A good look at a dark chapter in American history

books:

	• The Day Freedom Died: The Colfax Massacre, the Supreme Court, and the Betrayal of Reconstruction Charles Lane Henry Holt and Co., 2008 - 352 pages average customer review:based on 10 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A good look at a dark chapter in American history

Charles Lane's book is a fascinating look into the dark politics of race in the Reconstructionist South. It creates a riveting account of escalating tension in a small Louisianna Parish (ironically, named "Grant") between well-meaning White Republicans, former slaves and White Supremacists tied in with the democratic party. It provides a riveting account of the Colfax massacre, the repurcussions of the violence, and the lingering legacy of the racial violence and the abandonment of African-Americans by the U.S. Supreme Court and the federal government in Washington.

Generally well written, the book begins as a page turner. Unfortunately, when the chronicle turns to an explanation of the legal aspects of the court cases arising out of the incident, the writing becomes abtuse and confusing. Some greater clarity would make this book a classic and the failure to clearly explain the legal concepts holds this book back (and I am a lawyer to boot).

Still, a good read and an interesting look into a dark period and the prejudices that still haunt us today.

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Good book, tragic story

Charles Lane did a very good job on a disturbing part of our history. The Colfax Massacre was one of the worst in a long line of race-related murders in the post-Civil War South. "Betrayal of Reconstruction" is an appropriate part of this title.

The Colfax Massacre was a despicable event in 1873. At least 60 black men were killed while they defended the Grant Parish court house with minimal weaponry. Many were slaughtered after surrendering. It was brutal murder, yet when it was all said and done, the killers -- every single one to survive the battle -- were free.

There are many things to like about this book. Lane did a solid job of providing the necessary background on all the key participants, as well as what caused the racial climate in that part of Louisiana. The narrative was pretty smooth and easy to read. He brought these little-known characters to life.

Lane's research was also outstanding, and his knowledge of the law and the Supreme Court is undeniable. One problem I had with the book was that I had some difficulty understanding some of the legal issues and specifics. But the main point of the story was clear -- vicious murderers were not punished because of a combination of technicalities and questionable interpretation of the law. In other words, it's hard to convict racists when judges and jurors are also racist.

This book is a quick read and great for any history buff.

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Should be required reading

I read "The Day Freedom Died" during a family "Backroads" vacation in Wyoming visiting our national parks. Members of our group would often have to arouse me from my deep inhalation of Lane's words to see sights along the way, "Yeah, nice," I'd mutter, as The Grand Tetons, Yellowstone Lake, and Old Faithful passed in the distance.I can't recall my ever reading a book so quickly or intensely.

Mr. Lane has brought to life a very important piece of US history that has, for reasons unbeknownst to me, been obviated from common knowledge. This unpunished massacre of 60+ former slaves in "Reconstruction" period Louisiana, and the subsequent inaction by our courts, laid the groundwork for the savagery and mistreatment of African-Americans for the next 100 years. E.g, if one looks up Joseph Bradley in Wikipedia, Colfax isn't mentioned while his ruling in the Hayes electoral college decision is highlighted. I'm shocked and saddened that the Colfax massacre has been barely taught to schoolchildren throughout the past 100+ years. Thankfully, because of Lane and maybe others, this seems to be changing. I read that an interracial ceremony this year marked the 135th anniversary of the event.

However, it is pitiful that Louisiana, Supreme Court justices,
journalists, and academics have not forcefully condemned this horrific
blemish in our history nor tried to remedy much of the historical
misinterpretation. That the sign outside Colfax courthouse still
describes the event as marking "the end of carpetbag misrule" is a shame. That Supreme Court justice Bradley and his fellow justices are not viewed with disdain for laying the foundation for another the subsequent persecution of African-Americans is a shame too. That white supremacist CC Nash and his band of hoodlums have been lauded as heroes and not demons is sick. Hopefully, Judge Beckwith, the one lone voice of judicial reason, will one day accurately be positioned in history as a man of superior ethics and courage. I couldn't help wondering "what if" many times throughout the book.

