13. A race riot erupted in Mayfield, Kentucky, just before Christmas 1896
Although slavery in the US ended after the Civil War, the Reconstruction period and beyond was a dangerous time to be black in the country. Things were especially bad for non-whites in the former Confederacy, amongst which Kentucky was especially bad for racial violence. In December 1896, white vigilantes lynched two black men within 24 hours of each other between the 21st and 22nd, one for a minor disagreement with a white man and the other, Jim Stone, for an alleged rape. A note attached to Stone’s swinging corpse warned black residents to get out of town.
In response to this unambiguous threat, the local African-American population armed themselves. Rumors spread amongst the town’s white population that 250 men were marching on the town, and a state of emergency was called. The whites similarly mobilized, black stores were vandalized, and fighting broke out between the two sides on December 23rd. In the event, only three people were killed, including Will Suet, a black teenager who had just got off the train to spend Christmas with his family. It was all over on Christmas Eve, and a few days later an uneasy truce between the races was called.