Southern Horrors and Other Writings: The Anti-Lynching Campaign of Ida B. Wells, 1892-1900

by Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Jacqueline Jones Royster (Editor)

Ida B. Wells was an African-American woman who achieved national and international fame as a journalist, public speaker, and community activist. This volume collects three pamphlets that constitute her major works during the anti-lynching movement: Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases, A Red Record, and Mob Rule in New Orleans.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Race, Essays, African American, Feminism, Politics

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1996

About the author

Ida Bell Wells-Barnett (July 16, 1862 – March 25, 1931) was an African-American journalist, newspaper editor, suffragist, sociologist and, with her husband, newspaper owner Ferdinand L. Barnett, an early leader in the civil rights movement. She documented lynching in the United States, showing how it was often a way to control or punish blacks who competed with whites, often under the guise of rape charges. She was active in women's rights and the women's suffrage movement, establishing several notable women's organizations. Wells was a skilled and persuasive rhetorician, and traveled internationally on lecture tours.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Raul · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading these accounts from late 19th and early 20th century U.S.A. of lynching by mostly white men with complicity and at times instigation and encouragement from white women, against black men, women and children, I am disgusted and discouraged with humanity. Although I had heard the song Strange Fruit and even read the poem and was somewhat aware of this history, nothing prepared me for the gruesomeness and inhumanity I read in these pages.

Ida B. Wells was an incredible activist and journalist and what a debt we owe her for recording with fact and reason these bloody and horrid accounts. Any gaslighting, needless arguments about the past being the past will result with an immediate block.

[Izetta Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many people don't know about the dynamism of Ida B. Wells who fought tirelessly to ensure that anti-lynching laws were passed. And Ida was not afraid to get a little gangsta if she needed to. When historians speak of the modern Civil Rights era in the U.S. they primarily speak of the late '50s and '60s; Ida B. Wells walks in the tradition of early crusaders for equal rights, establishing many of the techniques that were used in the modern Civil Rights Movement, with even (if you can imagine) less protection. On many an occassion she had to leave for safety quickly, and lost many friends, some of them quite close.

Not only was Wells a fighter, she was a strategician - simply brillant. She is one of the first thinkers to clearly think lynching with a form of sexual violence and the broader connection to the sexual violence, degradation, and exploitativeness of slavery and the overall treatment of Black people (and all people of color) in the U.S.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saint Augustine wrote: “Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage: anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are.” Ida B. Wells is a American incarnation of hope, because she was indignant that Americans could preach one thing and do the exact opposite, namely, pride itself on being “the land of the free and home of the brave” while lynching thousands of its own citizens, overwhelmingly, blacks in the South. But she also had the courage to write, speak out, raise her voice, and trouble the consciences of her fellow citizens at such an on-going crime against humanity, such “Southern horrors.”

[Anu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was absolutely blown away by how brave, intelligent, and persuasive Ida B. Wells was. Her anti-lynching pamphlets were bluntly truthful, logical, and fearless. The introduction by Jacqueline Royster was a must-read as well, giving context for Wells' editorials and explaining why her writings were (and ARE) so significant. For anyone who would like a clear look into the lives of Black people at the turn of the century, or learn about a woman and movement that has been swept aside, this collection of essays and pamphlets are for you. I wish Southern Horrors would be required reading for every US History class.

[Elyse Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book was bittersweet. Having to process the evils of American history while realizing the extent of how these atrocities have been swept under the rug was both infuriating and heartbreaking. But getting to learn about the brave work Ida B. Wells did is the most inspiring experience ever. It’s so important that we put her on a pedestal as her activism and fearlessness are hallmarks in American history and should be treated with honor. The accounts in her book should be required in academia; it’s the reality of how our country was shaped and it’s critical in understanding how deeply racist our country is.

[Rachel]

Read for a course on c19 American political writings, this was very powerful and I recommend all to read at least some sections from it. If the date of it being written intimidates anyone, the language is incredibly easy to follow and should not deter anyone from reading this.

[Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horrors indeed!! The big question my mind is why Ida b Wells is not a household word like Rosa Parks. Wells was an amazing, investigative, writer and worked hard to reveal and examine the awful plight and oppression of her people thru documenting and writing about lynchings in the Reconstruction era. Her name and work should part everyone's knowledge base. This is a beyond depressing book to read.

