In the decades following the end of the Civil War, lynching (killing by a mob) became a popular terrorist weapon against African Americans. Because Wells is in exile as a result of her editorial, she now feels called upon to deliver a more extensive account of the facts. She notes that if it became well known that African Americans were ready to fire on intruders, white aggressors might have "greater respect for African American life." Southern Horrors is the history of two 19th-century women, Rebecca Felton and Ida Wells, who, in rather different ways, campaigned in the southern states of the United States against sexual violence towards women. The 14th Amendment had granted equal protection to African Americans under the law. Wells accuses Grady of depicting the African American population as "incapable of self-government." Another mob of 75 white men stormed the jail where the grocers were being held. The African American ministers, newspapers, and community leaders counsel obedience to the law, but the law does not protect them. But even so, the statistics show that lynching is not primarily a response to rape. First, she points out that the South owes its "rehabilitation," or recovery from the Civil War, to Northern money and "Afro-American labor." In "The New Cry," Wells makes the point that lynching became what in modern terms people would call a homegrown form of terrorism to keep black people in "their place." Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by Project Gutenberg. As an African American woman in the south during this time, Ida B. A lynching is a public murder, generally by hanging, carried out by a mob and not preceded by a legal trial. The men—grocers Thomas Moss, Calvin McDowell, and Henry Stewart—were then secretly taken from jail and brutally lynched. The 13th Amendment had freed the slaves. Course Hero. In Course Hero. It is a story that reveals how the complex drama of political power, race, and sex played out in the lives of Southern women. Neither of them could return to Memphis, and the paper was shut down. Stamped from the Beginning: Chapter 22: Southern Horrors Summary & Analysis Next. These rulings were the foundation for the so-called Jim Crow laws that would govern race relations, segregating the South in all areas of public and social life until the 1960s. Wells and the white pro-lynching advocate Rebecca Felton--who both fought for women's rights, but did so in vastly different ways. Wells means that people may have to face up to the fact that white women may willingly engage in intimate relations with black men. In reading, âSouthern Horrors: Women and the Politics of Rape and Lynching,â the reader will see into the lives and struggles of both Felton and Wells-Barnett. Lynchings were frequently announced in newspapers and treated as social events by some white people, who would take home souvenirs such as bits of bone and flesh of the victim. But in fact, even if a man commits such a crime, he is still entitled to due process under the law and is innocent until proven guilty. . Ida B. Wells-Barnettâs Southern Horrors was published with the intention of bringing awareness to the injustice of Southern lynching and exposing its true purpose. Themes and Colors Key LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Stamped from the Beginning, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Wells quotes extensively from a letter written by Colonel A.S. Colyar to the Nashville American. Both black and white leaders who approve of lynching for the crime of rape open the door to lynching for any crime. It ended in a confrontation between a white mob and the black grocers, who shot and wounded three white men barging into their store. As a result, "the black shadow of lawlessness in the form of lynch law is spreading its wings over the whole country." The lawbreakers persist because they know that neither "the law nor the militia" will be used to stop them. Wells then provides details of the case of three black friends who were arrested for defending themselves against a white mob. Of the 728 of these victims counted by the Chicago Tribune, only one-third had been charged with rape, not judged to be guilty. Wells juxtaposes the innocence of the black men with incidents of white men guilty of raping or attempting to rape black women or girls. 1054 Words 5 Pages. Thoroughly appalled and sickened by the rising numbers of white-on-black murders in the South since the beginning of Reconstruction, and by the unwillingness of local, state and federal governments to prosecute those who were responsible, Ida Bell Wells-Barnett wrote Southern Horrors, a pamphlet in which she exposed the horrible reality of lynchings to the rest of the nation and to the world. Southern Horrors Study Guide. It occurred after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus. He strongly condemns lynching as "dastardly submission to the mob reign." Wells also includes a short letter from Frederick Douglass, a respected abolitionist and African American statesman, which endorses the pamphlet for exposing lynching crime. She is also unusual for her time in her radical response to racial oppression. Wells Southern Horrors and Other Writings by Jacqueline Royster is a great awakening to the gruesome horrors of the lynchings of the late 1800âs. Wells 8 August 2016 In the late 19th century, Ida B. It is also noteworthy in conveying her clear understanding that racism was a method for retaining economic power. This was well ahead of the famous Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott. Their