Bibliograph

The Thibodaux Massacre, racial violence and the 1887 Sugar Cane Labor Strike

Type

Label

The Thibodaux Massacre, racial violence and the 1887 Sugar Cane Labor Strike

Language

eng

Index

no index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

The Thibodaux Massacre

Medium

electronic resource

Nature of contents

dictionaries

Series statement

True crime

Sub title

racial violence and the 1887 Sugar Cane Labor Strike

Summary

On November 23, 1887, white vigilantes gunned down unarmed black laborers and their families during a spree lasting more than two hours. The violence erupted due to strikes on Louisiana sugar cane plantations. Fear, rumor and white supremacist ideals clashed with an unprecedented labor action to create an epic tragedy. A future member of the U.S. House of Representatives was among the leaders of a mob that routed black men from houses and forced them to a stretch of railroad track, ordering them to run for their lives before gunning them down. According to a witness, the guns firing in the black neighborhoods sounded like a battle. Author and award-winning reporter John DeSantis uses correspondence, interviews and federal records to detail this harrowing true story

Target audience

adult

Classification