One hundred years ago next week, on July 2, 1917, perhaps the worst riot in American history occurred in East St. Louis Illinois. It was a massacre of African Americans by whites.
“100 Negroes Shot, Burned, Stabbed To Death In E. St. Louis Race War,” read a newspaper headline.
“Man-hunting Mobs Burn 60 Homes and Slay Fleeing Blacks by Bullet and Rope,” read another. News accounts said blacks were “roasted alive” and “shot down like rabbits” in a 48-hour period that would so severely ravage a city that it never recovered.
St. Louis Post Dispatch: "100 years later, East St. Louis stops to remember the riots that made indelible mark on city."
The Chicago Tribune Headline on July 3, 1917 was Negro Massacre by Mobs.
Marcus Garvey was right in calling the murders "one of the bloodiest outrages against mankind" and a "wholesale massacre of our people." He also said that "This is no time for fine words, but a time to lift one's voice against the savagery of a people who claim to be the dispensers of democracy.”
The attacks were led by white laborers. More from wikipedia:
The East St. Louis riots (also known as the East St. Louis massacres) of May and July 1917 were an outbreak of labor- and race-related violence that caused between 40 and 200 deaths and extensive property damage. The events took place in East St. Louis, Illinois, an industrial city on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from St. Louis, Missouri. They have been described as the worst case of labor-related violence in 20th-century American history,[1]and among the worst race riots in U.S. history.
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With many would-be workers absent for active service in the war, industries were in need of labor. Seeking better work and living opportunities, as well as an escape from harsh conditions, the Great Migration of African Americans out of the South toward industrial centers across the northern and midwestern United States was well underway.
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When industries became embroiled in labor strikes, traditionally white unions sought to strengthen their bargaining position by hindering or excluding black workers, while industry owners utilizing blacks as replacements or strikebreakers added to the deep existing societal divisions.[3]
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With many blacks finding work at the Aluminum Ore Company and the American Steel Company in East St. Louis, some whites feared job and wage security due to this new competition; they further resented newcomers arriving from a rural and very different culture. Tensions between the groups escalated, including rumors of black men and white women fraternizing at a labor meeting on May 28.[4][5]
Following the May 28 meeting, some 3,000 white men marched into downtown East St. Louis and began attacking African Americans. With mobs destroying buildings and beating people, the governor of Illinois called in the National Guard to prevent further rioting. Although rumors circulated about organized retribution attacks from blacks,[4] conditions eased somewhat for a few weeks.
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On July 2, a car occupied by white males drove through a black area of the city and fired several shots into a standing group. An hour later, a car containing four people, including a journalist and two police officers (Detective Sergeant Samuel Coppedge and Detective Frank Wadley) were passing through the same area. Black residents, possibly assuming they were the original suspects, opened fire on their car, killing one officer instantly and mortally wounding another.[4][7] Later that day, thousands of white spectators who assembled to view the detectives' bloodstained automobile marched into the black section of town and started rioting.[8] After cutting the water hoses of the fire department, the rioters burned entire sections of the city and shot inhabitants as they escaped the flames.[4] Claiming that "Southern negros deserve[d] a genuine lynching,"[9] they lynched several blacks. Guardsmen were called in but accounts exist that they joined in the rioting rather than stopping it.[10][11]
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After the riots, varying estimates of the death toll circulated. The police chief estimated that 100 blacks had been killed.[2] The renowned journalist Ida B. Wells reported in The Chicago Defender that 40-150 black people were killed during July in the rioting in East St. Louis.[11][15] The N.A.A.C.P. estimated deaths at 100–200. Six thousand blacks were left homeless after their neighborhood was burned. A Congressional Investigating Committee concluded that no precise death toll could be determined, but reported that at least 8 whites and 39 blacks died.
Wikipedia: East St. Louis riots
Some were able to escape by going across the Mississippi River bridges to St. Louis.
