What was the Red Summer?

The term Red Summer refers to the summer of 1919, that was noted for hundreds of deaths across the United States, as a result of race riots. These race riots took place in tens of cities across America and mostly took place between white and black Americans. There were many factors that led up to these race riots, and one of the biggest ones was labor shortages. In the years 1914- 1918, many white men were enlisting in the military to fight during World War I, and there were not a lot of people working in factories during this time. This shortage in labor led to the Great Migration. During this time, many African Americans moved from the South in order to escape Jim Crow laws and look for jobs. As more blacks moved to the industrial North and Midwest, many white workers did not appreciate the presence of African Americans competing for their jobs. As tension grew, people began to act on their prejudices towards blacks. This lead to the first act of violence taking place in Charleston, South Carolina in late May of 1919. Following this was six months of more riots between whites and blacks. One of the most memorable fights was in Washington D.C in July. White men initiated a riot after hearing that a black man allegedly raped a white woman. This riot lasted for about 4 days and it escalated to the point where men began to beat random African-Americans off the street. The police refused to intervene, and this only allowed for further escalation. By the time the riot was over, 4 whites were dead, 2 blacks were dead, and about 50 people were injured. During riots, black were not able to fight back as much because they were seen as inferior by most people. This reason is why the Washington D.C. riot was significant. It was one of the only instances where African-Americans really fought back. However, the most significant act of violence this time took place on July 27, 1919 in Lake Michigan. In this instance a 17 year old black boy named Eugene was swimming in in Lake Michigan when he crossed a barrier from the designated "black" beach to the "white" beach. When white men saw him, they stoned him and hit him until he drowned in the lake. When the cops came, they refused to arrest the white men, and this broke out in violence amongst the crowd. This particular riot was not stopped until the state militia were called in to break up the fights.As a result of these riots, city officials in many cities began to organize Commissions on Race Relations to look into the causes of these riots, and brainstorm ways to stop them. However, when President Woodrow Wilson stepped out and blamed whites for being the antagonists in this situation, people began to listen to what they needed to do to stop the violence. In all, the these riots have left a lasting impact on America today. As racial tension is something that is still very prevalent, these riots serve as a way we can learn from the past in order to prevent it happening in the future.