Monday, October 11, 2021

March 14, 1891 New Orleans lynchings of 11 Italian Americans

This is just a reminder that not only black Americans were lynched in times past! This event contributed and led to the creation of Columbus Day in 1892!

"It was one of the largest single mass lynchings in American history. ...
Inside the prison, as the mob was breaking down the door with a battering ram, prison warden Lemuel Davis let the 19 Italian prisoners out of their cells and told them to hide as best they could. ... The court and district attorney set the survivors free after the lynching, and dropped the charges against the men who had not yet been tried. ...
Most anti-Italian hostility in the United States was directed at Southern Italians, particularly Sicilians. This was especially true in the American South, where Southern Italians were not considered full-fledged members of the "white race". ...
When President Harrison agreed to pay a $25,000 indemnity to the victims' families, Congress tried unsuccessfully to intervene against the reparations, accusing him of "unconstitutional executive usurpation of Congressional powers". The U.S. paid $2,211.90 to each family of the eleven victims. ..."

The whole story is quite remarkable in many respects! I highly recommend to read the Wikipedia entry below!

March 14, 1891 New Orleans lynchings - Wikipedia

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