Colfax massacre
E28099
The Colfax massacre was an 1873 episode of racial and political violence in Louisiana in which white supremacists killed dozens of Black freedmen, marking one of the deadliest incidents of Reconstruction-era terror and undermining Black civil rights in the post–Civil War South.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Colfax Massacre | 1 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Reconstruction-era event
ⓘ
massacre ⓘ political violence ⓘ racially motivated violence ⓘ |
| aftermath |
federal indictments under the Enforcement Acts
ⓘ
limited prosecutions of white perpetrators ⓘ |
| broaderConflict |
struggle over control of Louisiana government during Reconstruction
ⓘ
white supremacist campaign to restore Democratic rule in the South ⓘ |
| cause |
attempts to suppress Black political power
ⓘ
efforts to overturn Republican control in Louisiana ⓘ white supremacist opposition to Reconstruction ⓘ |
| commemoratedBy | historical markers in Colfax, Louisiana ⓘ |
| consequence |
encouragement of further white supremacist violence in the South
ⓘ
erosion of Reconstruction civil rights protections ⓘ weakening of federal power to prosecute racial violence ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| date | 1873-04-13 ⓘ |
| historicalInterpretation |
example of paramilitary terrorism against Black citizens
ⓘ
viewed by historians as a massacre rather than a battle ⓘ |
| location |
Colfax, Louisiana
ⓘ
Grant Parish, Louisiana ⓘ |
| method |
armed assault on courthouse
ⓘ
execution-style killings of captured Black men ⓘ |
| numberOfVictimsEstimate |
over 60 Black men killed
ⓘ
up to around 150 Black men killed ⓘ |
| opposedGroup |
Black Republican officeholders
ⓘ
Black militia defending the courthouse ⓘ |
| partOf |
Reconstruction era
ⓘ
post–Civil War racial violence in the United States ⓘ |
| perpetrator |
white Democratic Party supporters
ⓘ
white supremacists ⓘ |
| relatedCourtCase | United States v. Cruikshank ⓘ |
| relatedLegislationContext |
Enforcement Acts
ⓘ
Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ Fourteenth Amendment ⓘ
surface form:
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
|
| result |
destruction of the Colfax courthouse
ⓘ
intimidation of Black voters in Louisiana ⓘ mass killing of Black Republicans ⓘ |
| significance |
one of the deadliest incidents of Reconstruction-era racial violence
ⓘ
symbol of the violent overthrow of Reconstruction in Louisiana ⓘ undermined Black civil rights in the post–Civil War South ⓘ |
| state | Louisiana ⓘ |
| triggeredBy |
contested local parish election results
ⓘ
disputed 1872 Louisiana gubernatorial election ⓘ |
| victim |
Black Americans
ⓘ
surface form:
African Americans
Black freedmen ⓘ |
| year | 1873 ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Colfax Massacre