“Crusade” for African American Civil Rights: Female Rhetoric and Autobiography of Ida B. Wells

Abstract

Crusade for Justice: The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells is the inspirational autobiography of an African American civil rights leader and black feminist. Ida B. Wells, born into slavery in 1862, witnessed the Reconstruction era after the Civil War in the USA, the battle of suffrage, the World War I, and its aftermath. In her autobiography, she documents her individual struggle, her accomplishments, and her major activities in order to promote equality for women and African Americans. This autobiography provides a critical review of American racial and sexual relations. She did not simply observe the American scene, but she also transformed it as a leader in the women’s movement and the African American Civil Rights movement. The autobiography is especially important in documenting the prevalent patterns of lynching of African American men by white mobs. While protesting and writing about these horrors, Wells also fought against these illegal and violent acts. She struggled with many people to have her radical and unflinching stands represented. She had opinion differences with some of the prominent leaders including Susan B. Anthony, W E. B. Du Bois, and Booker T. Washington. She depicts these differences in her autobiography while reflecting upon her unwillingness to compromise with her stand. Thus, the present paper tries to locate the Civil Rights movement in America through female perspective. The major aim of the paper is to construct a dialogue around the autobiography of Ida. B. Wells in order to understand the role of women leaders in the Civil Rights Movement in the USA.