Skip to main content

Primary sourceBook1892

United States Atrocities: Lynch Law

Ida B. Wells · 1892

An 1892 London pamphlet by Ida B. Wells documenting lynching in the United States for British readers.

Written by Wells for British readers, documenting the international reach of her anti-lynching campaign.

Ask Ida B. Wells about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Full text (public-domain edition)

About this source

What it is

This pamphlet, titled United States Atrocities: Lynch Law, was written by Ida B. Wells and published in London in 1892 by the 'Lux' Newspaper and Publishing company. A copy is held by the British Library.

Why it matters

After mob violence destroyed her Memphis newspaper for publishing anti-lynching editorials, Wells toured Britain to build international pressure against lynching in the United States. This pamphlet, produced for a British audience, shows how she took her campaign beyond American borders, using the press to reach new readers and shame American society in front of an international public.

Look closer

  • Why might Wells have thought a British audience would be useful to her campaign?
  • What does the choice of title, calling lynching an 'atrocity,' suggest about how she wanted readers to react?
  • How might international publicity have affected attitudes toward lynching back in the United States?

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.

More Ida B. Wells sources

Meet the AI Ida B. Wells →
Title page of the 1892 pamphlet 'Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases' on aged, stained paper. Below the title is an engraved portrait of a woman with hair piled high, and the caption 'Miss IDA B. WELLS'. Text reads 'Price, Fifteen Cents' and 'The New York Age Print, 1892'.Book

Primary source

Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases

Ida B. Wells · 1892

Book

Primary source

The Red Record

Ida B. Wells-Barnett · 1895

Sepia-toned studio portrait of a woman in three-quarter view facing left, with hair piled high in an updo and a small ornament on top. She wears a dark lace dress with a high ruffled collar and a light decorative pin at the neck.Photograph

Primary source

Ida B. Wells-Barnett Portrait

Mary Garrity · c. 1893

Sepia-toned studio portrait of a woman with voluminous hair piled high on her head, turned three-quarters to the right. She wears a high-necked dark dress with beaded and embroidered trim at the collar.Photograph

Primary source

Ida B. Wells Portrait by Cihak and Zima

Cihak and Zima · c. 1895

Black-and-white newspaper photograph of women in white sashes at a 1913 suffrage parade. Sashes read 'Vote No Tax' and a banner reads 'Illinois'. Caption names Virginia Brooks, Mrs. Belle Squire, and Mrs. Ida Wells Barnett. Inset below shows a smaller figure.Newspaper article

Primary source

Ida B. Wells at 1913 Suffrage Parade

May 1913

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Ida B. Wells now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions