The Red Record: Tabulated Statistics and Alleged Causes of Lynching in the United States

In Chapter 7, Wells explores how recent attention to lynching and white mobs is a direct result of international activism. American social activists appealed to English audiences to combat the genocide of Black citizens in the American South, and supporters of Lynch Law suggested that this appeal was unpatriotic. However, Wells argues that the more than 10,000 murders by lynching are enough justification for international exposure and intervention:

If America would not hear the cry of men, women and children whose dying groans ascended to heaven praying for relief, not only for them but for others who might soon be treated as they, then certainly no fair-minded person can charge disloyalty to those who make an appeal to the civilization of the world for such sympathy and help as it is possible to extend (89).

Wells argues that descriptions of her reports as vindicative are ironic since she uses white testimonies and records to shed light on lynchings. She argues that international attention has spurred politicians to begin speaking out against the violent act. Efforts made to eliminate lynchings are a direct result of America experiencing pressure from foreign governments and concerns over its standing as a morally superior nation.