This Day in History April 13, 1873

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On this date in 1873, the deadliest racial and political event of the Reconstruction era occurred.  It took place in Colfax, Louisiana and was known as the Colfax Massacre or Colfax Riot.  I had never heard of this incident before I researched it.  Here is a brief history.

Louisiana was in the midst of a contested election for governor and other offices.  The main issue was the election of two governors who both claimed to be the rightful governor.  On Easter Sunday, there was a face-off at the courthouse in Colfax.  The whites fought against the blacks, and most of the casualties were blacks.  Only three white men were arrested and brought to trial, but later, they were let off by the Supreme Court.   It is estimated that a total of 150 were killed.  While this is the worst of the violence, there were other uprisings elsewhere in the South.  President Grant had to step in to restore order.

The massacre is covered in great depth on the following sites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colfax_massacre
http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/HistoryAmerican/CivilWarReconstruction/?view=usa&ci=9780195393088
http://knowla.org/entry.php?rec=758
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/grant-colfax/