Primary sourceBook1920
The Arkansas Race Riot
Ida B. Wells-Barnett · 1920
A 1920 pamphlet by Ida B. Wells based on interviews with Black sharecroppers imprisoned after the Elaine massacre.
Written by Wells, based on her interviews with imprisoned Black sharecroppers after the Elaine massacre.
About this source
What it is
This pamphlet, written by Ida B. Wells-Barnett in 1920, presents the case of Black sharecroppers imprisoned after violence in Arkansas. Wells based her account on interviews she conducted directly with the men held in jail.
Why it matters
The pamphlet is an example of Wells's lifelong method: investigating violence against Black Americans directly from witnesses and victims, then publishing the results to appeal to public opinion. It appeals to readers as a kind of jury, asking them to judge the facts she presents and act for justice. It shows both her skill as an investigative journalist and her belief that exposing injustice through evidence could change public attitudes.
Look closer
- Who does Wells address directly in this text, and why might she choose that audience?
- What does her comparison to a courtroom suggest about how she wanted readers to respond?
- What kind of evidence does she say the pamphlet is built on?
This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Ida B. Wells on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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