"They Say: Ida B. Wells"

Book Review # 109411

An analysis of the plight of the oppressed according to "They Say: Ida B. Wells and the Reconstruction of Race" by James West Davidson.

952 words () | 1 source | MLA | 2008 Australia

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how, after the end of reconstruction in 1877, African-Americans, particularly in the South, faced an uncertain time. It looks at how the late 19th and early 20th centuries were a dark time in history where racism and segregation were running rampant and how this was enforced, especially in the South by the Jim Crow laws which legalized segregation with the supposed policy of "separate but equal". The paper also examines how, in order to confront and overcome the effects of Jim Crow and racism the black middle class resorted to several tactics. These included using the politics and law, media exposure, economic support and preserving safety.

From the Paper:

"Politics and law played a large role in the black middle class attempting to confront and overcome Jim Crow and racism. Middle class blacks were determined to have their say in politics and encouraged the poorer class to vote. In some places such as Holy Springs, Mississippi they even went to the extent of coloring the Republican voting ballot a different color so that illiterate blacks would be able to know who they were voting for. When Tennessee replaced older laws that condoned segregation in response to the Civil Rights Act, four African Americans on the state legislature fought back. They attempted to repeal the laws but ultimately failed. They did however gain a compromise from the white legislators that granted first class accommodation for blacks on railroads. This accommodation led to blacks attempting to use the law to further their cause for fair treatment. Many lawsuits were filed against railroad companies for throwing out blacks who were holding first class tickets. "