Mass racial attack in Bogalusa, Louisiana in 1919
30°46′50″N 89°51′50″W / 30.78056°N 89.86389°W / 30.78056; -89.86389Methods | Strikes, Protest, Demonstrations, Union organization |
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Resulted in | Severe setback to black labor organizing |
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Parties |
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| - White paramilitary forces
- Self-Preservation and Loyalty League (SPLL)
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Lead figures |
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Casualties and losses |
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Location within Louisiana Show map of LouisianaBogalusa sawmill killings (the United States) Show map of the United States |
The Bogalusa saw mill killings were a series of racially motivated attacks that occurred on November 22, 1919, resulting in the deaths of four labor organizers. These attacks took place in Bogalusa, Louisiana, United States, and were orchestrated by the white paramilitary group known as the Self-Preservation and Loyalty League (SPLL). The SPLL received support from the owners of the Great Southern Lumber Company, a major logging corporation, with the goal of preventing union organization and the merger of Black and White labor organizations.
Background
Great Southern Lumber Company
The Great Southern Lumber Company, chartered by the Goodyear family in 1902, operated in southeastern Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi, primarily harvesting longleaf pine forests. Bogalusa, Louisiana, was developed as a company town, and the company's sawmill there began operation in 1908. At its peak, the Great Southern Lumber Company was the largest sawmill in the world, yet its workers earned only 30 cents an hour, despite the company's significant profits during World War I.
Racial Violence
Racial tensions in Bogalusa were already high due to incidents like the lynching of Black veteran Lucius McCarty on August 31, 1919, following allegations of assaulting a white woman. McCarty was brutally killed, and his death further fueled racial animosity.
Union Organization
Labor organizer Lum William worked to unite various unions into the Central Trades Assembly and sought formal recognition from the sawmill in September 1919. In response, the company fired many union organizers and prohibited union members from buying goods at local stores. This led to a strike, and the company brought in Black strikebreakers from New Orleans, exacerbating racial tensions.
Attack
The Bloody Bogalusa Massacre occurred on November 22, 1919, following years of labor struggles in the timber industry. The Bogalusa sawmill was the world's largest, and labor demands for better wages were met with arrests of Black men for minor offenses, forcing them into forced labor at the mill. Sol Dacus, the head of the Black union, was defended by white union members, resulting in a confrontation.
The Great Southern Lumber Company deployed its private militia, consisting of 150 deputies, against unrest. A riot signal was sounded, leading to the attempted arrest of J. P. Bouchillon and Stanley O’Rourke, who were carrying shotguns. Conflicting accounts exist regarding who fired first, but the incident resulted in the deaths of four white unionists, including Bouchillon, O'Rourke, Lem Williams, and carpenter Thomas Gaines, along with two Black men. This event marked a significant setback for labor unionization efforts and led to the deployment of federal troops to restore order in Bogalusa.
Aftermath
The Bogalusa saw mill killings were part of the American Red Summer of 1919, a period of civil unrest marked by attacks on Black communities and racial oppression in various U.S. cities and counties. These events, including the Bogalusa massacre, highlighted the challenges faced by Black labor organizers and the broader struggle for civil rights in the United States.
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bogalusa sawmill killings.
Bibliography
Racial Incidents during the 1919 Red Summer
February |
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Blakeley, Georgia (February 8) |
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July |
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- Bisbee, Arizona (July 3)
- Dublin, Georgia (July 6)
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (July 7)
- Coatesville, Pennsylvania (July 8)
- Tuscaloosa, Alabama (July 9)
- Longview, Texas (July 10–12)
- Baltimore, Maryland (July 11)
- Garfield Park riot of 1919 (July 14)
- Port Arthur, Texas (July 15)
- Louise, Mississippi (July 15)
- Washington, D.C. (July 19–24)
- New York City, New York (July 20)
- Norfolk, Virginia (July 21)
- New Orleans, Louisiana (July 23)
- Darby, Pennsylvania (July 23)
- Gilmer, Texas (July 24)
- Newberry, SC (July 24)
- Hobson City, Alabama (July 26)
- Chicago, Illinois (July 27–Aug 3)
- Newberry, South Carolina (July 28)
- Bloomington, Illinois (July 31)
- Syracuse, New York (July 31)
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (July 31)
