Ida B. Wells Begins Documenting Lynching: 728 Cases 1884–1892

Journalist Ida B. Wells begins systematically collecting lynching data, ultimately documenting 728 lynchings between 1884 and 1892. Her research, drawn from white Southern newspapers, demolishes the claim that lynchings punish rape: most victims are killed for economic competition, voting, or perceived social violations. Her statistics become the foundation of the anti-lynching movement's evidentiary case.