Final answer:
Ida B. Wells and various civil rights activists and local community members worked to confront and dismantle the power of lynch mobs. Laws like the Enforcement Acts were passed to tackle this violence and protect African Americans' rights.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question seems to be referring to the broader historical struggle against lynch mob violence and who stood up to such groups throughout history. Investigations and testaments, like those from Abram Colby, show the real threats faced by African Americans simply for exercising their rights. Ida B. Wells was an African-American journalist and activist who highlighted that lynchings were a form of racial terror and control, not a response to criminal activities.
The political climate at that time, filled with intimidation and violence, sought to undermine African-American progress and maintain white supremacy. Efforts to challenge this atmosphere included legal actions like the Enforcement Acts supported by President Grant and the campaigning of individuals like Wells, who asked society to look at the true causes of lynching. There were also collective actions by local communities and civil rights workers, such as the protection of Freedom Riders by hospital workers and local blacks.