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Categories |
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- Red Summer
- Riots and civil disorder in the United States
- White American riots in the United States
- Racially motivated violence against African Americans
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Before 1900 | |
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1900–1940 | |
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After 1940 | |
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Multiple victims |
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- Death of Joseph Smith (Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith) (1844)
- Marais des Cygnes, KS, massacre (1858)
- Great Hanging at Gainesville, TX (1862)
- New York City draft riots (1863)
- Detroit race riot (1863)
- ? Lachenais and four others (1863)
- Fort Pillow, TN, massacre (1864)
- Plummer Gang (1864)
- Memphis massacre (1866)
- Gallatin County, KY, race riot (1866)
- New Orleans massacre of 1866
- Reno Brothers Gang (1868)
- Camilla, GA, massacre (1868)
- Steve Long and two half-brothers (1868)
- Pulaski, TN, riot (1868)
- Samuel Bierfield and Lawrence Bowman (1868)
- Opelousas, LA, massacre (1868)
- Bear River City riot (1868)
- Chinese massacre of 1871
- Meridian, MS, race riot (1871)
- Colfax, LA, massacre (1873)
- Election riot of 1874 (AL)
- Juan, Antonio, and Marcelo Moya (1874)
- Benjamin and Mollie French (1876)
- Ellenton, SC, riot (1876)
- Hamburg, SC, massacre (1876)
- Thibodeax, LA, massacre (1878)
- Mart and Tom Horrell (1878)
- Nevlin Porter and Johnson Spencer (1879)
- Elijah Frost, Abijah Gibson, Tom McCracken (1879)
- T.J. House, James West, John Dorsey (1880)
- New Orleans 1891 lynchings (1891)
- Ruggles Brothers (CA) (1892)
- Thomas Moss, Henry Stewart, Calvin McDowell (TN) (1892)
- Porter and Spencer (MS) (1897)
- Phoenix, SC, election riot (1898)
- Wilmington, NC, insurrection (1898)
- Julia and Frazier Baker (1898)
- Pana, IL, riot (1899)
- Watkinsville lynching (1905)
- 1906 Atlanta race massacre
- Kemper County, MS (1906)
- Walker family (1908)
- Springfield race riot of 1908
- Slocum, TX, massacre (1910)
- Laura and L.D. Nelson (1911)
- Harris County, GA, lynchings (1912)
- Newberry, FL, lynchings (1916)
- East St. Louis, IL, riots (1917)
- Lynching rampage in Brooks County, GA (1918)
- Jenkins County, GA, riot (1919)
- Longview, TX, race riot (1919)
- Elaine, AR, race riot (1919)
- Omaha race riot of 1919
- Knoxville riot of 1919
- Red Summer (1919)
- Duluth, MN, lynchings (1920)
- Ocoee, FL, massacre (1920)
- Tulsa race massacre (1921)
- Perry, FL, race riot (1922)
- Rosewood, FL, massacre (1923)
- Jim and Mark Fox (1927)
- Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith (1930)
- Tate County, MS (1932)
- Thomas Harold Thurmond and John M. Holmes (1933)
- Roosevelt Townes and Robert McDaniels (1937)
- Beaumont, TX, Race Riot (1943)
- O'Day Short, wife, and two children (1945)
- Moore's Ford, GA, lynchings (1946)
- Harry and Harriette Moore (1952)
- Anniston, AL (1961)
- Freedom Summer Murders (James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner) (1964)
- Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore (1964)
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General | |
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Anti-lynching movement | |
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Defenders of lynching | |
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Memory | |
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Categories | - Lynching in the United States
- Lynching deaths in the United States
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19th century | - Great Railroad Strike, 1877
- Rock Springs massacre, 1885
- Bay View massacre, 1886
- Haymarket affair, 1886
- Thibodaux massacre, 1887
- Morewood massacre, 1891
- Cotton pickers' strike of 1891
- Homestead Strike, 1892
- Coeur d'Alene, Idaho labor strike of 1892
- Pullman Strike, 1894
- Streetcar strikes in the United States, 1895–1929
- Lattimer massacre, 1897
- Illinois coal wars, 1898–1899
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20th century | - Streetcar strikes in the United States, 1895–1929
- Colorado Labor Wars, 1903–1904
- 1905 Chicago teamsters' strike
- 1907 San Francisco streetcar strike
- Pressed Steel Car strike of 1909
- Westmoreland County coal strike of 1910–1911
- Paint Creek–Cabin Creek strike of 1912
- 1913 Ipswich Mills strike
- Colorado Coalfield War, including the Ludlow Massacre, 1913–1914
- Copper Country strike of 1913–1914
- Everett massacre, 1916
- 1920 Alabama coal strike
- Battle of Matewan, 1920
- Battle of Blair Mountain, 1921
- Herrin massacre, 1922
- Hanapepe massacre, 1924
- Columbine Mine massacre, 1927
- Harlan County War, 1931–1932
- West Coast waterfront strike, 1934
- Gulf Coast longshoremen's strike, 1935
- Memorial Day massacre, 1937
- Hilo massacre, 1938
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Related articles | |
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Portal:Organized Labour |