Lynch Law In America Summary

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Primary Source Review: Lynch Law in America (1900), by Ida B. Wells Ida B. Wells (1862-1931) was a fearless anti-lynching crusader, American journalist, and Women’s rights activist. Wells grew up in Holly Springs, Mississippi with her six siblings. Wells’ parents died in her late childhood and she was left to raise her siblings or to be put in foster care. Wells had to mature very quickly to support her family. Wells secured a job as a teacher in an all-black school. Wells continued her education by attending the nearby Rust College. Wells eventually moved to Memphis with her aunt and raised her younger sisters. Wells began her fight (literally) in Memphis for racial and gender equality. In 1884, Wells was asked to give up her seat on a train…show more content…
They claim that other methods of execution were ineffective and this was the easiest solution. In Tillman’s piece The Use of Violence against Southern Blacks (1900), the southern blacks are a hate group of people brainwashed by the north to hate and refuse any Southern white’s authority. The Southern white claimed the North used blacks to infiltrate the government and take over and that was their duty to stop that from happening. “It was the riots before the elections, precipitated by their own hot-headedness in attempting to hold the government that brought on conflicts between the races and caused the shotguns to be used” (Tillman, 128). The Whites used lynching as a way to control the black man from business to social hierarchy. They never truly believed the Negro was physically dangerous, they were afraid that of the change of social status in America. With lynching they were able to publically display their control of the black man. The fear of change is what drove the white men to do what he did. “Suppression of the negro vote, the spirit of mob murder should have been satisfied and the butchery should have ceased” (Wells, 126). Lynching has shown itself to be America’s true crime and justice one day will be served to the lives

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