Colfax Riot
U.S. v. Columbus Nash, et. al.
This is the court case U.S. v. Columbus Nash, et. al. This case resulted from the Colfax Riots in 1872. After the ratification of the 15th Amendment in 1870, African American men were intimidated and even barred from voting in elections throughout the South. The Enforcement Acts were passed to protect these men, their voting rights, and their ability to serve on juries, and to ensure they receive equal protection under the law. After the contested 1872 election for governor of Louisiana, a group of white men (most members of the Ku Klux Klan and/or former Confederate soldiers) armed with rifles and a small cannon overpowered Black freedmen and state militia occupying the Grant Parish courthouse in Colfax, LA. This event, known as the Colfax Riot or Massacre, resulted in the death of three white and an unknown number of Black men, upwards of 150 or more. Federal prosecution and conviction of a few perpetrators at Colfax by the Enforcement Acts was appealed to the Supreme Court. In a major case, the court ruled in United States v. Cruikshank that protections of the 14th Amendment did not apply to persons acting individually, but only to the actions of state governments.
Criminal Case #12 U.S. v. Columbus Nash, et al. resulting from the Colfax Riots, dated 1873. National Archives Identifier: 251435
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