Ted Hammond - Who Was Ida B. Wells?

After the Civil War ended, James and Elizabeth Wells chose to stay on the farm where they had always lived. Now the man who owned the farm had to pay them for the work they did.

Ida and her family on the farm where she was born

Idas parents were able to save money. After several years, they decided to rent their own house in Holly Springs. They wanted to build a new life for themselves and their growing family.

At school, Ida was smart and learned quickly. But she often had a hard time getting along with the other students. She had strong opinions and wasnt afraid to say what was on her mindeven to the teachers.

Much of the South was destroyed during the Civil War and needed to be rebuilt. This period of rebuilding was called Reconstruction. It lasted from 1865 to 1877. The federal government helped the South rebuild roads, farms, and schools. The federal government also wanted to secure the rights of the newly freed slaves. Several amendments (changes) were added to the Constitution during this time:

• Thirteenth Amendment (December 1865): Abolished (ended) slavery everywhere in the United States

• Fourteenth Amendment (July 1868): Gave freed slaves the right of citizenship

• Fifteenth Amendment (February 1870): Granted black men the right to vote

Reconstruction officially ended in 1877 while Rutherford B. Hayes was the president. Each state in the South once again took over running its own government. Many of them ignored the rights that the recently freed black people had gained.

In the summer of 1878, Ida went to visit her grandmother on her farm outside of Holly Springs. While Ida was away, a yellow fever epidemic hit the South. Yellow fever is a disease that is carried by mosquitoes. It is called yellow fever because in serious cases, a persons skin turns a yellow color. The disease swept through parts of Mississippi, including Holly Springs. Many people left town, but Idas family stayed. Her father helped take care of the sick and made coffins for those who had died. Sadly, both Idas parents and her youngest brother died from the disease.

When Ida returned to Holly Springs, friends of her parents were talking about what should happen to the Wells children who had survived. Perhaps they should be split up and sent to live with other families. Ida was shocked by this. She told her parents friends that it would make her father and mother turn over in their graves to know their children had been scattered, and if they helped Ida find work, she would take care of her brothers and sisters.