Racism In On Lynchings By Ida B. Wells

Words: 503
Pages: 3

The idea of racism is based on how a person a believes that their race is superior over other races. In the book “On Lynchings” by Ida B. Wells-Barnett, she describes the lives of African Americans and how lynching has negatively affected them by speaking out. This book takes place in 1890s in the south where racism and lynching were okay. Lynching and racism affects different members in the society differently in terms of how these people are being treated and the different reactions. One of the most important things about this is that how a race is being treated differently and especially for things that one person has not done. In book, it mentions that one person was being treated horribly for something that he did not commit. In the book it states “Yet Butler was apprehended, placed under the arrest…and hung for his stepfather’s crime” (Wells-Barnett 59). This took place during the Civil War era which means during this time period African Americans were treated as slaves. Another good example of person being lynched for no reason is when …show more content…
In the book, Ida explains how during that time people believed “regardless of numbers the white man should” (Wells-Barnett 35). Ida addresses that these results have led to formation of more radical organizations like for example the KKK. Due to this reason, in the south many people thought it was okay to lynch minorities especially the African American. Ida is explaining from the perspective of those people how even if they have the rights, they are being treated horribly from other people. Ida Barnett claims “It gave him the right to vote, but denied him the protection which should have maintained that right” (Wells Barnett). Even though that had the right to vote, these people do not have the protection against lynching and