Primary Analysis of Southern Horrors and Other Writings: The Anti-Lynching Campaign of Ida B. Wells, PDF

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Professor: Michael Dickinson...

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Anna Chen HIST 361 Primary Analysis: Southern Horrors

The Southern Horrors and Other Writings: The Anti-Lynching Campaign of Ida B. Wells, 1892-1900 focuses on the haunting life after slavery for African Americans. Before slavery ended in the South, African American slaves were beaten and tortured but they were still of value because of their servitude to their masters. The slaves were never beaten to death because they served a purpose, which is why the masters cared for their lives. After slavery was emancipated, Southerners no longer cared for the lives of African Americans. Southerners thought that if they were no longer slaves, then their lives no longer served a purpose toward them. The white men did not care about the treatment of their ex slaves, rather they found new ways to continue haunting African Americans. Even after African Americans were freed from slavery, it did not mean they were freed from the horrors of inequality. Murder cases skyrocketed as white men felt that black presence was somewhat like a threat. White men made excuses for the reason of their murders, famously addressed by Frederick Dougalass. Dougalass said that white men made three excuses to why blacks were being murdered, the first excuse was from rioting. During the race riots, white men claimed that African Americans were bringing it upon themselves for trying to overthrow the government. They claimed that it was self-defense or that African Americans died participating in the riots they caused. After the first excuse grew old, a second excuse was born and became prevalent, “no black domination.” The fourteenth and fifteenth amendment was passed allowing African Americans to become legal citizens of the U.S. and to have the ability to vote which

infuriated others. They felt threatened and did not like the increasing Black presence. As a result, African Americans were murdered left and right, stalked and hunted through the night, and murdered even in broad daylight for exercising their rights as a legal citizen. As the second excuse grew older, a third and final one was created which framed blacks for allegedly doing harm to women. White men painted blacks to be a “monster” in the public eye for trying to harm women. They claimed it was to avenge their alleged harm against womanhood and to make sure blacks were punished for their crimes. Yet one more excuse to pardon their reasoning of murdering African Americans. Ida B. Wells’ Southern Horrors and Other Writings is important to our understanding of African American history because it spotlights the tragic cases of inequality and violence taken place after the emancipation of slavery. Wells analyzes the events and the reasoning of the lynching and murder cases that took place between 1892-1900. Even with the emancipation of slavery, it was always an uphill battle for African Americans. When the fourteenth amendment and fifteenth amendment passed, allowing blacks to become citizens and then vote, White men just could not take it. The reaction that white men displayed, showed that they could not suppress their outrage of blacks taking on a larger presence in society. White men would never be able to admit that blacks were being murdered for no absolutely no reason at all. They found and gave every reason that justified their actions against blacks. White men simply could not fathom and come to grips with black men becoming their equals. It is proven time after time of how especially angry and opposed to the fact that slavery was emancipated, especailly in the South. Wells wanted her audience to know that blacks were fighting an uphill battle, that even given their civic rights they were still in danger. This is a cry for change and a calling to help African Americans, to recognize the struggles and fear that whites have instilled into blacks....