The Colfax massacre, sometimes referred to as the Colfax riot, occurred on Easter Sunday, April 13, 1873, in Colfax, Louisiana, the parish seat of Grant Parish. An estimated 62–153 black men were murdered while surrendering to a mob of former Confederate soldiers and members of the Ku Klux Klan. After the contested 1872 election for governor of Louisiana and local offices, a group of White men armed with rifles and a small cannon overpowered Black freedmen and state militia occupying the Grant Parish courthouse in Colfax. Most of the freedmen were killed after surrendering, and nearly another 50 were killed later that night after being held as prisoners for several hours.
Colfax Massacre in Grant Parish, Louisiana (60 blacks killed)
The Colfax massacre, sometimes referred to as the Colfax riot, occurred on Easter Sunday, April 13, 1873, in Colfax, Louisiana, the parish seat of Grant Parish.
Historical Significance
The Colfax massacre, sometimes referred to as the Colfax riot, occurred on Easter Sunday, April 13, 1873, in Colfax, Louisiana, the parish seat of Grant Parish.
Events Before
The Moerdijk railway bridge over Hollands Diep in South Holland opens, becoming the longest bridge in Europe at that tim
The Moerdijk railway bridge over Hollands Diep in South Holland opens, becoming the longest bridge in Europe at that time
Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first imperial coronation in Axum in over 200 years
Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first imperial coronation in Axum in over 200 years
German physicist and X-ray pioneer Wilhelm Röntgen (26) weds Anna Bertha Ludwig in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, until her dea
German physicist and X-ray pioneer Wilhelm Röntgen (26) weds Anna Bertha Ludwig in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, until her death in1919
New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art opens
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an encyclopedic art museum in New York City.
Yellowstone becomes the world's first national park
Yellowstone National Park is a national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of the state of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho.
Events After
New York City annexes the West Bronx
The boroughs of New York City are the five major governmental districts that compose New York City. They are the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.
Ulysses S. Grant's daughter Nellie marries in the White House
Ellen Wrenshall Grant (July 4, 1855 – August 30, 1922) was the third child and only daughter of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant and First Lady Julia Grant.
Johann Strauss Jr's opera "Die Fledermaus" premieres in Vienna
Johann Strauss Jr's opera "Die Fledermaus" premieres in Vienna
First Impressionist art exhibition opens in Paris, features Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pi
First Impressionist art exhibition opens in Paris, features Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro and Berthe Morisot
Game of lawn tennis is introduced by Welsh Major Walter Clopton Wingfield, who introduces a rubber ball to bounce on gra
Game of lawn tennis is introduced by Welsh Major Walter Clopton Wingfield, who introduces a rubber ball to bounce on grass
More from the 1870s
Belgium disbands its salt tax
Belgium disbands its salt tax
The Moerdijk railway bridge over Hollands Diep in South Holland opens, becoming the longest bridge in Europe at that tim
The Moerdijk railway bridge over Hollands Diep in South Holland opens, becoming the longest bridge in Europe at that time
Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar
Japanese calendar types have included a range of official and unofficial systems. At present, Japan uses the Gregorian calendar together with year designations stating the year of the reign of the…
New York City annexes the West Bronx
The boroughs of New York City are the five major governmental districts that compose New York City. They are the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened on April 13, 1873?
- The Colfax massacre, sometimes referred to as the Colfax riot, occurred on Easter Sunday, April 13, 1873, in Colfax, Louisiana, the parish seat of Grant Parish. An estimated 62–153 black men were murdered while surrendering to a mob of former Confederate soldiers and members of the Ku Klux Klan. After the contested 1872 election for governor of Louisiana and local offices, a group of White men armed with rifles and a small cannon overpowered Black freedmen and state militia occupying the Grant Parish courthouse in Colfax.
- Why is Colfax Massacre in Grant Parish, Louisiana (60 blacks killed) significant?
- The Colfax massacre, sometimes referred to as the Colfax riot, occurred on Easter Sunday, April 13, 1873, in Colfax, Louisiana, the parish seat of Grant Parish.