Customer Reviews

The Day Freedom Died: The Colfax Massacre, the Supreme Court, and the Betrayal of Reconstruction

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm an avid history buff and a pretty demanding critic, and I found "The Day Freedom Died" absolutely riveting. I read it on vacation this week and couldn't put it down. Charles Lane has basically unearthed a little-known event -- the brutal slaughter of many dozens of freedmen in Colfax, Louisiana, on or around Easter Sunday 1873, by former Confederates (now Klansmen) desperately seeking to hold back Reconstruction and to prevent blacks and radical Republican whites from gaining local power -- and made it come to life. This achievement is a tribute both to Lane's meticulous and definitive primary-source research and his fast-moving journalistic storytelling. His rendering of the shocking events of Easter Sunday 1873 itself was incredibly dramatic (also so sad). Lane paints stunningly detailed, nuanced, and evocative portraits of the important players in the drama. And he helpfully and clearly puts the events in Louisiana in the context of Reconstruction generally. As a practicing lawyer, former prosecutor, and a fan of legal history, I particularly appreciated that Lane goes way beyond merely reconstructing the massacre itself to discuss its legal aftermath. The second half of the book recounts the federal government's attempt to prosecute the Colfax killers, and how that attempt ultimately, tragically faltered at the Supreme Court, which rendered a decision that effectively gutted the statute aimed at empowering federal prosecutors to prosecute Klan killings. Lane (the Washington Post's longtime Supreme Court correspondent) is uniquely positioned to render such analysis, and he does it beautifully. There are wonderful portraits here of the trial lawyers and the Supreme Court Justices who were key to the Colfax decision, and also a thoughtful analysis of the pertinent constitutional law issues and the Court's resolution of them. Although tackling a narrower slice of legal history, "The Day Freedom Died" reminded me throughout of Richard Kluger's phenomenal book, "Simple Justice." If you are an American history buff and particularly if you are drawn to either Reconstruction or legal history, you'll love this book.

Full disclosure: I'm a college friend of Charles Lane's. But even if I were not, I would still "approve of this message"!

This riveting account of a terrible and unknown (until now) part of American history is every bit as riveting as fiction by John Grisham except that it is meticulously researched, and more important...true.
Filmaker Errol Morris says that "there is no truth for you and truth for me, there is only THE truth," and Chuck Lane tells us the sad truth about the murders at Colfax Louisiana and as importantly the disregard for the most central value of a free society, a rule of law not a rule of man.
Readers will learn about the rich and vivid history pf Louisiana, still a frontier for many people who came to find their fortune from the original American colonies.
I cannot recommend a legal history of the United States that is more important for those of us who labor in the law and hope to seek justice through the power of the law.
From their graves the murdered at Colfax are given voice by Charles Lane.

Chuck Lane's "The Day Freedom Died" is the best kind of popular history: thoroughly researched, well-written, and makes for a quick read. As the events of the Colfax Massacre shift from historical happenstance to a law-and-order whodunit to a legal case to a Supreme Court decision, Lane shifts tenses and tones effectively without losing the reader. He effectively conveys the mood of the times and the way that the story of the Colfax Massacre tied into the overall tenor of Reconstruction, and the injustice of its ending.

Perhaps the most disconcerting thing about the book is its language: Lane writes in modern language, but uses the words "Negro" and "colored" throughout the text in accordance with the usage of the times, as he writes in an author's note at the beginning. The choice is jarring for the first few pages, but defensible in the context of the story about the betrayal of Southern African-Americans by an alliance of Southern whites with Northern whites.

The title of the book tells you that what you're about to read ought to make you mad. The day that freedom died and Reconstruction was betrayed is one that should be remembered, and one that should engender outrage. Lane tells the story well and lets the facts speak for themselves. Which they do, loudly, long after the victims were silenced.

(Full disclosure: Chuck Lane is a colleague and a friend.)

This is a monograph about an incident in Reconstruction Louisiana that eventually made it to the Supreme Court and had a major impact on bringing Reconstruction to a close. Never heard of it? That's not surprising. There's a ton of hidden history from this period - and from American race relations in general.

A little about the incident ... An upstate parish has two governments, one Black and Republican and one White and Democrat. The first group occupies the courthouse and is then besieged by the second. The Whites set fire to the courthouse then massacre the Blacks as they flee. A courageous DA tries to prosecute the Whites, taking the case all the way to the Supreme Court, but ultimately fails.

