Mississippi Freedom Trail – The Clinton Massacre

On September 4, 1875, a political rally and debate turned violent, leaving seven dead and dozens injured near downtown Clinton. In the days that followed, white militias and outlaws terrorized area African Americans, killing as many as fifty men and driving others to Jackson for the safety of the federal garrison. The resulting suppression of Republican vote in the November 1875 election restored Democrats to power, effectively marking the end of Reconstruction in Mississippi.