At the end of the nineteenth century, lynching: affected only southern whites. was an act of violence directed mostly at black men. rarely happened. was always done in secret. caused Ida B. Wells to stop writing and speaking.

Option: was an act of violence directed mostly at black men.

Explanation:

At the end of the 19th century, the South was growing into racial tension. Southern people accused their financial difficulties on the freed slaves that lived around them. Lynchings were displaying a common way of solving the anger that whites had with freed blacks. For the white Southern, Lynching was necessary because it controls and maintains the freed slaves.