What I particularly liked about the book was the way certain parts were written. Quite honestly, they are page-turners. It was almost like reading a thriller - plus it's all true.

It also does a particularly good job at highlighting the heinous behavior of the White mob. I have read of very few instances of behavior that were so cowardly and depraved as this. Combined with what happened outside the actual massacre (random killings, witness intimidation, voter fraud), events in Iraq - or even Nazi Germany - have nothing on this.

The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars was some very slow and convoluted passages where the author tries to shed light on the politics and law involved. There also seemed to be too many characters. This wouldn't have been a big deal, but the author felt he had to flesh out each one with little biographies, even down to each juror on each case.

All in all, a very well done book. Here's some other stuff of a similar bent:

The Bloody Shirt: Terror After Appomattox

Buried in the Bitter Waters: The Hidden History of Racial Cleansing in America

Rosewood

At the Hands of Persons Unknown: The Lynching of Black America (Modern Library Paperbacks)

The Burning: Massacre, Destruction, and the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921

The "Colfax Massacre," not much known outside Louisiana, took place in Grant Parish on Easter Sunday, 1873, and even today, interpretation of the bloody events of that day -- which were either vigilantism or self-defense, depending on who you believe -- depends largely on the narrator's personal politics. The ingredients of the violence included a growing community of ex-slaves, a handful of white supremacists, and an abundance of corrupt politicians (some of them Northern carpetbaggers, some of them homegrown). The result was three dead white men and at least sixty dead black men. And that was followed by a series of show trials in New Orleans, in which the white defendants, though prosecuted strenuously by U.S Attorney James Beckwith, nevertheless managed to "influence" the witnesses' recollection of events in Colfax. The case finally ended up before the U.S. Supreme Court, which handed down a decision that effectively took the federal government out of civil rights enforcement for several generations, weakened the 14th Amendment, and left race relations up to the states. Which, of course, helped end Reconstruction and ushered in the era of Jim Crow. The effects of Colfax stretched more than a century into the future. Lane, an extremely well-experienced political journalist with considerable knowledge of Supreme Court history, has constructed a deft and gripping narrative based on exhaustingly researched historical evidence and considerable insight. This is the best sort of "popular" history. There's also a lengthy bibliography if you want to pursue the subject further.

When compared with it's precursor, the Civil War, The Reconstruction era has received regrettably insufficient consideration and debate. Perhaps because we can make heroes of the brave men who fought and we can find redemption in it's epic battles, the Civil War remains an attractive study for so many people so many years later. Those who study reconstruction are afforded no such delusions.
The Day freedom Died details the happenings in and around Grant parish, Louisiana during the Reconstruction period. This was a place and time when black and white republicans were the victims of continual racial and politically motivated violence that culminated in a shocking massacre on Easter Sunday 1873. The author does not spare the reader any of the horrific details. This book will open your eyes. This book will test your faith in American Exceptionslism and basic human decency. This is history you did not learn in school.
The books abrupt change halfway through from murder and mayhem to the courts and the constitution will put off some readers. Most however will appreciate this necessary continuation of the story, and come away with a better understanding of not only the men and the times, but of the landmark legal decisions that still affect our lives today.
The author Charles Lane deserves high praise for his unflinching, uncompromising work. I have read near countless books on Reconstruction and the Civil War. Very few are as meticulously-researched and thoroughly engrossing as this one. I highly recommend this book to those seeking better comprehension of the Reconstruction era, or anyone simply looking for an interesting nonfiction read.

Charles Lane's book is a fascinating look into the dark politics of race in the Reconstructionist South. It creates a riveting account of escalating tension in a small Louisianna Parish (ironically, named "Grant") between well-meaning White Republicans, former slaves and White Supremacists tied in with the democratic party. It provides a riveting account of the Colfax massacre, the repurcussions of the violence, and the lingering legacy of the racial violence and the abandonment of African-Americans by the U.S. Supreme Court and the federal government in Washington.

Generally well written, the book begins as a page turner. Unfortunately, when the chronicle turns to an explanation of the legal aspects of the court cases arising out of the incident, the writing becomes abtuse and confusing. Some greater clarity would make this book a classic and the failure to clearly explain the legal concepts holds this book back (and I am a lawyer to boot).

Still, a good read and an interesting look into a dark period and the prejudices that still haunt us today.

Charles Lane did a very good job on a disturbing part of our history. The Colfax Massacre was one of the worst in a long line of race-related murders in the post-Civil War South. "Betrayal of Reconstruction" is an appropriate part of this title.

