Blacks Versus Whites The massacre of Memphis in 1866 was an eye opening event that not only pushed the reconstruction of the south but also help speed up the 14th amendment. A couple of black male veterans were hanging out in south Memphis drinking whisky in May 1 1866. White male law enforcement officers came to them and told them to desperts but the blacks refused. First a yelling match started then it escalated to shoving witch the white law enforcement officers turn and ran being greatly outnumbered. Some of the black males had concealed weapons and in attempt to get the policemen to hurry up shot them into the air. This resulted in a small shoot out between the two groups in which two policemen were hurt but no one was killed. The police officers went back to the police headquarters and reported what had happen. Reporters got wind of this and it spread through the city like a wild fire …show more content…
The yankees saw Memphis as a place to start training the blacks to be equal as making the blacks act like whites since the war finally end and the 13th amendment was in place but there was still a lot of hate towards the blacks and also the yankees saw new business opportunities in the south now that it was turning into a new era. After the civil war blacks tended to flock to memphis even with the hostile environment to try and start their new life as a free man and also to get away from the plantations. Black people viewed Memphis as a safe haven almost because of the schools and missionaries that lived there witch made even more blacks flock to Memphis. With there being so many blacks in the city living conditions were not any better than on the plantations but blacks rather live in the poor conditions rather than stay out on the