The Colfax massacre: the untold story of Black power, White terror, and the death of Reconstruction PDF
Preview The Colfax massacre: the untold story of Black power, White terror, and the death of Reconstruction
The Colfax Massacre This page intentionally left blank LeeAnna Keith The Colfax Massacre z The Untold Story of Black Power, White Terror, and the Death of Reconstruction 1 2008 3 Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Copyright © 2008 by LeeAnna Keith. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Keith, LeeAnna. The Colfax massacre : the untold story of Black power, White terror, and the death of Reconstruction / LeeAnna Keith. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN978-0-19-531026-9 1. Colfax (La.)—Race relations—History—19th century. 2. Grant Parish (La.)—Race relations—History—19th century. 3. Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865–1877) —Louisiana—Colfax. 4. Massacres—Louisiana—Colfax—History—19th century. 5. Violence—Louisiana—Colfax—History—19th century. 6. Racism—Louisiana —Colfax—History—19th century. 7. African Americans—Crimes against—Louisiana —Colfax—History—19th century. 8. Contested elections—Louisiana—Grant Parish —History—19th century. 9. Grant Parish (La.)—Politics and government— 19th century. I. Title. F379.C59K452008 976.3´67—dc22 2007023368 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper To Brian This page intentionally left blank All history is only one long story to this effect: men have struggled for power over their fellow men in order that they might win the joys of earth at the expense of others, and might shift the burdens of life from their own shoulders upon those of others. —William Graham Sumner This page intentionally left blank Contents Introduction: On Bones and Their Markers xi Chapter 1 Alabama Fever 3 Chapter 2 The Philosopher 21 Chapter 3 The Fall 32 Chapter 4 Led by a Damned Puppy 46 Chapter 5 A Town Called Fight 62 Chapter 6 Carnival of the Animals 82 Chapter 7 Battle of the Colfax Courthouse 88 Chapter 8 Voyage of the Ozark 111 Chapter 9 Getting Away with Murder 131 Chapter 10 The Legacy of Cruikshank 153 Acknowledgments 173 Notes 175 Bibliography 201 Index 211
The list of books you might like
