A new documentary is taking a look at local history. The Colfax Massacre was a violent and tragic event that occurred on April 13, 1873, in Colfax, Louisiana. The massacre was the result of a dispute between white supremacist groups and African American Republicans over control of the local government. Louisiana Public Broadcasting is working to bring The Colfax Massacre to television with the help of the National Endowment for the Arts. NEA is helping LPB with a $20,000 grant.
At the time, Louisiana was still recovering from the aftermath of the Civil War, and tensions between white and black residents were at an all-time high. The election of 1872 saw African Americans gain control of the local government, which angered many white residents who were still bitter about their defeat in the war.
On April 13, a group of armed white men attacked the Colfax courthouse, where a group of African American Republicans had taken refuge. The white men were determined to take back control of the local government, and they were willing to use violence to do so.
The African American Republicans fought back, but they were vastly outnumbered and outgunned. In the end, more than 100 African Americans were killed, many of them after they had surrendered or were trying to flee.
The Colfax Massacre was a turning point in the history of Reconstruction-era Louisiana. It showed that white supremacist groups were willing to use extreme violence to maintain their power and control over African Americans. The federal government was slow to respond to the massacre, which only emboldened white supremacists further. In the aftermath of the massacre, many African Americans fled Louisiana for other parts of the country in search of safety and security.