Slaughter ‘This Awful Slaughter’ is a credible source because it analyzes American society during the height of institutionalized racism and mass murder of African Americans. This is a speech by Ida B. Wells; an African-American journalist, newspaper editor, suffragist, sociologist, feminist Georgist, and an early leader in the Civil Rights movement. Her long list of credentials support and further prove the credibility of this source. ”By 1909 Ida B. Wells was the most prominent anti-lynching campaigner in the United States. From the early 1890s she labored mostly alone in her effort to raise the nation’s awareness and indignation about these usually unpunished murders. In 1909, however, she gained a powerful ally in the newly formed National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.” (Daley) This is a reliable source because her experience was first-hand during the Civil Rights movement …show more content…
First, she starts with her outline, presenting data and listing reasons why the people should care. By Stating that there was really no legitimate reason for the lynching to be happening, she quickly backs it up with even more data. “…spread a reign of terror, by beating, shooting and killing colored in a few years, the purpose was accomplished, and the black vote was suppressed. But mob murder continued. From 1882, in which year fifty-two were lynched, down to the present, lynching has been along the color line. Mob murder increased yearly until in 1892 more than two hundred victims were lynched and statistics show that 3,284 men, women and children have been put to death in this quarter of a century. During the last ten years from 1899 to 1908 inclusive the number lynched was 959. Of this number 102 were white, while the colored victims numbered 857.” (Wells) The attack on colored people continued and Wells was seeking a