Nelson: Memphis Massacre or Riot? What a difference a word makes
Michael Nelson
Michael Nelson is contributing editor and columnist for The Daily Memphian, the political analyst for WMC-TV, and the Fulmer professor of political science at Rhodes College. His latest books are “Clinton's Elections: 1992, 1996, and the Birth of a New Era of Governance" and “The American Presidency: Origins and Development, 1776-2018.”
One reason riots and massacres can be hard to tell apart is that they usually begin and end in roughly the same way. It’s what happens in between that tells the tale.
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