Pulaski riot facts for kids

The Pulaski riot was a violent event that happened in Pulaski, Tennessee, on January 7, 1868. It was a clash between white people and African Americans. The trouble seemed to start from an argument between two local men, Calvin Lamberth (who was white) and Calvin Carter (who was African American).

The situation became violent when Lamberth shot Whitlock Fields, a friend of Carter's. This happened after Lamberth heard rumors about Fields and Carter talking about a woman Lamberth knew. After Lamberth shot Fields, many other armed white men came and attacked Carter and seven other African American men. They were at a grocery store owned by an African American. Even though a local officer tried to stop the fighting, the white group attacked again. They shot at the African American men from close range. One man was killed, another was very badly hurt and later died, and four others were injured. No white person was hurt, and no one was arrested for the attack. The Freedmen's Bureau, a government agency, looked into what happened.

What Led to the Pulaski Riot?

The Ku Klux Klan Starts in Pulaski

In December 1865, after the American Civil War ended, white soldiers who had fought for the South started a secret group called the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in Pulaski. This group quickly grew, and chapters (smaller groups) appeared in many towns across Tennessee and other states. KKK members often worked in groups, usually at night. They would threaten people, especially African Americans, to stop them from taking part in politics or starting businesses.

The Investigation Begins

Michael Walsh, an officer from the Freedmen's Bureau in Nashville, Tennessee, came to Pulaski on January 9, 1868. He was there to investigate the shootings and deaths. He found out that Calvin Lamberth, a white grocery store owner, and Calvin Carter, an African American man who had recently been freed from slavery, had been arguing for a while. This argument might have started because of a business disagreement the summer before. Some white people did not like competing with African Americans who had just gained their freedom.

The Immediate Cause of the Violence

The main reason the violence started that day was because Lamberth heard that Carter and his friend Whitlock Fields had "threatened" a woman Lamberth knew. They supposedly told her to stay away from Lamberth's store. Lamberth found Fields on the street and shot him twice with a pistol. Fields tried to shoot back, but his gun did not work. When other white men heard the shots, more than 18 of them quickly came from their homes with pistols and shotguns. They wanted to stop any violence from the African American community.

The Attack on the Grocery Store

The group of white men attacked a nearby grocery store owned by John Carter, an African American. Eight African American men, including Calvin Carter, were gathered there. At first, they were surprised, but some of them had weapons. They shot back and kept the white men from getting inside. After many shots were fired, the town's police officer arranged a stop to the fighting.

As the African American men left the store, about eighteen white men rushed at them. They fired their weapons, killing a man named Orange Rhodes. Calvin Carter was very badly hurt and later died. Two other African American men were seriously injured, and two more had minor injuries. None of the white men were hurt.

Because the white men were armed and worked together, Walsh believed they were likely members of the Ku Klux Klan.

KKK's Growing Power

Besides this riot, white people killed African Americans in other local events. They also often bothered African Americans and their supporters in the area. The Pulaski riot showed how powerful the KKK was becoming in Giles County, Tennessee, and the wider Middle Tennessee area.

The KKK was said to have committed more than 1,300 killings before the 1868 U.S. presidential election. Most of this violence was aimed at African Americans to scare them and weaken their support for the Republican Party. However, white people known as "carpetbaggers" (Northerners who moved South) and "scalawags" (Southerners who supported the Republican Party) were also targeted.

See also

In Spanish: Disturbios de Pulaski para niños