Memphis Massacre of 1866

Most believe that the Civil War was the end of slavery in the U.S and that black and whites were finally equal and that ended up being nothing but the truth. With Abraham Lincoln being assassinated and Andrew Johnson stepping into office the recently freed slaves were everything but safe. The Union's victory over the Southern Confederates was indeed a monumental moment in U.S history but it did not solve every problem between whites and blacks. 

In 1866 Andrew Johnson vetoed a bill called the Civil Rights Act but it was actually the first ever bill that was overruled by the U.S congress. This bill granted all U.S citizens that were born in the U.S the same rights that the white males of America possessed. This Bill still did not include Native Americans or women of any color including white women. This caused an uproar in the racist communities of the south, especially in the large cities.

Since these African-American men and women were now free they were looking for a new home and many of them moved to the cities of the south like Memphis, New Orleans, and others. Memphis's black population grew by 17,000 in just the 5 years following the Civil War. As I said, white communities were not happy about this, and this caused even more hatred between the two races. 

Race-driven riots began to happen throughout the cities of the south where white people attacked black people. During this time one of the largest anti-black riots took place in the city of Memphis, TN. It is known today as the Memphis Massacre.

The night before the riots a street party organized by mostly black union soldiers took place and 4 officers were sent to stop it. A brawl broke out and 2 officers were killed. The next day an angry crowd of white citizens and officers was formed, and they walked through the streets waiting for the black Union Soldiers. Not finding anything or anyone they decided to just start wreaking havoc on all freedmen-owned establishments. They looted and burned black homes, schools, churches, and more while killing or assaulting every person who was there. These riots continued throughout the night of May 1st, 1866, and even into the next morning. As a result of this 46 black people were killed over 100 black citizens were robbed and 5 black women claimed to be raped. They also burnt down 4 black churches 91 homes and 12 black schools.

This angry mob basically either killed or destroyed everything owned by a black person in that town and it was a massive setback for the black community in Memphis and all around the U.S. The revenge taken for two dead white officers in Memphis (one by self-inflicted gunshot wound) was to basically rid the town of black people. These riots are some of the many stories that make you think about the gruesome and hate-filled history attached to the United States. 

In the end, I'd like to think that there is nothing like this going on in our world today and more importantly our country. Though I stand to be corrected as racist hate crimes and crowds of anti-black white people still exist to this day. It makes me wonder how important it is to know the history of where you live so that you do not repeat it. Some people may not know the past stories of the grounds they walk every day on.

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