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American History Tellers

Reconstruction Era | The Panic | 5

American History Tellers

Wondery

Society & Culture, Kids & Family, History, Education For Kids

4.718.3K Ratings

🗓️ 28 June 2023

⏱️ 44 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On Easter Sunday, 1873, an armed white mob battled a Black militia over control of a courthouse in a rural Louisiana parish. In the end, as many as 150 Black citizens were massacred. It was one the deadliest incidents of racial violence during the Reconstruction era.

As anti-Black violence ravaged the South, President Ulysses S. Grant entered his second term. Soon, the North’s commitment to defending Southern Black political rights faltered when disaster struck Wall Street, triggering bank failures across America. Tens of thousands of freedpeople saw their meager savings disappear, as their political rights came under threat from armed Southern Democrats determined to reclaim power once and for all.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Hey, Prime Members, you can listen to American History Tellers add free on Amazon Music,

0:05.6

download the app today.

0:07.5

A listener note, this episode contains graphic descriptions of racial violence and may not

0:12.2

be suitable for everyone.

0:13.6

Imagine it's April 13, 1873 in Grant Parish, Louisiana.

0:32.8

You're a member of an all-black militia regiment.

0:35.6

Local elections were held a few months ago, and both the Republican and Democratic candidates

0:40.1

have claimed victory.

0:41.8

Over the past three weeks, your Republican-affiliated militia has occupied the local courthouse

0:46.4

to prevent the anti-reconstruction Democrats from taking control of the government.

0:51.0

But you've just gotten word that their forces are gathering to attack and seize the courthouse.

0:56.0

Now, you're writing as fast as you can upriver to confront the Democratic candidate for

1:00.6

sheriff, Christopher Columbus Nash, hoping to head off any violence.

1:05.0

You come to a stop at a collection of old slave cabins in dis-mount.

1:11.7

Nash appears from the side of one of them wearing a battered Confederate army cap and

1:16.0

walking towards you with a firm grip on his rifle.

1:19.0

You stand a little straighter.

1:20.5

I got your message, Nash.

1:22.8

What do you want?

1:23.8

I want to know when you're planning to leave the courthouse.

1:27.2

I hear you've been joined by half the black women and children in the parish.

1:31.7

We're not leaving until we're sure our leaders are in charge of the government and able

...

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