[jewelthinks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very important information contained in this book. Ida B. Wells is the original #SayHerName. She documented the victims of lynching to give voice and to document how their humanity was stolen by racist, irrational beliefs and alleged reasons are maddening.

Reference book to have on hand... Not light reading material.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tough historical documents - the first from 1892 is narrowly focused on bringing to light the regularity of mob violent murders without justice for reasons far from the claimed "honor of our white women". The second from 1895 expands this to a national (southern-dominated, by fact) review of the varieties of brutality and range of justifications or circumventions of justice given for these terrorizing deaths. The third from 1900 resonates most today, as with the others mostly commentary on newspaper reports, of one mob riot against random black individuals in New Orleans following the injury (and subsequent deaths) of police. Wells lays the presumptions and contortions to arrive at who is good and evil in these reports very bare, while blacks are killed for no reason and with no concern in the headlines of the days.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woweeee oh my goodness this was so heartbreaking and incredible. Ida B. Wells is an absolute queen and I can't believe that I haven't learned more about her until now. The name would've sounded familiar to me before I read this book, but I honestly couldn't tell you much about what she did. And she did so much! She absolutely changed the public perception of lynching through sass and, more importantly, FACTS. This was so hard to read but so important, and I wish that the brutal realities of lynching were more than a couple sentences in most history books.
The introduction by Jacqueline Jones Royster was also incredibly insightful and worth the read, although it drew so much from Wells' writing that at times later on the original texts felt repetitive. Either way, I think this little book is entirely worth thorough perusal. Ida B. Wells should be on every bill.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is unsurprising, yet still disappointing, the similarities to police shootings today.

The essay introduction was a bit of a slog but Ms Wells writes clearly and effectively.

[Ivy Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a heartbreaking account of the lies told to justify vigilanty lynchings.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immediately after the Reconstruction era in the United States, during a time when African Americans were expected to be subservient and accept their lot in society, Ida B. Wells led a campaign against the violence which was perpetrated against not just Black men but women and children as well.

This book contains three of her papers which were released as pamphlets and newspaper articles:

Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All its Phases
A Red Record
Mob Rule in New Orleans

The documents record detailed in some cases very explicit acts of barbarism carried out against Black people. They also show Wells to be an accomplished investigator gathering the relevant information to support her claims.

One can only be impressed with this woman and the campaign she led between 1892 and 1900 in not just highlighting the problem but proposing a solution. She was active in condemning Lynch Law and mob violence against Black people and showing it for what it was; part of the process of disfranchising African Americans. By raising awareness not just in the United States but internationally, and through concerted attempts to organise communities there were significant reductions in these atrocities for a period of time.

This book is worthwhile reading, highlighting an agitator and civil/human rights campaigner who was herself at times under the shadow of the very violence she spoke out against.

[Carolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Assigned this for an African American history class; the first time I have done so. I assigned the introduction and "A Red Record." Many students in this class are not especially motivated to do the readings so I was not expecting a great discussion but I was happily surprised. Students talked about Wells' use of statistics and case studies as well as why she chose to provide difficult and often gruesome details. On their own, students also considered the broader context of turn of the century discourses of "civilization." Wow, I was impressed by their insight and thought.

Previously, I had only read excerpts from Wells' writing. As many of my students pointed out, A Red Record is not a pleasant read but it is certainly important in helping us to understand turn of the century race relations. In carefully crafted prose, Wells discusses the "supposed" causes of lynchings and argues that the reality was often quite different from the explanations provided by mainstream, white journalists. Gripping and horrifying. The introduction does a nice job of sketching out Wells' life and placing these writings in a broader context.