The Colfax Massacre was a despicable event in 1873. At least 60 black men were killed while they defended the Grant Parish court house with minimal weaponry. Many were slaughtered after surrendering. It was brutal murder, yet when it was all said and done, the killers -- every single one to survive the battle -- were free.

There are many things to like about this book. Lane did a solid job of providing the necessary background on all the key participants, as well as what caused the racial climate in that part of Louisiana. The narrative was pretty smooth and easy to read. He brought these little-known characters to life.

Lane's research was also outstanding, and his knowledge of the law and the Supreme Court is undeniable. One problem I had with the book was that I had some difficulty understanding some of the legal issues and specifics. But the main point of the story was clear -- vicious murderers were not punished because of a combination of technicalities and questionable interpretation of the law. In other words, it's hard to convict racists when judges and jurors are also racist.

This book is a quick read and great for any history buff.

"The Day Freedom Died" is both one of the most gripping books I've read, and one of the hardest to read. That's because it's the story of a very disturbing event in history - the Colfax Massacre, the brutal murder of dozens of blacks in rural Louisiana - and the attempts to prosecute the killers.

Charles Lane clearly did tremendous research for this book, and it pays off - the book successfully recounts both the events and their place in the events of the time. Lane can write as well, so the scholarship is woven into the story of what happened and the consequences of both the massacre and the court decisions overturning the few convictions secured. The events can make it hard to read at points; but that perhaps makes it all the more important.

Lane isn't quite as good as discussing the legal issues that were decided in Cruickshank - the consequences of the crippling of federal efforts to prosecute murder and intimidation by white thugs is clear, but he never covers in depth the technical validity of the decision. But this is a minor issue.

Reconstruction is often thought of a time of "carpetbag misrule", but "The Day Freedom Dies" shines a rather disturbing light on the time. A stunning read; and one that I'd recommend to anyone.

This book is heartbreaking; and a literary and historical tour de force. A brilliant rendition of a span in the life of only one venue - Grant Parish - just after the Civil War that weaves together in a kind of real time narrative the names, the faces, the backgrounds, the motivations, the hertiage and the beliefs of the participants on this small but emblematic stage of American history.

Around the nucleus of central action at Grant Parish and its environs, Lane captures the participation of the govenor and his allies and the president and other federal officials with an interest in the outcome by staying exactly on point. The facts and the facts alone make this story so compelling.

Informing the narrative is the factual vulnerability of black folk living among their prior masters; the evil hearts and deeds of the former slave drivers; the brave freedmen who dared vote, the sympathetic and sometimes powerful whites, the coalescing and ossifing of people into rigid political parties, election stealing, the struggle for justice almost singlehandedly seen through to the end by Attorney Beckwith; how the fight for justice for the victims of Colfax and hence the future rights of freedman to live in liberty was cast within the narrow confines of limited federal police power, with the resolution left to those very states that would and did resubjugate them. Witness the parsing of statues so as to produce a disconnect between statutory intent and real world application, and most painfully, most painfully, the tremendous vulnerability of black folk for almost 100 years after the Civil War to the arbitrary and capricious private violence of white supremists.

And then there is the pitifully wasted opportunity to apply federal military might to end the bloodshed and the terrorism, even when they are just across the river. But then, it was an awesome task to realign a whole region with the notion of basic human rights and liberty for black folks and it took another century and indeed, federal police power, before they got message and reconciled themselves to equality.

Here we find the roots of what eventually became the doctrine of preemption, here we understand the disconnect and the power of black robed judges formulating their rulings to further privately held political values and not the greater good- that will result in innocents being slaughtered, elections rigged, blacks intimidated and terrorized all without even a glance back at Justice beheaded at Colfax along with the victms, where the victors are left free to prosper and to write their history of lies.

Here we will understand the gap in understanding between whites and blacks in this country and why black people find it so easy to believe the government would betray them. Here we understand the merits of a military "surge" and how it could stop terrorism, here we understand that if we liken the South 138 years ago to Iraq today, how many years and lives and how much military power it will take to reconcile the country among the sunnis and shias, here we understand the messy confluence of ideals of liberty with political opportunism. Idealism unprotected by the righteous application of force to protect the innocent left so many dead bodies around the trench at Colfax, and so many evil doers free to repeat their crimes.

Here we understand that we must pledge our lives to those treasured and hard fought values for which so many paid the blood price during the Revolution, during the Civil War and the Time Till Now: liberty and the rule of law.