store competed with a white-owned store nearby that had previously monopolized the trade of the area's black citizens. Wells dedicated most of her life to spreading the word about the horrific nature of lynching in the American South. A line drawing of the Internet Archive headquarters building façade. It is a story that reveals how the complex drama of political power, race, and sex played out in the lives of Southern women. A Justification of Slavery Ship This Item â Qualifies for Free Shipping Buy Online, Pick up in Store Check Availability at Nearby Stores. Summary Of Ida B. Wells-Barnett's Southern Horrors 1305 Words | 6 Pages. But this has not been the case, says Wells. After reading, Iâve become biased and wonder what made the author chose Rebecca Felton as a candidate to be acknowledged as a womenâs activist. At first she called for black citizens to move out of Memphis. Ida B. Wells-Barnett Southern Horrors 6 THE BLACK AND WHITE OF IT The Cleveland Gazette of January 16, 1892, publishes a case in point. During this period of Reconstruction, the majority of white citizens still fostered deep hatred towards recently ⦠Wells was a journalist, teacher, rights activist, and a public speaker. The preface to the pamphlet explains the evolution of the study, saying its purpose is to give an unvarnished, or true, account of Southern lynching. It was the first piece of writing to do this. In Ida B. Wellsâ works Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases and A Red Record, Ida B. With no help coming from the government, they must look to themselves. This theme also runs through the pamphlet Southern Horrors. Wells was out of town in New York, and her business manager was able to leave town in time to escape the mob. Wells quotes two white newspapers calling for violence against the editors of Free Speech. Southern Horrors is a non-fiction book published in 2009 by the American author and professor Crystal Feimster. LibriVox recording of Southern Horrors: Lynch Law In All Its Phases, by Ida B. Southern Horrors, written and published in 1892 by Ida B. The manager was able to escape the mob. Southern Horrors provides a startling view into the Jim Crow South where the precarious and subordinate position of women linked black and white anti-rape activists together in fragile political alliances. 22 Aug. 2018. These men lived in three different parts of the country, but all were accused of the crime of rape. Wells, 1892-1900. Contemporary data bears out Wells's conclusions. The author's friends were black entrepreneurs who had opened the People's Grocery Company. Sexual relations between black men and white women are considered to be "abominable," or extremely morally repulsive, by white standards. Wells and her late-nineteenth-century crusade to abolish lynching. All the men "disappeared," presumably killed for the same offense. Summary: "This brief volume introduces readers to the prominent reformer and journalist Ida B. During this period of Reconstruction, the majority of white citizens still fostered ⦠central idea behind the authors writing of the book is his analysis of the letters and speeches that the secession commissioners wrote, in which he sought the reasons other than states’ rights to their secession from the Union. She says these newspapers stir up the public against African Americans and encourage the lynching of blacks based on hearsay reports of rape. Wells, an African-American journalist and one of the early leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, investigated the reasons behind these lynchings. Southern Horrors and Other Writings: The Anti-Lynching Campaign of Ida B. Wells was part of the Niagara Movement, which led to the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In 1892 Ida B. Wells insists that white men continued to have sexual relations with black women after the Civil War, and even if they were not consensual, the men suffered few consequences. Wells uses the actual words from newspaper editorials. This includes a claim that "many white women in the South ... would marry colored men" if society allowed it. Ida B. Wells-Barnettâs Southern Horrors was published with the intention of bringing awareness to the injustice of Southern lynching and exposing its true purpose. The presses were destroyed. This week in class, weâre reading "Excerpt from Southern Horrors: Lynch Laws in All Its Phases" by Ida B. Wells.In âExcerpt from Southern Horrors: Lynch Laws in All Its Phases,â historical activist Ida B. During this period of Reconstruction, the majority of white citizens still fostered deep hatred towards recently freed African Americans. Finally, Wells reminds readers she has substantiated how the press generally is unreliable and biased in reporting lynchings. Wells also recommends that black people keep a rifle in their homes to protect themselves because the law does not protect them. It was part of the ruling in the Civil Rights Cases. $0.99. Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases was the first documented analysis of postâCivil War lynching in the United States. Hundreds of African Americans were viciously murdered, as the government failed to step in and stop the killings. Thus, it is necessary for black people to create a more robust African American press and get the facts in front of the public. She does not mince words when she deconstructs the governmental response to lynching. Chapter 23: Black Judases. In some instances, they run away themselves or attempt to protect their lovers. 