The Forgotten Massacre: How East St. Louis 1917 Shaped American Race Relations - Paperback

by Ronan Kelly (Author)

The Forgotten Massacre: How East St. Louis 1917 Shaped American Race Relations

The East St. Louis Massacre of 1917 stands as one of America's worst episodes of racial violence, yet it remains largely unknown. This comprehensive historical account examines how industrial capitalism, political manipulation, and white supremacy converged to produce days of terror that killed hundreds of African Americans and destroyed an entire community.

Drawing on congressional testimony, survivor accounts, and modern economic analysis, this book traces the massacre from its roots in the Great Migration through its century-long aftermath. It reveals how industrialists weaponized Black labor against white unions, how Democratic politicians spread conspiracy theories about "Negro colonization," and how the violence that erupted in July 1917 was facilitated by police and National Guard troops who either participated in the killing or stood aside while mobs burned homes and murdered residents.

The book follows the legal persecution of community leader Dr. Leroy Bundy, documents the birth of modern civil rights protest through the NAACP's Silent Parade, and explores how the massacre propelled Marcus Garvey onto the national stage. It concludes by examining the massacre's devastating long-term impact, including the destruction of Black wealth, the collapse of East St. Louis into urban ruin, and the ongoing struggle by descendants seeking recognition and reparations for crimes that echo across generations.