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Ida B. Wells
49quotes
Full Name and Common Aliases
Ida Bell Wells was commonly known as Ida B. Wells.
Birth and Death Dates
Ida B. Wells was born on July 16, 1862, in Holly Springs, Mississippi, USA. She died on March 25, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Nationality and Profession(s)
Wells was an American journalist, suffragist, and civil rights activist. Her profession spanned multiple fields, with a primary focus on journalism.
Early Life and Background
Ida B. Wells grew up during the tumultuous period of Reconstruction following the Civil War in the United States. She experienced firsthand the difficulties faced by African Americans in Mississippi. Wells' family struggled to maintain their property after her father's death from yellow fever left them without a male head of household. To support her family, Wells began attending school but eventually dropped out to work as a teacher.
Major Accomplishments
Ida B. Wells is perhaps best known for her crusade against lynching in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her activism led to significant changes in public perception and policy regarding racial violence. In addition to fighting for anti-lynching laws, Wells advocated for women's suffrage and equal rights for African Americans.
Notable Works or Actions
Wells' fight against lynching began after the murder of her editor friend, Thomas Moss, in Memphis in 1892. This event sparked her intense research into racial violence across the United States. Her work led to numerous publications, including "Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases," which exposed the brutality of lynchings and questioned their justifications.
Impact and Legacy
Ida B. Wells' impact on civil rights activism cannot be overstated. She was an influential figure during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, paving the way for future generations of activists. Her fight against lynching led to increased public awareness about racial violence and eventually contributed to changes in laws regarding lynching.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Ida B. Wells is widely quoted and remembered due to her unwavering commitment to exposing injustices faced by African Americans during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her courageous activism, both through writing and public speaking, continues to inspire those fighting for human rights today.
As one of the most influential figures in American civil rights history, Ida B. Wells' legacy as a journalist, suffragist, and activist has left an enduring impact on society.
Quotes by Ida B. Wells
Ida B. Wells's insights on:
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The city of Memphis has demonstrated that neither character nor standing avails the Negro if he dares to protect himself against the white man or become his rival.
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The white man's victory soon became complete by fraud, violence, intimidation and murder.
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The appeal to the white man’s pocket has ever been more effectual than all the appeals ever made to his conscience.
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In fact, for all kinds of offenses – and, for no offenses – from murders to misdemeanors, men and women are put to death without judge or jury; so that, although the political excuse was no longer necessary, the wholesale murder of human beings went on just the same.
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Our country’s national crime is lynching. It is not the creature of an hour, the sudden outburst of uncontrolled fury, or the unspeakable brutality of an insane mob.
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One had better die fighting against injustice than die like a dog or a rat in a trap.
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In slave times the Negro was kept subservient and submissive by the frequency and severity of the scourging, but, with freedom, a new system of intimidation came into vogue; the Negro was not only whipped and scourged; he was killed.
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