Orangeburg massacre

Orangeburg massacre. The Orangeburg massacre was a violent confrontation on the night of February 8, 1968, in Orangeburg, South Carolina, during which officers of the South Carolina Highway Patrol opened fire on a crowd of African-American college students. The students, primarily from South Carolina State University and nearby Claflin University, were protesting racial segregation at a local bowling alley. The incident, which resulted in three deaths and at least twenty-seven injuries, stands as a pivotal and tragic event in the history of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.

Background

In the mid-1960s, despite the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, many public accommodations in the American South remained segregated. In Orangeburg, the All-Star Bowling Lane refused to admit African American customers. In early February 1968, students from the historically black South Carolina State University and Claflin University organized peaceful protests and sit-ins at the establishment, led by activist Cleveland Sellers of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Tensions escalated as local law enforcement, including the Orangeburg Police Department and the South Carolina Highway Patrol, were mobilized. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) also became involved. The protests occurred amidst a broader national context of unrest, following events like the Detroit Riot of 1967 and preceding the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr..

The shooting

On the evening of February 8, a large crowd of students gathered on the campus of South Carolina State University near the edge of the campus along U.S. Highway 601. A bonfire had been lit, and the atmosphere was tense following days of clashes. A contingent of nearly 50 officers from the South Carolina Highway Patrol, supported by the South Carolina National Guard and local police, formed a cordon. Without clear orders or an immediate visible threat to officers, patrolmen suddenly opened fire with shotguns, rifles, and pistols into the crowd of fleeing students. The shooting lasted less than ten seconds. The three students killed were Samuel Hammond Jr., a freshman at South Carolina State; Henry Smith, a student at South Carolina State College; and high school student Delano Middleton, who was on campus visiting his mother. Most victims were shot in the back, side, or soles of their feet as they attempted to run.

Aftermath and legacy

The immediate aftermath was marked by a news blackout and official statements from Governor Robert E. McNair, who erroneously claimed a "heavy exchange of gunfire" between students and police. National media coverage was initially sparse, overshadowed by the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War. However, the event galvanized the Black Power movement and highlighted the violent repression faced by civil rights activists. It is often cited as a precursor to later campus shootings, such as the Kent State shootings. The Orangeburg Massacre Memorial was later erected on the campus of South Carolina State University, and annual commemorations are held. The massacre remains a significant, though often overlooked, chapter in the struggle for racial equality in America.

Legal proceedings

In the subsequent legal proceedings, nine highway patrolmen were charged by the federal government under the old Reconstruction era statute for depriving the victims of their civil rights. The 1969 trial, held in Columbia, before Judge J. Robert Martin Jr., resulted in acquittals for all defendants. Activist Cleveland Sellers was the only person convicted and imprisoned, on charges of inciting a riot; he was later pardoned. A state grand jury also exonerated the law enforcement officers. The failure to secure convictions was widely criticized by civil rights organizations and contributed to a lasting sense of injustice. In 2001, then-Governor Jim Hodges attended a memorial service, marking the first official state recognition of the tragedy. Category:1968 in South Carolina Category:Mass shootings in the United States Category:African-American history in South Carolina Category:Civil rights movement