The Red Record written by Ida B. Wells-Barnett opened the eyes of the people around the world to the horrific lynchings that had been happening. This book was directed to everybody to inform the world of the inhumane actions. If I were alive back in that time, this would have been motivation to make a stand. As it could have been motivation for the Civil Rights movement to begin. Being lynched served as punishment for pretty much anything that the mobs saw fit for an African American. Throughout The Red Record, Ida stated different reasoning’s or not for African Americans being lynched. She simply stated facts. She provided many statistics regarding to deaths and reasoning of being lynched. The chapters were organized in a way that the situations …show more content…
There were a handful of reasons that a person would be punished with death. The emancipation of the African Americans really began the acts of “conscienceless outlawry.” The fact that the white man had no right to scourge an emancipated African American gave him more fuel to want to convert and agree with lynching. To begin with the reasoning behind the lynching was to avoid race riots. The second reason was because of the right of an African American man to vote. Although the African American vote did not really matter, it was still the principle of them having that right that upset the white man. Some of the crimes that resulted in lynching were rape, arson, murder, and robbery. The crimes that could result in lynching started out simply regarding to lynching for rape or any form of disrespect towards a white woman or child. Then, the reasoning would change to make the lynching fit whatever condition was happening. One of the saddest discoveries from reading was that some people were lynched for no reason at all. They were lynched by association whether they had anything to do with the crime or not. Sometimes they were already dead from being beaten or burned and still got hung for everyone to see, and other times they were already hung and dead and the white men would pretty much empty their guns into the lifeless soul and leave the body there for everyone to see. The lynchings had gotten to the point where it was
By 1892, black populations experienced incredible lynch violence, which “offered a new tool for creating order and maintaining white supremacy.” Lynching was a ritual now—an outlet for whites who feared black political influence and black success. Over time, though, locals saw lynching as unsightly for their villages. To some, mob violence was even unlawful. This eventually led to a public condemnation of mob leaders.
Mamie specifically wrote this book to tell her son’s story, representing hope and forgiveness, which revealed the sinister and illegal punishments of the south. She wanted to prevent this horrendous tragedy from happening to others. The purpose of the book was to describe the torment African Americans faced in the era of Jim Crow. It gives imagery through the perspective of a mother who faced hurt, but brought unity to the public, to stand up for the rights of equal treatment. This book tells how one event was part of the elimination of racial segregation.
The first aspect is the application of detailed explanations. The lynching of the Afro-Americans has been well explained in the book and this has been able to create a mental picture of the situation. The second issue that has made the book to be great is that the author has been able to cover the themes involved in an effective and this is through the application of supporting claims. Like the issue of the offense, the author has elaborated the offense of rape that led to the lynching of the
This killing just reiterated the fact that there was a clear difference in the two groups. It showed that they were in fact not going to be treated equally, and that they had no intentions of changing that anytime soon. This murder just paved the way for the whites to treat the African Americans however they wanted to, which would lead to several more racially motivated crimes to occur. Another of example of crime in the book is the burning down of businesses. This started from the unrest that was started when the businesses of the whites were being challenged by the success of the African American
Wells-Barnett spoke the truth about lynching and advocated women’s rights. In 1895, Wells published The Red Record to publicize the tragedy of Lynching in the United States. Wells writes about how men are being falsely accused of raping white women. Southern white men believe a white woman would not voluntarily be with a colored man; therefore, such alliance has to be forced. However, Wells shares how on multiple occasions, the truth was known before the time of lynching that the relationship between the two was in fact voluntarily and no charges of any kind should have been applied towards the colored man.
Also, because of the restriction of European migration during World War One, this gave African Americans hope to find jobs and start a better life in the North (Lecture, 9/19). For the African Americans in the South, moving up north was the only way to get away from the harsh, cruel, indecent mistreatment they would get from the whites of the South. According to Wilkerson, “ Between 1880 and 1950, an African American was lynched more than once a week for some perceived breach of racial hierarchy” (Wilkerson, p 2). African Americans were the targets of hate crimes from racist white southerners such as the Ku Klux Klan. If African Americans decided to stay in the south, they had higher chances to become victims of racist crimes and end up losing their lives.
