The Anti-Lynching Campaign of Ida B Well
There was a time when black people were discriminated against. They were thought of not to measure to the standards of the white person. The white people ruled over the other people. They were subjected to hard labour and human rights did not seem to exist for them. They were harshly treated and sometimes even killed for wrong or no reasons at all. They did not have anybody to help them fight for their rights. During the 1880s to mid 1890s, there were numerous cases reported indicating that some of the African-Americans were subjected violent activities that were observed as contravention of the human rights. It was these activities such as lynching that made Ida Wells to talk and write several pamphlets to fight the perpetrators. The story “Southern Horrors and Other Writings: the Anti-Lynching Campaign of Ida B. Wells” was written to show the barbarity and lynching that took place between the years 1880 to the mid 1890s.
In this period, more than a hundred African Americans had some cases that were termed to have been lynched (Barnett & Royster, 1997). Even though at this period many of the African Americans had emancipated from their masters, it was noticed that they were still facing the subjugation by the white people. These black people were virulently being persecuted through a form of oppression called lynching. It is where an individual was executed without a legal procedure and trial, and most of the time the suspects were hang. The writer portrayed what went on as she even explains that the number of the people murdered at that particular moment was one hundred and sixty-one. At that time, the writer was the editor of an undersized newspaper that addressed the grievances of the black people based at Memphis Tennessee. In addition, Wells-Barnett (1997) notes that, Wells tried to raise her voice so as she could be heard by everybody not only the black people.
The African-Americans had been living under a harsh kind of life where they did not know how they could manage to escape. Anybody who also tried to free themselves also received very harsh treatment from the whites. Small offences were highly punished especially when the victim was white (Barnett & Royster, 1997). They were subjected to harsh punishments such as killing of the individual’s children and family, or even killing the individual. Before being killed, they would also be tortured and then killed very painfully.
“ I had already determined to sell my life as dearly as possible if attacked. I felt if I could take one lyncher with me, this would even up the score a little bit” (47).
Some were burnt to death, others shot while others were hanged. From the text, it is also realized that she first started by illustrating in the newspaper that the white business people had instigated three separate cases of lynching against their competitors who were black. By writing this story, Wells forced to flee to the south because the ransacking of her editorial office. As she was in New York, she continued with her campaigns against lynching, and this brought her to the limelight. From her story, it is discovered that she was just concerned about the cases of the black people, which prove to see her as being biased.
In as much as she was helping her people against the oppression by the white, it is still clear that she never had into consideration any of the cases of the white people. According to Barnett and Royster (1997), Red Record shows that there were many murders that took place against the African Americans but she had all the courage to face them head on and this shows that the type of personality she had portrayed courage and could not be stopped by anything. In this regard, it can be explained that she continued with her campaigns even after being made to flee from New York.The first case found the first chapter that talks of the case stated. In this story, she talks of how the year 1894 was marked by cases of outlawry and anarchy. It was realized that after the emancipation of the African Americans, there was a lot of hatred from the white people that saw to it the conscienceless outlawry of the white men against the black men (Barnett & Royster, 1997). Consequently, the white men were not used to the fact that the black men could survive alone that is why some of them were tortured so that they could come back.
"I have firmly believed all along that the law was on our side and would, when we appealed to it, give us justice. I feel shorn of that belief and utterly discouraged, and just now if it were possible would gather my race in my arms and fly far away with them."47
Most of these cases that were brought to the court alleged that the black people were suspected for being involved in the race riot. In keeping with Barnett and Royster (1997), it led to many of the colored people being murdered mercilessly. The text shows that there was no black person that was ever apprehended in a court of law and then found to be guilty. In these cases, the white people were seen to be having fraud cases, intimidation, violence and murder. In addition to all these barbarity, in this year, the mass murder of the black community was said to have taken place after there was an alleged insurrection that was being planned by the black community. Evidently, she was not afraid to becoming a little rough when situations became tough. Wells have been demonstrated to be a strategist and brilliant first thinker who recognized the ordeal of the blacks i.e. degradation, exploitation through slavery, sexual violence and how it was linked to lynching.