At least 7,000 blacks fled across the MacArthur and Eads bridges. But mobs soon blocked the bridges to prevent others from escaping.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis opened its Municipal League House, which was across from City Hall, to shelter the refugees.
You can see a slide show of historical photos here: Historical photos from the 1917 race riots in East St. Louis.
I know this is long, but here is a personal account in a letter from that time:
3946 W. BELLE
St. Louis, Mo.
Dearest Louise:
Was very glad to hear from you. Your letter was forwarded from what used to be my house.
Louise, it was awful. I hardly know where to begin telling you about it. First I will say we lost everything but what we had on and that was very little-bungalow aprons, no hats, and sister did not have on any shoes.
It started early in the afternoon. We kept receiving calls over the ‘phone to pack our trunks and leave, because it was going to be awful at night. We did not heed the calls, but sent grandma and the baby on to St. Louis, and said we would “stick” no matter what happened. At first, when the fire started, we stood on Broadway and watched it. As they neared our house we went in and went to the basement. It was too late to run then. They shot and yelled some thing awful, finally they reached our house. At first, they did not bother us (we watched from the basement window), they remarked that “white people live in that house, that is not a nigger house”. Later, someone must have tipped them that it was a “nigger” house, because, after leaving us for about 20 min. they returned and started shooting in the house, throwing bricks, and yelling like mad “kill the “nigger,” burn that house.”
It seemed the whole house was falling in on us. Then someone said, they must not be there; if they are they are certainly dead . Then someone shouted “they are in the basement. Surround them and burn it down. They they ran down our steps. Only prayer saved us, we were under tubs and anything we could find praying and keeping as quiet as possible, because if they had seen one face, we would have shot or burned to death. When they were about to surround the house and burn it, we heard an awful noise and thought probably they were dynamiting the house. (The Broadway Theatre fell in, we learned later). Sister tipped to the door to see if the house was on fire. She saw the reflection of a soldier on the front door – pulled it open quickly, and called for help. All of us ran out then, and was taken to the city hall for the night – (just as we were). The next morning, we learned our house was not burned, so we tried to get protection to go out and get our clothes, and have the rest of the things put in storage. We could not, but were sent on to St. Louis. Had to walk across the bridge with a line of soldiers on each side – in the hot sun, no hats, and scarcely no clothing. When we reached St. Louis; we tried to get someone to go to our house, and get the things our, but were not successful.
On Tuesday evening at 6 o’clock our house was burned with two soldiers on guard. So the papers stated. We were told that they looted the house before burning it. We are in St. Louis now trying to start all over again. Louise it is hard to think we had just gotten to the place where we could take care of our mother and grandmother well, and to think, all was destroyed in one night. We had just bought some new furniture and I was preparing to go away, and had bought some beautiful dresses. Most of my jewelry was lost also. I had on three rings, my watch bracelet and LaValliere – everything else was lost. 9 rings, a watch, bracelet, brooch, locket, and some more things. I miss my piano more than anything else.
The people here are very nice to us. Several of our friends have brought us clothing, bed clothes etc.
Tell me how you got in the Gov. Printing Office. Do you take an examination, if so what does it consist of. I might take it. I have had a good position in E. St. L., but don’t know whether there will be enough children to teach there this fall or not. People are moving out so fast. The papers did not describe all the horrors. It was awful. People we’re being shot down and thrown into fire if they tried to escape. Some were shot and then burned; others were dragged around with ropes around their necks, one man was hung to a telegraph post. We saw two men shot down. One was almost in front of our house. One man and his wife, a storekeeper, were burned alive, a cross in front of our house.
I must close now it makes me blue to talk about it. Write again.
Tell Miss Black I received her card. Will you tell Florene and Mrs. Bowie, I haven’t their address. Will expect to hear from you real soon. All send love.
A Personal Account of the 1917 Race Riot in East St. Louis
On July 2, 2017, we should take a moment to remember and redouble efforts for racial equality and the safety of African Americans from white violence.