The event that sparked the creation of the NAACP a hundred years ago

http://lincolnstudies.blogspot.com/2008/05/springfield-race-riot-of-1908.html

Thursday, May 15, 2008

The Springfield Race Riot of 1908

We’ve been on something of a Vachel Lindsay kick this week, but I’m not ready to shift gears just yet.

Let’s take a step back this morning to Springfield, Illinois in August 1908. That’s right, a full 99 years after Lincoln’s birth and 43 years after his assassination.

Twenty-eight-year-old Vachel Lindsay was living with parents in their home across the street from the governor’s mansion when he witnessed one of the most horrific scenes in Springfield history.

Two black men had been arrested a little more than a month apart. One was accused of killing a white man with a straight razor, while the other was accused of raping a white woman.

An angry mob gathered in downtown Springfield on August 14. They had read the newspaper reports and heard the rumors. They had no desire to wait for the judicial process to play out. They wanted the sheriff to hand the criminals over. Justice would be swift.

The sheriff refused. In a daring act, he borrowed an automobile from Harry Loper, a local restaurant owner, and shuttled the prisoners 60 miles to the north to Bloomington.

When news of the transfer filtered through the mob, they did not disperse; instead, their anger grew more intense.

The mob began by trashing Loper’s restaurant. They quickly moved toward the Levee, an area of Springfield where black-owned businesses thrived, and began destroying anything in their path. From there, they moved onto the Badlands, an area where dozens of black families lived.

Scott Burton, a black barber, tried to defend his shop. Not only did the mob burn his barber shop, but they murdered him and hung his body from a tree; William Donnegan, an 84 year old black man married to a white woman, met a similar fate.

"Abe Lincoln brought them to Springfield," shouted someone in the mob, "and we will run them out!"

It took 4,000 militiamen two days to restore order. When it was over, 40 homes and 24 business were destroyed; at least six people were dead, two black men and four whites. Though there were 107 indictments issued against members of the white mob, only one man was convicted. His crime? He stole a soldier's sword. snip

The horrific Springfield Race Riot led to the establishment of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. February 12, 1909, the 100th anniversary of Lincoln's birth, is often cited as the birth of the NAACP.

Something to look forward to. :thumbsup:

Please look at the thread there.

You will find that several people missed the point. They jumped all over me for calling it a "race" riot, which is how it is described in the historic documents I linked.

They jumped on me too for suggesting that Springfield has a "black" (and poor) part of town.

This event is a little-known part of our history. It needs more attention, especially since this is its centennial year.