Congress Refuses Federal Anti-Lynching Legislation Through the 1890s

Despite Ida B. Wells' campaigns and documented evidence of hundreds of lynchings, Congress takes no action on federal anti-lynching legislation throughout the 1890s. The Lodge Federal Elections Bill of 1890, which would have protected Black voting rights, is filibustered to death in the Senate. Southern Democrats argue states' rights; Northern Republicans prioritize economic legislation. Black Americans are explicitly told their lives are a local, not federal, matter.