Attacking the Dream: 7 major race massacres in US history
5. Red Summer – 1919
More than two dozen race riots broke out across the United States, along with a wave of lynchings and other acts of violence during a period known as “Red Summer.”
The racial violence was spurred in large part by tensions caused by the mass migration of African Americans to northern cities and the return of black veterans from World War I.
Some of the worst violence of the year took place in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Illinois, with other major incidents happening in Florida, Nebraska, Ohio and South Carolina.
“Between April and November of 1919, there would be approximately 25 riots and instances of mob violence, 97 recorded lynchings, and a three day long massacre in Elaine, Arkansas, during which over 200 black men, women, and children were killed after black sharecroppers tried to organize for better working conditions,” noted History.com.
However, the Red Summer was also notable in that large numbers of black WWI veterans formed militias that protected many black homes and neighborhoods, with some scholars considering 1919 “the year that African Americans fought back.”
