James G. Hollandsworth

This book is an incredible account of a dark time yet pivotal time in our history. 1866, a group of black suffrage supporters were protesting their way to the Louisiana constitutional convention. Tensions ran high when a group of ex-Confederates and their sympathizers clashed with the group. Shots were fired and a total of 38 were murdered. Hollandsworth gives us a detailed analysis of that brutal day. He describes why it happened and what the end result was. We also see a lot of implications it has on the local and national level.

In "An Absolute Massacre," he tells the story in a great narrative that puts the reader in with the main characters. The reader gets a sense of the angry, fear, confusion, and horror of that sad day.

So many native New Orleanians are ignorant of this event. I recommend this to anyone who wants to study the history of the U.S. or New Orleans, or wants to study the history of the struggle of black Americans and abolitionists.… (meer)