May 1, 1866 The Memphis Riots of 1866 began after a shooting altercation between white policemen and black soldiers recently mustered out of the Union Army in Memphis, Tennessee. For three days, mobs of white civilians and policemen rampaged through black neighborhoods.
A report by a joint Congressional Committee detailed 46 blacks and 2 whites killed, 75 persons injured, over 100 persons robbed, 5 women raped, and 91 homes, 4 churches, and 8 schools burned. No criminal charges were ever brought against any of the perpetrators of atrocities committed during the riots. The riots did result in major changes to the city’s police force.
The Memphis riots of 1866 were violent attacks that occurred from May 1 thru May 3. The riots were ignited by social, political and racial tensions following the American Civil War in the early stages The Memphis riots of 1866 were violent attacks that occurred from May 1 thru May 3.
The riots were ignited by social, political and racial tensions following the American Civil War in the early stages of the Reconstruction era. Social tensions in Memphis increased when the U.S. Army used black Union Army soldiers to patrol […] The post Memphis Riots of 1866: Ignited by Political, Social, and Racial Tensions appeared first on Black Then.
