Charles Caldwell, a formerly enslaved man who became a state senator and militia leader during Reconstruction, was assassinated in Clinton, Mississippi, by white supremacists. A staunch Republican and advocate for Black civil rights, Caldwell worked to protect Black communities from racial violence and to promote political participation among freedmen.
Despite warnings, Caldwell chose to remain in Mississippi, famously saying:
“I am as innocent as any man in the world, and I will die before I run.”
His murder marked a violent turning point in Mississippi’s post-Reconstruction history, as white Democrats sought to reclaim political power through intimidation and terror.
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