Long before boycotts, sitins, and freedom rides, ida b. Wells ida bell wellsbarnett, better known as ida b. Wells wrote the three pamphlets southern horrors 1892, a red record 1895, and mob rule in new orleans 1900 as an attempt to publicize the atrocities being committed against african americans in the new south. Wells, police violence, and the legacy of lynching. Ida bell wellsbarnett, african american journalist who led an. Wellsbarnetts diary, edited by miriam decostawillis, has entries from wellsbarnett starting december 29 th, 1885, until april of 1930. Historian james west davidsons book focuses on the back story to wells s activism, not only tracing her experiences as she grew up in the postemancipation south, but also cataloguing the dramatic changes that accompanied this period. Wells does an incredible job researching lynchings reported in the south. Wells in searchworks catalog skip to search skip to main content. Born a slave in 1862, ida bell wells was the oldest daughter of james and lizzie wells. Hers is the life i would have chosen, if i could have.
Wells, was an antilynching activist, a muckraking journalist, a lecturer, and a militant activist for racial justice. Wellsbarnetts research on lynching and mob violence was an outgrowth of both her personal experience in memphis and her belief that no one else seemed to be defending afro american victims against lynching during the 1890s. Wells and the personal tragedy she experienced that pushed her to raise national awareness about violence and discrimination against african americans. Wells barnett 18621931 was a prominent journalist, suffragist, and cofounder of the national association for the advancement of colored people naacp. List of books and articles about ida wellsbarnett online.
The family remained enslaved until abraham lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation. Wells was born a slave in holly springs, mississippi. Wells began writing her autobiography, crusade for justice 1928, but never finished the book. List of books and articles about ida wellsbarnett online research. Wells was a founder of the national association for the advancement of colored people naacp, and she helped black women win the right to vote.
Books 340 imagination 732 trust 748 love 2422 reading 702 ida b. Wells with spanish moss growing as soft as late, with glossy magnolias and songbirds in trees, with juleps and jasmine in the sweet evening breeze with. They say james west davidson oxford university press. Lynch law in all its phases the miscegenation laws of the south only operate against the legitimate union of the races. Wells and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Wells essay is featured in her pamphlet, southern horrors. Wells papers consists of six linear feet of original manuscripts, correspondence, newspaper and journal articles written and compiled by ida b. By her 30s, she was an educator and the editor and coowner of the memphis free speech and headlight. Wells 18621931 is brought vividly to life in this accessible and wellresearched biography. Wellsbarnett was a teacher, journalist, public speaker and leading voice among several early 20thcentury organizations that launched the long fight for racial equality. Ida bell wellsbarnett july 16, 1862 march 25, 1931 was an american investigative. Wells negro american biographies and autobiographies, and on lynchings classics in black studies, and more on.
This picture book biography introduces the extraordinary ida b. Wells was born into slavery in holly springs, mississippi, just months prior to emancipation in 1862. Wells africanamerican journalist civilrights activist, 18621931 born to slave parents in holly springs, mississippi in 1862, ida bell wells grew up to become a gutsy journalist and a pioneer civilrights activist who launched a virtual onewoman crusade against the vicious practice of lynching a murderous mob action taken by whites in the decades following emancipation as a form. Wells with spanish moss growing as soft as late, with glossy magnolias and songbirds in trees, with juleps and jasmine in the sweet evening breeze with dusty back roads and gardenfront streets. Her parents died of yellow fever when she was 14, and wells, though minimally educated, began teaching to support her seven younger sisters and brothers. Wells and the reconstruction of race james west davidson new narratives in american history. Her groundbreaking work, which included collecting statistics in a practice that today is called data journalism, established that the lawless killing of blacks was a systematic practice, especially in the south in the era following reconstruction.
The papers include contemporary accounts and articles about ida b. And i think i try to live up to her example brave and true, full of fun, and fiercely loving. Nov 03, 2012 im going through some of my old teaching units, and found the following poem. Wells went to heroic lengths in the late 1890s to document the horrifying practice of lynching blacks. The amount of material in the collection is rather small due to two house fires 1915 and 1923 that destroyed virtually all of her personal and professional papers. Wells wrote about issues of race and politics in the south. This engaging memoir tells of her private life as mother of a growing family as well as her public activities as teacher, lecturer, and journalist in her fight against attitudes and. A number of her articles were published in black newspapers and periodicals under the moniker iola. The collection also contains wells diaries from 18851887 and 1930, and two other books owned by her. Ida bell wellsbarnett, 18621931, africanamerican civilrights advocate and feminist, b. Wells barnett, known for much of her public career as ida b. Idas parents were both able to read and write, and they taught all of their seven children to be literate. This page, from duke university, provides biographical.
She used investigative journalism techniques to document and expose lynching in the united states. Historian james west davidsons book focuses on the back story to wellss activism, not only tracing her experiences as she grew up in the postemancipation south, but also cataloguing the dramatic changes that accompanied this. Wells began to write her autobiography, which she finished. Wellsbarnett, nee ida bell wells, born july 16, 1862, holly springs, mississippi, u.
This picturebook biography covers basic information about wells life. The revolutions of 1848 by contributing writer patrick jenning. Just after the civil war, wells launched a crusade against lynchings in the south and published pamphletsturned books titled. Soon, wells coowned and wrote for the memphis free speech and. Wellsbarnett, 1920 illustrated html at niu wellsbarnett, ida b. She was an advocate for civil rights, working tirelessly to campaign against injustice through her writings, publications, actions, and lawsuits. Wells africanamerican journalist civilrights activist, 18621931 born to slave parents in holly springs, mississippi in 1862, ida bell wells grew up to become a gutsy journalist and a pioneer civilrights activist who launched a virtual onewoman crusade against the vicious practice of lynching a murderous mob action taken by whites in the decades following. Ida bell wellsbarnett july 16, 1862 march 25, 1931 was an american investigative journalist, educator, and an early leader in the civil rights movement. In her hometown of holly springs, mississippi, there is an ida b. Selected fulltext books and articles to keep the waters troubled. Her expose about an 1892 lynching enraged locals, who burned her. Born a slave, she attended a freedmans school and was orphaned at 16.
