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Ida B Wells Progressive Era

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The United States is a nation that has an extensive history and many different eras that have resulted in large changes in the political, economic, and social world. One such era is the Progressive Era, which consisted of large political reform and activism through social communities that would, in short, fight against corruption, inefficiency, and monopolies. During this time, many social figures would become well known for their advocacy and effort in trying to make the nation better as a whole. One such figure is Ida B. Wells, an African American woman who was born in 1862 as a slave during the Civil War. Ida B. Wells was a muckraker, or reform-focused investigative journalist, who wrote continuously about the horrors of racism in the Jim …show more content…
Despite this, Wells continued to write about the horrors of lynching to bring more attention—and hopefully, reform. As Wells published her book, The Red Record, that statistically reported on lynching, she became one of the “first prominent African-American women journalists in the U.S. and one of the first data reporters, decades before the discipline formally existed” (Mobley). Wells was also a co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Outside of writing, Wells worked with Jane Adams to block the segregation of Chicago public schools and is also the founder of the Negro Fellowship League and the Alpha Suffrage Club of Chicago (Foner and Garraty). As an activist for women’s suffrage, Wells also was a founder of the National Association of Colored Women’s Club and would speak up against white women in the suffrage movement who ignored racism and lynching. All in all, Ida B. Wells was a strong advocate for both racism and women’s rights—her perseverance enabled her to push through systematic struggles and fight for the betterment of her …show more content…
Department of Justice for investigation, the case was eventually closed. In hopes of an anti-lynching law, Wells would appeal the case, but the President withheld his support (Mobley). 124 years later, the U.S. passed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which would protect all citizens from hate crime (Congress.gov). While this law comes a long time after Ida B. Wells’ attempt, it highlights the progress of today’s society compared to Wells’ time. The NAACP, of which Wells was a co-founder of, also played a large role in leading the legal campaign for Brown v. Board of Education, which was a court case that resulted in the termination of school segregation in many states (Daugherity 5). Activists like Ida B. Wells were determined to get their communities to the point where they would be able to live freely without constant fear of harm; the steps that they have taken were the perfect stepping stones for others to continue their work and get us to where we are today. While Ida B. Wells would not come out of her journey with many successes in the political sense, she made a great impact through her

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