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ORLEANS, Louisiana in the 1890s: 1 through 8 of 8

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  1. Italo-American Incident
    date March 14, 1891map ORLEANS, Louisianatags Crime/Violence, War

    A mob comprised of 20,000 residents of New Orleans, angered at the failure of a jury to convict the alleged murderers of David C. Hennessy, superintendent of police, attacked the prison in which the accused were still held and lynched 11 of them. Three of the victims were Italian citizens. The Italian government demanded prosecution of the leaders of the mob. This was an example of the accepted...

  2. World championship fights in New Orleans
    date September 5, 1892 to September 7, 1892map ORLEANS, Louisianatags African-Americans, Arts/Leisure, Race-Relations

    Boxing was extremely popular in the South, especially during the 1880s and early 1890s. The national center of boxing was in New Orleans, and the height of 19th-century American boxing occurred in September 1892. In that month, New Orleans's Olympic Club staged three world championship fights. On September 5, the fights began. The crowd was very large and varied. Representatives from every state...

  3. Plessy v. Ferguson
    date June 7, 1892 to May 18, 1896map ORLEANS, Louisianatags plessy v. ferguson, separate but equal case

    Plessy v. Ferguson  During the day of June 7th, 1892, in New Orleans, Louisiana, a man by the name of Homer Plessy decided to forever change the Old South.  Plessy obtained a ticket for a thirty-mile-long road trip from the city of New Orleans to Covington. Upon boarding the railroad car, Plessy informed the conductor that he was one-eighth black; however, that meant he was seven-eighths white. Although...

  4. Black Laborers Attacked
    date February, 1895 to March 13, 1895map ORLEANS, Louisianatags African-Americans, Crime/Violence, Health/Death, Race-Relations

    In February of 1895, the Harrison Steamship Line of Liverpool discharged many white longshoremen and screwmen in New Orleans, Louisiana and contracted 300 non-union and unskilled black workers. Other shipping firms followed suit. The firms, which appealed to the US Courts for protection, claimed that they hired blacks, not because they would work for lower wages, but because the central issue was...

  5. A New Home for Sex in New Orleans
    date July 11, 1892 to December 31, 1897map ORLEANS, Louisianatags African-Americans, Government, Race Relations, Urban-Life/Boosterism

    In 19th century America, many men enjoyed the services of prostitutes but disliked prostitution. This ironic dichotomy was very evident amongst the upper class men of New Orleans, and it heavily influenced the future landscape of the city. With a 'not in my backyard' view of prostitution, the wealthy males of New Orleans, although many were clients of prostitutes, did not want their homes and families...

  6. White Man Lynched in New Orleans, LA
    date June 24, 1895map ORLEANS, Louisianatags African-Americans, Crime/Violence, Health/Death, Race-Relations

    On June 24, 1895, a white man was lynched for an attempt to lynch a black woman in Gretna, Jefferson Parish, a suburb of New Orleans. The intent had been to lynch a black woman named Frances Woodson. The crowd, composed of six young men in the community went to the woman's house, but she, having heard the threats against her life, had left. The pack of young lynchers entered her house by breaking...

  7. Formation of “Citizens' League'
    date January, 1896map ORLEANS, Louisianatags African-Americans

    In response to the machine politics in Louisiana, commercial elites attempted to further their desired reforms by introducing the “Citizens' League.' The league had a “crusade-like' quality fighting for a smaller city council, clean voter registration laws, a secret ballot, and an enlargement of the police force among other things. These critics of “the Ring rule' and the municipal corruption...

  8. Troops Called in to New Orleans Municipal Elections
    date April, 1896map ORLEANS, Louisianatags African-Americans, Education, Race-Relations

    The Democratic machine was removed from power and the Citizens' League came in, showing how successful their efforts were. They were backed by negroes who supported their cause for reform in mass public meetings. They quickly implemented structural reforms. However, by the time the Citizens' League spread throughout the state, blacks realized that these elite reformers were just as hostile to their...