Wells 1862 1931 was an africanamerican journalist, suffragist, feminist, and early leader in the civil rights movement. After years of slavery, her parents stressed the importance of. Wells barnett museum in her honor that acts as a cultural center of africanamerican history. Wells was hard at work to better the lives of african americans. Its a fun way to learn to read and as a supplement for activity books for children.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Using the pen name iola, wells in 1891 also wrote some newspaper articles. A crusader for america introduction ida was an active crusader against lynching and a champion of social and political justice for african americans. In they say, james west davidson recounts the first thirty years in the passionate life of ida b. Wells barnett has 88 books on goodreads with 755 ratings. She also worked for womens suffrage and quality education. She graduated from rust college and taught in memphis public schools. A sweeping and timely biographical narrative about ida b. Wells would be as interesting as a diary can get, but decostawilliss editing and explanations make the diary captivating reading. Wellsbarnett 18621931 was a prominent journalist, suffragist, and cofounder of the national association for the advancement of colored people.
Davidson captures the breathtaking and often chaotic changes. Wells barnett 18621931 was a prominent journalist, suffragist, and cofounder of the national association for the advancement of colored people. Wells barnett, a mississippi writer and crusader for. Her parents died of yellow fever when she was 14, and wells, though minimally educated, began teaching to support her seven younger. This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in particular for children ages 4 to 6. Ida bell wellsbarnett july 16, 1862 march 25, 1931, more commonly known as ida b. Wells negro american biographies and autobiographies new ed by wells, ida b. Wells diaries from 18851887 and 1930, and two other books owned by her. An online book about this author is available, as is a wikipedia article. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. Wellsas well as the story of the great struggle over the meaning of race in postemancipation america.
Commonlit has identified one or more texts from our collection to pair with the story of ida b. An online book about this author is available, as is a wikipedia article wellsbarnett, ida b. Wellsbarnett 18621931 was a prominent journalist, suffragist, and cofounder of the national association for the advancement of colored people naacp. Ida bell wells 18621931 was an africanamerican journalist, editor, suffragist, sociologist, and an early leader in the civil rights movement. This diary gives insight into exactly how she was feeling at particular times throughout the given. Aside from the original manuscripts of her autobiography crusade for justice. Wells was born july 16, 1862 in holly springs, mississippi, during the second year of the civil war sterling 61. Wells 18621931 was one of the foremost crusaders against black oppression.
In 1892 she works hard to discover if the men lynched had been in fact charged with any crime or if the crime itself was a rumour, based upon a single allegation. Wells arguably became the most famous black woman in america, during a life that was centered on combating. She was one of the founders of the national association for the advancement of colored people naacp. Wells was disappointed that not much information was written about her so she wrote two autobiographies before her death. Stanford libraries official online search tool for books, media, journals, databases, government documents and more. Applewood not to be confused with her mother, ida applewood lives in a world where everything is pretty near perfect. She was not a famous crusader for the cause but she did more than many know. Her words ring as true today as they did more than one hundred years ago. She was inspired to write a childrens book after hearing kate dicamillo speak in st. Wells off a train for refusing to give up her seat. Wells, there are 27 original photographs, articles, and correspondence. The broadest and most comprehensive collection of writings available by an early civil and womens rights pioneer seventyone years before rosa parkss courageous act of resistance, police dragged a young black journalist named ida b.
Lynch law in all its phases and the red record tabulated. Paula giddings has written a book as priceless as its subject. This page, from duke university, provides biographical information about wells and her antilynching crusade. Im going through some of my old teaching units, and found the following poem. Wells, as part of a series of negro american biographies and autobiographies edited by john hope franklin chicago. Ida bell wellsbarnett, 18621931, africanamerican civilrights advocate. This engaging memoir tells of her private life as mother of a growing family as well as her public activities as teacher, lecturer, and journalist in her fight against attitudes and laws oppressing blacks. She was one of the original founders of the naacp national association of the advancement of colored people in 1909. She later was active in promoting justice for african americans. Depizan honors national womens history museum, 2011. This pbs resource includes a biography, as well as a bibliography of suggested reading and books by wells.
No student of black history should overlook crusade for justice. The three of them live on a beautiful wisconsin farm with lots of land, an apple orchard and a brook. Her parents, james and elizabeth wells, were slaves, and thus wells, a woman who devoted her life to promoting racial equality, was born a slave. Wellsbarnett delivered a passionate speech at the national negro conference in which she denounced lynching and called for the implementation of federal policies that would protect black lives. This diary gives insight into exactly how she was feeling at particular times throughout the given years and what she was thinking and planning. Wells began to write her autobiography, which she finished before her death on march 21, 1931. She published her findings in a pamphlet and wrote several columns in local newspapers. Thoroughly appalled and sickened by the rising numbers of whiteonblack murders in the south since the beginning of reconstruction, and by the unwillingness of local, state and federal governments to prosecute those who were responsible, ida bell wellsbarnett wrote southern horrors, a pamphlet in which she exposed the horrible reality of lynchings to the rest of the. Lynch law in all its phases, first published in 1892. Wells, was an africanamerican journalist, newspaper editor, suffragist, sociologist, and an early leader in the civil rights movement.