"Lynch Law" had its origins in the state of Virginia and Pennsylvania with the purpose of upholding justice where the law has failed. The original aim of such "Unwritten Law" was to suppress a very dangerous horsethieves band who defied the "Written Laws"
Ida B. Wells states that white people then proceeded to enforce this law on the grounds of such crimes included but not limited to: ,murder,robbery,burglary,rioting.
According to Wells, white people considered a sufficient and reasonable reason to put a criminal to death under lynching in order to prevent crimes against women.
The sentiments of the country were appealed to by describing the "Desperate" situation of white women and children living in densely populated black people´s districts as if they were helpless families surrounded by vicious criminals.
However, Wells states that most of the so called criminals who were wealthy black people were never charged or even accused of such crimes, thus, leading her to believe black people were actually lynched in order to protect white economic supremacy.