Three days of race-related rioting erupts in Memphis 150 years ago today (May 1 1866)


Video: 'Memphis Riot of 1866 Digital Story'

(Tuesday, May 1, 1866, at about 4:00 p.m. local time; during the Reconstruction Era) — Three days of race-related rioting erupted today in Memphis, Tennessee, as white mobs targeted blacks, 46 of whom were killed, along with two whites.

The violence spurred passage of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution defining American citizenship and equal protection under the law.


Video: 'Memphis Riots of 1866'