American Lit II: Ida B. Wells-Barnett Mob Rule In New Orleans

"Wow, what is story!!!" That was my thoughts upon reading "Mob Rule in New Orleans" by Ida Wells-Barnett. In it, Wells tells of the rioting and lynchings in turbulent 1900 New Orleans. Anyone who knows about Wells and who she was knows she is well qualified to write this story about the racially charged violence of this time. Wells was born to slave parents in 1862. From early on in her life she had to be a fighter. At the age of 16, her parents died, and she had to fight to support and keep her siblings together, which she did by taking a job as a teacher. She attended college at Shaw University and after this Wells moved to Memphis to help her aunt raise her youngest sisters. After she arrived in Memphis she was forcibly removed from her seat when a white man wanted to sit where she was at. After this, Wells was well on the path to be an activist for suffrage and the cause against lynching. Eight years later, three of Wells' black friends, who owned a grocery store, were lynched by white competitors who were looking to protect their own business interests. After this, she intensified her fight against lynching. After reading this brief review about Ida Wells, I hope you choose to read this captivating story about the turbulent times of this era.