On this date in 1873, approx. 120 black men were killed in Colfax, Louisiana. Known as the Colfax Massacre, these men sought to challenge recent election results by occupying the local courthouse. Outnumbered and offering to surrender, the black men were killed by a group of all-white militia. Today, Gov. Edwards and other dignitaries unveiled a new monument in Colfax reflective of greater historical accuracy. | Louisiana Public Broadcasting

150 Black Men Died & The Supreme Court Said It's Legal The Colfax Massacre of 1873 was the bloodiest single act of racial violence during Reconstruction. On Easter Sunday, over 300 armed white supremacists killed up to 150 Black men defending a Louisiana courthouse after a disputed election. Bodies were thrown in the Red River. When 97 white men were indicted, the Supreme Court's 1876 United States v. Cruikshank decision gutted federal civil rights enforcement, paralyzing protection for Black Am