"We won't stand for this; we must do something about the kinds of violence affecting African Americans." (43)
One of the cases reported indicates, that he was pronounced guilty by the mob. According to Barnett and Royster (1997), the same mob strapped him to a tree, then chipped flesh from his body and pour coal oil on him before the woman in the case lit him up. In keeping with Barnett and Royster (1997), the country looked on and in several cases applauded since it was published that the man had violated the honor of the white woman, even though the man protested his innocence with zeal (22).
A mob pronounced him guilty, strapped him to a tree, chipped the flesh from his body, poured coal oil over him and the woman in the case set fire to him. The country looked on and in many cases applauded because it was published that this man had violated the honor of the white woman, although he protested his innocence to the last. (22)
In the second chapter, she reviews the statistics on the lynch law. It was published in the newspaper of the Chicago Tribunal that was published on 1 January 1894. The statistics describe a lunch law that only referred to colored people. From these we find cases that were based on Arson, suspected robbery, assault, attempted assaults, incendiaries, attempted rape and burglary. From the statistics, it is also discovered that the cases of wife beating, attempted robbery and other robbery cases but these were minimal cases (Barnett & Royster, 1997). One of the worst cases of lynching is on the case whereby a father was suspected of murdering a white man. In this case all his children were hanged and shot while he was lynched. According to the murders, it is depicted to be unlawful since the children did not do anything, but they were victimized for their father's crime. There was no evidence that was provided, and there were no witnesses involved but the children were murdered (Barnett & Royster, 1997).
The third chapter describes individuals convicted without evidence, but on past record or slander. Therefore, it is said that these cases were biased and they all made sure that the colored race suffered because the evidences that were ever produced were bogus and did not have any strong opinion to be counted upon. The lynch law has no humanity features like the other law, for example, in the ordinary cases if the criminal is found to have some mental problems or is insane, the execution will be prevented. Nevertheless, according to the lynch law, nobody was spared in the execution every criminal is equal. For instance, an incident was published by the Arkansas Democrat in the year 1892 (Barnett & Royster, 1997). The story was about a farmer together with his family; wife and a son who was thirteen years old. From the story we realize that there was a quarrel between the farmer who was colored and a white man over a debt of one hundred dollars that was supposed to be given to the white man because he had showed him the land that he had bought. According to Barnett and Royster (1997), incident led to the lynching of a man. The man's farm was sold, and the money was used in the judge's payment. The case was also presented without any concrete evidence.
"Nobody in this section of the country believes the old threadbare lie that Negro men rape white women. If Southern white men are not careful, they will over‐reach themselves and public sentiment will have a reaction; a conclusion will then be reached which will be very damaging to the moral reputation of their women." (38)
"atrocities practiced in the Southern States." (40)
The non-whites did not receive any justice at all. Their property was sold and the whites claimed that the funds got from the sale of the property were to pay for the accused trial. Judgments were given without any prosecution at all. No witnesses were allowed to tell their part of the story and the individuals had no chance to explain themselves, or even appeal for the judgments passed on them. In keeping with Barnett and Royster (1997), the act of barbarity in Texas did not end there. There was also another case where an African American was suspected of murdering a white man together with his daughter in a case that the white men said that was brutal. It was claimed that the man killed the child then went ahead and tore the child asunder. There was no evidence for this but since the accused was a colored man, and the victim was a white man, they believed that this could be possible. Therefore, he was captured tortured and finally burnt to death.
“ there are some things the southern whites will not tolerate and the obscene intimation of the foregoing have brought the writer to the outermost limit of public patience we hope we have said enough” (40)
Conclusively, there were many dynamics Ida Wells went through as she fought assiduously to pass the anti-lynching laws. She had courage and determination to take on the task of combating lynching during the post civil war times.
References
Barnett, I. B., & Royster, J. J. (1997). Southern horrors and other writings: the anti-lynching campaign of Ida B. Wells, 1892-1900. Boston, MA: Bedford Books.
