Ida B Wells Research Paper

Ida B. Wells Biography
Ida B. Wells was born a slave in 1862 in Holly Springs, Missouri. She is the oldest daughter of James and Lizzie Wells. The Wells family along with all other slaves were freed six months after Ida’s birth thanks to the Emancipation Proclamation. The Wells family received lots of racial prejudice living in Mississippi. They were restricted by racial rules and practices. James Wells served on the board of trustees for Rust College and made education a priority for his seven children. Ida Wells had to stop attending school at sixteen when tragedy struck her family. Both of her parents and one of her siblings were killed in a yellow fever outbreak. This left Ida in charge of her other siblings. Being the crafty woman she
She was so furious, she sued the railroad company for $500. However, the Tennessee Supreme Court overturned this decision. This injustice caused Ida to pick up a pen and write about the issues of race and politics in the south. She used the moniker “Lola” and published articles in black newspapers and periodicals. Ida Wells later went on to own the Memphis Free Speech and Headlight, and later, Free Speech. While she held a position as a journalist and publisher, she also held a position as a teacher in a segregated school. She became a vocal critic of the condition of blacks only schools in the city. She was fired in 1891 for these comments. She supported another cause after the murder of a friend and his two business associates. In 1892, three African American men- Tom Moss, Calvin McDowell, and Will Stewart- opened a grocery store in Memphis. Their new store attracted customers from the other store owned by the whites. The owner of the other store and the three African American men fought on occasion. One night, Moss and his fellow owners protected the store from white vandals. Several vandals were shot. The three owners were brought to jail and they were lynched before their trials. They could not prove their innocence. The