Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument

The Springfield race riot of 1908 consisted of events of mass racial violence committed against African Americans by a mob of about 5,000 white Americans and European immigrants in Springfield, Illinois, between August 14 and 16, 1908. Two black men, Joe James and George Richardson, had been arrested. James was accused of murdering a white man and attempting to rape his daughter. Richardson was accused of raping a white woman, Mabel Hallam. When the sheriff had transferred the two suspects out of the city, white people began attacking black neighborhoods, killing black citizens, and destroyed black businesses and homes. The state militia was called out to quell the rioting.