Ida B. Wells wrote this document as a result of the lynchings of Thomas Moss, Calvin McDowell, and Henry Stewart, and this case was significant to Miss Wells because she personally knew the victims. These colored men owned and operated a successful grocery store in an area that had a competing grocery store owned by a white man. Due to the economic tension between the two stores, a white band caused a stir and had over one hundred black men dragged into jail on suspicion. Moss, McDowell, and Stewart were charged of raping white women. Because of these accusations, these black men were lynched.
Many tributes were paid to him following his death and most Northerners believed that he truly was a good man who didn’t deserve to be hanged. Many Church Bells were tolled, people held memorial services, Negro businesses were closed and multiple people wore black armbands in sign of respect. Southerners on the other hand, despised Brown and believed that he was very foolish for the acts he committed. Robert E. Lee, one of the Southerners, said that Brown’s death could have been prevented if he just didn’t use as much violence. Lee later said that he believed that the blacks who helped Brown, during the raid were forced to help and didn’t have a choice.
The Jim Crow laws made it so that many black people became powerless as they couldn’t vote. They couldn’t vote because the lawmakers passed a law to make it so that people had to pay to vote. Because many black people at the time were poor many of them couldn’t pay this fee of voting and were left powerless when it came to political decisions. That is not the only way that the lawmakers made it so the blacks were powerless. They also made it so white and black people couldn’t be together in public so there had to be different railway cars, water fountains, stores, restaurants and pretty much their whole lives were apart.
"Jury System; a system in which the verdict in a legal case is decided by a jury on the basis of evidence submitted to it in court. " Starting at eighteen, you become eligible for jury duty – something many have to do as one of our civic duties, however, it wasn 't always this way. As far as historians know, the jury was established by William the Conqueror who brought it to England from Normandy. However, this system that he brought was nothing more than a system that had witnesses who knew of the matter in question to tell the court what they knew. It 's a known fact that our courts and laws have changed and evolved since when we first created them, otherwise lynching and stoning would still be acceptable punishments for varying crimes.
5th Hour Cause and Effect Essay Jim Crow laws The Jim Crow laws were unfair and unjust to all African-Americans by making them unequal. The Jim Crow laws are laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States. It used the term separate but equal, even though conditions for African Americans were always worst than their white counterparts. They could not eat at the same restaurant as white people, they could not used the same restrooms, and they couldn't even use the same drinking fountain.
Even in 1890 16 black members of a council apart of the Louisiana General Assembly, came together and passed a law to prevent black and white people from riding together on railroads(A Brief History). Most of the blacks were scared of the whites not knowing who was going to lie to the mobs or police to have them get in trouble. Because of this the blacks would take the jim crow laws and would make parts of it actual laws so they could be seperated. Even in a trial to end the lynching blacks went and voted to be lynched so they wouldn't have to live in this life on the edge not knowing what could happen(Ku Klux Klan History) With over the 3,400 lynchings at least 300 of those lynchings were whites only. The KKK (the second version of the klan) would go after whites if they were defending the blacks or even if they aren't following their religion to a perfect replica(Lynching
The voting act was an act that supported that african americans have the right to vote like any white man. Another tactic used was the idea of Black Nationalism. African Americans united together was under Malcolm X and islam. Malcolm X gave African Americans a idea of black nationalism and that they are good and better than white people. Also SNCC, which used to have white members purged them all so that the African Americans can do things themselves without the help of any white men.
One major reason Ida B. Wells’ argument is so convincing is the way she isolated the problem at hand and stated it clearly. She made sure to bring the problem to light in its true form. Wells’ talks clearly of the true horror that lynching was in the south. Lynching was a horrible problem that was spreading throughout the south of the time. It was all too common and seemed to be an almost everyday occurrence where people were used to lynching taking place.
Although technically people of color had the right, white people were making it very difficult to register. When African Americans went to register they would be tested continuously, something white people never had to deal with. Only two percent of African Americans in the south could vote. Before the march from Selma to Montgomery there were many protests to try to gain fair voting rights. One man, Jimmie Lee Jackson was killed at a peaceful protest by a state trooper.