A white militia attacks Black freedmen and state militia defending the Grant Parish courthouse in Colfax, Louisiana, killing as many as 150 in the deadliest single act of Reconstruction violence.
At a Glance
- Date
- 13 April 1873
- Location
- Colfax, Louisiana
- Category
- Civil Unrest & Racial Violence
- Source
- United States v. Cruikshank (1876); contemporary accounts · Library of Congress
What It Meant Then
The murders, and the Supreme Court ruling that followed, crippled federal enforcement of Black civil rights.
What It Means Now
Colfax is studied as a turning point toward the collapse of Reconstruction.
Cite this page
- MLA
- “The Colfax Massacre.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-colfax-massacre/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). The Colfax Massacre. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-colfax-massacre/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “The Colfax Massacre.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-colfax-massacre/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.