[Kayla Wiltfong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by no means an easy book, but I would assume that anyone who would pick it up would be aware of that already. This book is an investigative and journalistic look at lynching, from back when lynch law was a common thing (people were getting lynched, I mean burned alive, I mean hanged, I mean littered with bullets, and then pulled apart for souvenirs of this gruesome show, every other day). Ida B. Wells wrote about these true Southern Horrors with such cool-headedness, such deadpan delivery, with her own commentary serving as a sharp edge of wit like a nail left on your seat. She was threatened with lynching (and castration, in the case of one sexist and confused lynch mob) for this work, but she knew it was important. And she did something about it.
I can't help but think that police brutality is the new lynch law. Murders being performed and no one being acquitted of them. Sadly, this work rings relevant even now.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the first half really closely, then recently skimmed through the last half. I'll have to reread it more thoroughly at a later date, but Ida B. Wells was an amazing woman who really risked her life--literally, at some times--to uncover these stories that need telling. Lynching and the violence imposed upon African American citizens particularly during the century between the 13th Amendment and the Voting Rights Act is so disturbing. However, we need to confront our collective past if we ever hope to come together and truly be a "united" nation.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half.
Devastating. This tiny book took me a long time to read because of the real and very disturbing descriptions set forth by Wells in her crusades against lynching. An educated, self-employed black woman when neither black folks nor women had a fair voice or opportunity, Ida Wells was (unfortunately, but amazingly) decades ahead of her time. Her fiery testimony and brazen knack for calling out non-supporters distinguished her writing. Her use of accounts in the mainstream media to argue for the illegality and immorality of lynch mobs was something factual that Europeans and, eventually, Americans, finally, could not ignore. These primary and secondary sources help illuminate part of the writing career of an incredible woman who should be far more famous in American history than she is.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aside from mentions in other books I've read, this is my first real introduction to Ida B. Wells. This book includes an introduction from the editor which provided some useful background information and context for someone new to Wells. The bulk of the book is Wells' pamphlets "Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases" and "A Red Record." These pamphlets represent significant investigative journalism on lynching while it was happening. The book also included a few chapters from her autobiography mainly recounting her trip to England to create support for anti-lynching movements there. This is an important addition to my historical knowledge and understanding, and Wells' writing is engaging and informative.

[John Hively · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ida Wells campaigned about lynch laws of the old South. She used white owned newspaper accounts to help her case. What is remarkable about the book is her prescience about how African-Americans would need to hit the white folks dollars in order to bring about change, which, combined with legal action, helped to bring about change nearly 70 years later. She also noted change was occurring because whites rioting and lynching African-Americans were at times sending bond and stock prices down, and the rich white folks of the south who largely controlled the lynch mobs were getting hit in their wallets.

[Jas Dosanjh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories contained in this book were horrific and heart-breaking in equal measure. The layout of the book could have been improved, I felt that the case studies jumped around and some of them were brief. But that was probably due to the fact that actual eye witness accounts and approx figures were hard to collaborate and collect and were not widely reported to conceal the true extent of lynching of black Afro-Americans.

[Cynthia Mitchell-Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for a school paper, was insightful and descriptive of one of the shameful legacies of American history. I learned much about the woman that risked her life to gather this information. A good book to try to understand the atmosphere after the civil war. And how this practice is abhorrent, no matter who has a rope around the neck.

[Briana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reference book to have on hand, not an easy quick read.

[Faz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frank discussion on a very very dark part of American history.

[Colette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be mandatory reading in every high school across the U.S. Ida B. Wells is truly an inspiration.

[Kristine Tymusz]

unnerving and unsettling.

[Kristina Mosley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a brave and astonishing woman enduring hardship.
Both harrowing and tremendous courage to write of blood, and lynching's and those who needed to read the truth!!!

[Brandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was part story and part informational. Her life was very interesting and I learned a lot.

[Madelyn Strauss · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was really interesting. I read it for my late 19th century American literature class where we talked about literature and its relevance in promoting social reform. This book is really interesting in the information it put forward and the format in which it did so. The format of this novel and the different ways and so-called reasons that lynching occurred really resonates with me, particularly in the way Wells details these attacks in such a humane light. Because she was trying to show people that the people who were lynched were just as important as anyone else and that the reasons for a person being lynched usually was never a good one, especially since the reasons were never really the actual reason. Because with black men being lynched for supposedly rapping white women, generally it was actually consensual sex and it was just illegal and the woman regretted it afterward. It is so interesting to me the fact that Wells used statistics from white newspapers, it really goes to show the power of writing and using what you have at your disposal to the best ability. I think Wells' impact on social reform and how her effect is still being shown throughout history and modern-day, especially with the recent passing of the anti-lynching legislation into law in the United States.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every highschool student should be required to read this book as a part of their history class.

[Monique Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing read