The Memphis Massacre

Jane Sneed’s Testimony

Jane Sneed came to Memphis in 1862, the year Union forces captured the Confederate city. She was among thousands of formerly enslaved African Americans who came to Memphis during the Civil War seeking freedom. In May 1866, Sneed was living near Fort Pickering with her husband and their 14-year-old daughter, Rachael. Sneed witnessed the initial clashes between Black soldiers and white policemen and later saw the mob firing upon people in the street. The next day, her daughter Rachael was shot and killed by a white man while helping a neighbor remove items from his burning house. Listen to an excerpt from Jane Sneed’s testimony about the Memphis Massacre, read by Lisette Booty.

Frances Thompson’s Testimony

Born enslaved in Alabama, Frances Thompson, a transgender woman, had built a new life as a free woman in Memphis, where she earned a living by sewing and taking in washing and ironing. On the night of May 1, 1866, seven white men broke into her house. Two of the men were policemen. First they demanded food. Then they took turns beating and raping Thompson and a 16-year-old girl, Lucy Smith, who lived with her. The men robbed Thompson of her belongings and life savings and threatened to burn down the house before they finally left. Listen to an excerpt from Frances Thompson’s testimony about the Memphis Massacre, read by Adirah Robinson.

Henry Porter’s Testimony

Henry Porter came to Memphis from Illinois in 1863. By May 1866, he owned a grocery store and was living with his wife, mother, and young daughter. During the massacre, Porter witnessed many acts of violence, including shootings, robberies, and arsons. Several of the perpetrators were white men he knew by name. Porter also saw white US soldiers who had been sent to quell the mob taking part in the violence. Listen to an excerpt from Henry Porter’s testimony about the Memphis Massacre, read by Vincent Stovall.

Aftermath

The Memphis Massacre was a defining moment in the post-Civil War period known as Reconstruction. Public outcry over the attacks fueled support for federal laws and policies designed to protect the rights of African Americans, including the 14th Amendment. Southern states were required to ratify the amendment and grant voting rights to Black men.

But despite the volumes of evidence collected, no one was ever prosecuted for the Memphis Massacre. Violence against African Americans continued throughout the South during Reconstruction. By the 1870s, the federal government had retreated from its promises to protect Black civil rights. White supremacy, in the form of Jim Crow segregation, voter suppression, and the terror of lynching, became the daily reality for African Americans in the South. The history of the Memphis Massacre, like other events of Reconstruction, was whitewashed, distorted, downplayed, or ignored.