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The alleged menace of universal suffrage having been avoided by the absolute suppression of the negro vote, the spirit of mob murder should have been satisfied and the butchery of negroes should have ceased.

Ida B. Wells

I am only a mouthpiece through which to tell the story of lynching and I have told it so often that I know it by heart. I do not have to embellish; it makes its own way.
IDA B. WELLS

Emblis Heart Know Lynching Make Mouthpiece Often Only Own Story Told Way
White men lynch the offending Afro-American, not because he is a despoiler of virtue, but because he succumbs to the smiles of white women.
IDA B. WELLS

Country Despoiler Lynch Men Offend Smile Succumb Virtue White Women
The appeal to the white man’s pocket has ever been more effectual than all the appeals ever made to his conscience.
IDA B. WELLS

All Appeal Been Conscience Effectual Ever Made Man Pocket White
The South resented giving the Afro-American his freedom, the ballot box and the Civil Rights Law.
IDA B. WELLS

Box Civil Rights Country Freedom Give Law Resented South Vballot
Virtue knows no color line.
IDA B. WELLS

Color Know Line No One Liner Virtue
A Winchester rifle should have a place of honor in every black home.
IDA B. WELLS

Back Ever Home Honor Place Rifle Winchester
There is nothing we can do about the lynching now, as we are out-numbered and without arms.
IDA B. WELLS

Arm Lynching Nothing Now Numbered Out Without
The negro has suffered far more from the commission of this crime against the women of his race by white men than the white race has ever suffered through his crimes.
IDA B. WELLS

Against Commission Country Crime Men More People Race Suffer White Women
The alleged menace of universal suffrage having been avoided by the absolute suppression of the negro vote, the spirit of mob murder should have been satisfied and the butchery of negroes should have ceased.
IDA B. WELLS

Absolute Alleged Country Menace People Suffrage Suppression Universal Vote
In slave times the Negro was kept subservient and submissive by the frequency and severity of the scourging, but, with freedom, a new system of intimidation came into vogue; the Negro was not only whipped and scourged; he was killed.
IDA B. WELLS

Country Freedom Frequency Kept People Scourging Severity Slave Submissive Time
It is extremely rough to follow through with my goals, but I felt a responsibility to show the world what the African Americans are facing through this rough patch.
IDA B. WELLS

Country Extremely Face Felt Follow Goal Patch Responsibility Rough Show World
The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the crowd.
IDA B. WELLS

Body Century Crowd Cut Distribute Ear Finger Flesh Lynching Mom Nineteen Portion Souvenirs Strip Toe
I shall feel I have done my race a service. Other considerations are of minor importance.
IDA B. WELLS

Consideration Done Feel Importance Minor Race Service Shall
The Afro-American is not a bestial race.
IDA B. WELLS

Bestial Country Race
The miscegenation laws of the South only operate against the legitimate union of the races; they leave the white man free to seduce all the colored girls he can, but it is death to the colored man who yields to the force and advances of a similar attraction in white women.
IDA B. WELLS

Against Attract Free Law Leave Legitimate Man Miscegenation Only Operate Race Seduce South Union White Women
One had better die fighting against injustice than die like a dog or a rat in a trap.
IDA B. WELLS

Better Die Dog Had Injustice Like One Rat Trap
No nation, savage or civilized, save only the United States of America, has confessed its inability to protect its women save by hanging, shooting, and burning alleged offenders
IDA B. WELLS

Civilized Confess Country Hang Inability Nation No Only Protect Savage Save Women
When the white man who is always the aggressor knows he runs as great a risk of biting the dust every time his Afro-American victim does, he will have greater respect for Afro-American life.
IDA B. WELLS

Aggressor Biting Country Duet Dust Every Greatest Hite Life Man Respect Time
The people must know before they can act, and there is no educator to compare with the press.
IDA B. WELLS

Act Before Compare Educator Know Must People Press
The Afro-American is not a bestial race. If this work can contribute in any way towards proving this, and at the same time arouse the conscience of the American people to a demand for justice to every citizen, and punishment by law for the lawless,
IDA B. WELLS

Arouse Bestial Contribute Country Demand Every Law People Prove Punishment Race Same Time Towards Way Work
I came home every Friday afternoon, riding the six miles on the back of a big mule. I spent Saturday and Sunday washing and ironing and cooking for the children and went back to my country school on Sunday afternoon.
IDA B. WELLS

Afternoon Back Big Came Every Friday Home Mile Mothing Mule
I honestly believe I am the only woman in the United States who ever traveled throughout the country with a nursing baby to make political speeches.
IDA B. WELLS

Baby Believe Country Ever Honestly Make Nurse Only Political Throughout Travel Women
The lesson this teaches and which every Afro-American should ponder well, is that a Winchester rifle should have a place of honor in every black home, and it should be used for that protection which the law refuses to give.
IDA B. WELLS

Black Country Every Home Honor Lessons People Person Pinder Place Protection Refuse Teacher Well
There must always be a remedy for wrong and injustice if we only know how to find it.
IDA B. WELLS

Always Find Injustice Know Remedy Wrong
Our country’s national crime is lynching. It is not the creature of an hour, the sudden outburst of uncontrolled fury, or the unspeakable brutality of an insane mob.
IDA B. WELLS

Brutal Country Creaturem Hour Crime Fury Insane Lynching Mob National Our Outburst Sudden Uncontrol Unspeakable
I had an instinctive feeling that the people who have little or no school training should have something coming into their homes weekly which dealt with their problems in a simple, helpful way… so I wrote in a plain, common-sense way on the things that concerned our people.
IDA B. WELLS

Come Feeling Home Instinctive Little People Schoo Something Training Weekly
In fact, for all kinds of offenses – and, for no offenses – from murders to misdemeanors, men and women are put to death without judge or jury; so that, although the political excuse was no longer necessary, the wholesale murder of human beings went on just the same.
IDA B. WELLS

All Death Fact Judge Jury Kind Men Misdemeanors Murder Offense Put Without Women

The alleged menace of universal suffrage having been avoided by the absolute suppression of the negro vote, the spirit of mob murder should have been satisfied and the butchery of negroes should have ceased.

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The alleged menace of universal suffrage having been avoided by the absolute suppression of the negro vote, the spirit of mob murder should have been satisfied and the butchery of negroes should have ceased.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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