brought to the outskirts of the city, where they were brutally murdered. This atrocity catalyzed the indignation of Wells, who wrote in the newspaper Free Speech:

MS Wells Was a skilled and persuasive rhetorician and travel internationally on lecture tours. MS Wells was a born slave in holly springs in Mississippi in 1862. No matter how bad she wanted to get away they always found a way to find her in keep her in torched her. They made her scrub floor for 60s day a week nonstop no pay. One day she came up with a plan to escape from the from the Farm so she gather all her things in got on the railroad train Made it to acer as soon as she land the man ask her for her Freedom pass she look in her bag in realized that she didn’t have. The officer told her that she will be a slave if she didn’t have it. One

Ida B. Wells is a name that should always be synonymous with African American modern history. Being born during the Civil War in the South and living her life through Reconstruction, history would play a huge role with her life. So when given the choice of being a background character or to take center stage, Wells found her spot light and shone like the morning sun. The South would do its best to stifle her voice both as child, though she would not know it, and as an adult. Yet Wells would show the strength and determination of an African American woman and prove that she was as much a part of the large scale Civil Rights Movement as her male counterparts.

The first action Ida B Wells took to stop lynching was in 1892. She composed a pamphlet exposing the fear and brutal treatment of mob violence ("Biography for kids: Ida B. Wells”). Meanwhile Wells led an anti-lynching crusade in the late 1890s for the United States for thoses who did not get a fair trial for an alleged offence ("Biography”). By Wells being so devoted and interactive with the movement it became stronger because she dedicated an excessive amount of time and effort proving that the lynching of men, women, children were considered murders ("Woman Journalist Crusades Against Lynching”). Currently, because Wells stepped up and chose to be brave, lynching is banned today. Not only did Ida B Wells expose lynching as this country’s national crime, her efforts directly affected us