The governor’s election of 1872 created a lot of tension in Louisiana. It was marked by a lot of corruption and voter fraud. The Republicans supported black enfranchisement and the Democrats were doing their best to maintain white supremacy. Pres. Grant sent federal troops to support the Republican candidate. This resulted in the formation of the White League, which was basically a paramilitary organization that was allied with the KKK. In Grant Parish, an all-black militia seized control of the courthouse in Colfax out of fear that the White League would take control of it to prevent blacks from voting. On April 13, 1873 (Easter Sunday!), 150 whites from the White League and the KKK surrounded the building. The two sides exchanged fire. The whites fired a cannon at the building. After several hours of fighting, the blacks surrendered. Many were murdered during the surrender. About 50 were taken prisoners. However, that night, fueled by alcohol, the whites pulled the blacks out of the jail and lynched them. It is estimated that 60-150 blacks died that day. 3 whites were killed. The incident made national headlines. 97 whites were indicted, but Southern justice miscarried. 9 were charged with violating the Enforcement Acts of 1870 and 1871 (the KKK Acts), which had been designed to protect blacks from violence. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court ended up ruling that the acts only applied to state government actions, not individual actions. This was a big setback for black voting and gave a green light to disenfranchising blacks and encouraged violence toward them. It became almost impossible to bring lynchers to justice. The incident, which has been described as the worst event of racial violence in Reconstruction, has been pretty much forgotten. It needs to be taught.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/1873-colfax-massacre-crippled-reconstruction-180958746/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colfax_massacre
Note how the plaque refers to the incident as a “riot” and puts a positive spin on it.
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