Ida B Wells-Barnett

The Red Record (Annotated) Ida B Wells-Barnett

Differentiated book- It has a historical context with research of the time-The Red Record by Ida B. Wells-Barnett. Ida B. Wells(1862-1931) Ida B. Wells was an African-American journalist, abolitionist and feminist who led a crusade against lynching in the United States in the 1890s. She went on to found and integrate into groups fighting for African-American justice. Born as a slave in Holly Springs, Mississippi, on July 16, 1862, Wells was the eldest daughter of James and Lizzie Wells. Wells' family, as well as the rest of the slaves of the Confederate states, were freely decreed by the Union thanks to the Emancipation Proclamation approximately six months after Ida's birth. Living in Mississippi as African Americans, they faced racial prejudice and were restricted by discriminatory rules and practices. Wells's parents were active in the Republican Party during the Reconstruction. His father, James, was involved with the Freedman's Aid Society and helped start Shaw University, a school for newly freed slaves (now Rust College), and served on the first board of trustees. It was at Shaw University where Wells received his early education. However, at the age of 16, he had to leave when tragedy struck his family.