East St. Louis massacre
| East St. Louis massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of the nadir of American race relations | |
1917 political cartoon on the massacre. The caption reads, "Mr. President, why not make America safe for democracy?", referring to President Woodrow Wilson's catch-phrase "The world must be made safe for democracy". | |
| Date | May 28 and July 1–3, 1917 |
| Location | 38°37′20″N 90°09′30″W / 38.62222°N 90.15833°W |
| Caused by | Conflict between Southern African Americans working at East St. Louis plants and ethnic immigrants from Europe. |
| Methods | African Americans beaten to death, shot, lynched, and driven into burning buildings by whites |
| Casualties | |
| Deaths | 39–150 Black Americans, 9 white Americans |
The East St. Louis massacre was a series of violent attacks by White Americans on African Americans in East St. Louis, Illinois, from late May to early July 1917. The riots displaced some 6,000 African Americans and led to the destruction of property worth about $400,000 ($10.05 million in 2025). The particularly violent July 1917 episode was one of the worst racial riots in U.S. history; author Robert Fitch called it the "worst case of labor-related violence in 20th-century American history".
The massacre drew national attention. At the end of July, some 10,000 black citizens marched in silent protest in New York City. Many black people left East St. Louis; when area public schools opened in the fall, black enrollment had dropped by 35%.