Charles Lane has composed a brilliantly researched, analyzed, and written work, one that should be required reading for high school history classes. I'd love to see this as a movie.

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Disturbing, Readable History

"The Day Freedom Died" is both one of the most gripping books I've read, and one of the hardest to read. That's because it's the story of a very disturbing event in history - the Colfax Massacre, the brutal murder of dozens of blacks in rural Louisiana - and the attempts to prosecute the killers.

Charles Lane clearly did tremendous research for this book, and it pays off - the book successfully recounts both the events and their place in the events of the time. Lane can write as well, so the scholarship is woven into the story of what happened and the consequences of both the massacre and the court decisions overturning the few convictions secured. The events can make it hard to read at points; but that perhaps makes it all the more important.

Lane isn't quite as good as discussing the legal issues that were decided in Cruickshank - the consequences of the crippling of federal efforts to prosecute murder and intimidation by white thugs is clear, but he never covers in depth the technical validity of the decision. But this is a minor issue.

Reconstruction is often thought of a time of "carpetbag misrule", but "The Day Freedom Dies" shines a rather disturbing light on the time. A stunning read; and one that I'd recommend to anyone.

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Disturbing

This is a monograph about an incident in Reconstruction Louisiana that eventually made it to the Supreme Court and had a major impact on bringing Reconstruction to a close. Never heard of it? That's not surprising. There's a ton of hidden history from this period - and from American race relations in general.

A little about the incident ... An upstate parish has two governments, one Black and Republican and one White and Democrat. The first group occupies the courthouse and is then besieged by the second. The Whites set fire to the courthouse then massacre the Blacks as they flee. A courageous DA tries to prosecute the Whites, taking the case all the way to the Supreme Court, but ultimately fails.

What I particularly liked about the book was the way certain parts were written. Quite honestly, they are page-turners. It was almost like reading a thriller - plus it's all true.

It also does a particularly good job at highlighting the heinous behavior of the White mob. I have read of very few instances of behavior that were so cowardly and depraved as this. Combined with what happened outside the actual massacre (random killings, witness intimidation, voter fraud), events in Iraq - or even Nazi Germany - have nothing on this.

The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars was some very slow and convoluted passages where the author tries to shed light on the politics and law involved. There also seemed to be too many characters. This wouldn't have been a big deal, but the author felt he had to flesh out each one with little biographies, even down to each juror on each case.

All in all, a very well done book. Here's some other stuff of a similar bent:

The Bloody Shirt: Terror After Appomattox

Buried in the Bitter Waters: The Hidden History of Racial Cleansing in America

Rosewood

At the Hands of Persons Unknown: The Lynching of Black America (Modern Library Paperbacks)

The Burning: Massacre, Destruction, and the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921

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reviews: page 1, 2

The untold story of the slaying of a Southern town?s ex-slaves and a white lawyer?s historic battle to bring the perpretators to justice Following the Civil War, Colfax, Louisiana, was a town, like many, where African Americans and whites mingled uneasily. But on April 13, 1873, a small army of white ex?Confederate soldiers, enraged after attempts by freedmen to assert their new rights, killed more than sixty African Americans who had occupied a courthouse. With skill and tenacity, The Washington Post?s Charles Lane transforms this nearly forgotten incident into a riveting historical saga.

Seeking justice for the slain, one brave U.S. attorney, James Beckwith, risked his life and career to investigate and punish the perpetrators?but they all went free. What followed was a series of courtroom dramas that culminated at the Supreme Court, where the justices? verdict compromised the victories of the Civil War and left Southern blacks at the mercy of violent whites for generations. The Day Freedom Died is an electrifying piece of historical detective work that captures a gallery of characters from presidents to townspeople, and re-creates the bloody days of Reconstruction, when the often brutal struggle for equality moved from the battlefield into communities across the nation.

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