Ida B Wells's Anti-Lynching Campaign

Many critics say her work did not have any effects, but they are wrong. Ida B Wells alone started the anti-lynching campaign. She encouraged the community to ban together against the hysteria of the time, and she dedicated so much of her life to her beliefs. She spent several years of her life writing, fighting, and speaking about lynchings. She faced death threats everywhere she went. She began carrying a gun everywhere she went, because she would not let people scare her away from what she believed in. As Wells spoke publically about her opinions, news sources spoke of her in positive and negative manners. Well’s was often referenced in newspapers during her time, but today she is hardly remembered for the hero she was. She was referenced

Not many articles were published about Ida B Wells however, a few were. One specific article discusses the meeting of Ida B Well’s Woman’s Club and then years later, an article was published to remember the 36th anniversary of her club ("Ida B Wells Club's 36th Anniversary."). Another article published by the Chicago Defender discusses how Ida B Well’s called out the Chicago Tribune for its disregard for race ("Ida B. Wells-Bar-Nett Scores Tribune-Disregards Race."). Throughout her life, the Chicago Defender thought highly of Ida B Wells and made her work readily acknowledgeable by the public. Even after she died, the Chicago Defender published an obituary about her death which was predominantly read by blacks. ("Ida B Wells-Barnett Passes

During her life, they remembered her in a positive light, except their representation of her was more reserved than the Chicago Defender. The New York Times posted a tiny less than 100 word article about Wells after her wedding, just to announce that she had been married (“Ida Wells Married”). In another article the author writes about Well’s plea for the negros. The article often calls her “Miss Wells,” which shows a sign of respect versus actually referring to her as a negro. The author also states that Wells speaks “readily and has a musical voice” (“Miss Well’s Plea for the Negro”). Clearly the author is writing a more unbiased version of Wells, but still maintains a level of respect for her and her