Meridian Mississippi Massacre: 30 Black People Killed

On March 6, 1871, armed white men attacked a courthouse in Meridian, Mississippi during the trial of three Black men on speech charges, killing the Republican judge and two of the defendants. Over the following days, white mobs hunted Black leaders across the county, killing approximately 30 Black people including several Republican officeholders. The massacre drove Republican officeholders from the region and demonstrated the limits of federal protection.