Pulaski Riot
Encyclopedia
The Pulaski Riot was a race riot
that occurred in the town of Pulaski, Tennessee
in the summer of 1868. There were many external racial and societal influences but the origin of the riot appears to be a trade dispute between white Calvin Lamberth and Calvin Carter, an African-American. Lamberth was told, afterwards, that Carter and his friend Whitlock Fields "threatened" Lamberth's black mistress. Lamberth found Fields and shot him twice with a pistol
. After the shots were fired, local whites ran from their homes with pistols and shotgun
s.
The mob attacked a grocery store containing eight black men. Though initially caught unawares, a few of the black men in the store were armed and together they were able to keep the mob at bay. The town constable arranged a cease fire after many volleys of shots had been levelled at the store. As the black men left the store, eighteen of the white mob again rushed the men and fired on the group. Two of the black men were killed (including Carter), two severely injured, and two more slightly injured. None of the white men were injured.
Most of the white mob are believed to have been members of the Ku Klux Klan
, or KKK, which was founded in Pulaski in 1865. In addition to the riot, there were other murders and campaigns of general harassment were being waged in the area. The riot was just the largest demonstration of the KKK's growing power in Giles County, TN and the Middle Tennessee
area. Over 1,300 lynchings were committed by the KKK during the run up the Election of 1868. Most of the violence were directed towards blacks to break Republican
support, though "carpetbagger
" and "scalawag" whites were also targeted.
Mass racial violence in the United States
Mass racial violence, also called race riots can include such disparate events as:* attacks on Irish Catholics, the Chinese and other immigrants in the 19th century....
that occurred in the town of Pulaski, Tennessee
Pulaski, Tennessee
Pulaski is a city in Giles County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,870 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Giles County. It was named to honor the Polish-born American Revolutionary War hero Kazimierz Pułaski...
in the summer of 1868. There were many external racial and societal influences but the origin of the riot appears to be a trade dispute between white Calvin Lamberth and Calvin Carter, an African-American. Lamberth was told, afterwards, that Carter and his friend Whitlock Fields "threatened" Lamberth's black mistress. Lamberth found Fields and shot him twice with a pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
. After the shots were fired, local whites ran from their homes with pistols and shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
s.
The mob attacked a grocery store containing eight black men. Though initially caught unawares, a few of the black men in the store were armed and together they were able to keep the mob at bay. The town constable arranged a cease fire after many volleys of shots had been levelled at the store. As the black men left the store, eighteen of the white mob again rushed the men and fired on the group. Two of the black men were killed (including Carter), two severely injured, and two more slightly injured. None of the white men were injured.
Most of the white mob are believed to have been members of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
, or KKK, which was founded in Pulaski in 1865. In addition to the riot, there were other murders and campaigns of general harassment were being waged in the area. The riot was just the largest demonstration of the KKK's growing power in Giles County, TN and the Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee is a distinct portion of the state of Tennessee, delineated according to state law as the 41 counties in the Middle Grand Division of Tennessee....
area. Over 1,300 lynchings were committed by the KKK during the run up the Election of 1868. Most of the violence were directed towards blacks to break Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
support, though "carpetbagger
Carpetbagger
Carpetbaggers was a pejorative term Southerners gave to Northerners who moved to the South during the Reconstruction era, between 1865 and 1877....
" and "scalawag" whites were also targeted.