768 Words 4 Pages. The following excerpt comes from her work entitled Southern Horrors: Lynch Laws in All Its Phases, which was originally published in the New York Age (June 25, 1892) and was then printed as a pamphlet after much demand and many donations. Course Hero is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university. Wells argues against the lynching of African Americans of the time. The author ends her treatise with specific advice for African Americans. The president of the United States (Benjamin Harrison), she says, has said lynch law will not be allowed in the Western territories. Nonetheless, lynching remains unabated, says Wells, and those who disapprove of lynching and remain silent are no better than accomplices. She understands the role of lynching in deterring African Americans from openly enjoying the full rights of citizenship. Southern Horrors provides a startling view into the Jim Crow South where the precarious and subordinate position of women linked black and white anti-rape activists together in fragile political alliances. This incident occurred after an editorial, published on May 21, 1892, decried the recent lynching of eight men. Download a PDF to print or study offline. These ritualized killings were public displays designed to terrorize black people from claiming economic or political power. The lynch mob took charge of the prisoners and promptly and brutally murdered them. Course Hero, "Southern Horrors Study Guide," August 22, 2018, accessed January 7, 2021, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Southern-Horrors/. Wells dedicated most of her life to spreading the word about the horrific nature of lynching in the American South. The populace also turns a blind eye to these proceedings. Southern horrors and other writings : the anti-lynching campaign of Ida B. An Analysis of Southern Horrors and Other Writings In the period immediately following the Civil War, racial tensions were extremely high in the South. Underwood, the wife of a minister of Elyria, Ohio, accused an Afro-American of rape. Ida Bell Wells-Barnett (July 16, 1862 â March 25, 1931) was an American investigative journalist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement.She was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Show More. Ida B. Wells-Barnettâs Southern Horrors was published with the intention of bringing awareness to the injustice of Southern lynching and exposing its true purpose. The Court also ruled that the 13th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution did not preclude "uncodified" discrimination. The writer claims the unprotected families of the South were left unharmed by their slaves when white men went off to fight in the Civil War. The pamphlet directly confronts and debunks the idea that lynching was a legitimate response to the alleged rape of white women by black men. About 6,000 African Americans left Memphis as a result of Ida B. She told her husband that Another editorial faults African Americans for their "boorish insolence" toward white people. Wells points out that not only did African Americans lose rights, but they also continue to be murdered—878 by lynching from 1884 to 1892. Wells continued to fight against lynching, writing two additional investigative reports, A Red Record (1895) and Mob Rule in New Orleans (1900). Moreover, the lawlessness of the South has spread to New York, Pennsylvania, and the Western plains, Wells says. Southern Horrors And Other Writings SOUTHERN HORRORS In the late 19th century, Ida B. She is not afraid to say that the social, political, and economic power structure supports lynching. In reading, âSouthern Horrors: Women and the Politics of Rape and Lynching,â the reader will see into the lives and struggles of both Felton and Wells-Barnett. A series of racial incidents soon followed. Have study documents to share about Southern Horrors? One claims that African Americans have lost their "wholesome awe of the white race which kept the Negroes in subjection." They believed they would eventually be allowed to participate in governance. The incidents include men accused of rape while having consensual sex and those who had merely a passing acquaintance with a white woman. The white men were not seriously injured, but exaggerated newspaper accounts of the incident stoked white hatred. Download Image of Southern horrors : lynch law in all its phases. Wells notes that "the appeal to the white man's pocket has ever been more effectual than all the appeals ever made to his conscience.". The "new cry" that she references in the heading for this section is, "This is a white man's country and the white man must rule.". The main character that the story singles out the most is the Granny. The Civil Rights Act of 1875, the first law passed to forbid discrimination in public places, was declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1883. The writer says the families were safe because black people still knew how to keep their place. In addition, sexual relations between the races are illegal in the South in her era. She spoke widely in public forums, going as far as England to get her cause in front of the public. From that brief comment it might be assumed that the women had shared views and experiences of the world. Wells dedicated most of her life to spreading the word about the horrific nature of lynching in the American South Wells was a journalist, teacher, rights activist, and a public speaker. Wells (1862 - 1931).Read by James K. White and Laura Victoria. 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