Today in Labor History March 14, 1891: Eleven Italian American immigrants were lynched in New Orleans by a mob for their alleged role in the murder of police chief David Hennessy. The mob was furious with the results of their trial, the day before, when six of them were acquitted, and a mistrial was declared for the others because the jury failed to agree on their verdicts. It was the largest mass lynching in American history. There were thousands in the lynch mob, including some of the city's most prominent citizens. In the weeks that followed, the Italian consul Pasquale Corte in New Orleans fled the city at his government's direction. The New York Times charged city politicians with responsibility for the lynchings. Italy cut off diplomatic relations with the United States, sparking rumors of war. This, in turn, exacerbated the existing anti-Italian sentiment in the U.S. and led to calls for restrictions on immigration. This was also when the word "Mafia" entered the American vernacular.

Italian immigrants were encouraged to come to New Orleans in the late 1800s to replace black workers on the sugar cane plantations. Racism was rampant. Throughout much of the 19th century and early the 20th, Italian immigrants to the United States were often referred to as "White niggers." Much like the MAGA racism one hears today, these immigrants were accused of being dirty, violent, criminals, and spreaders of disease. After the Police Chief Hennessy’s assassination, the mayor told police to scour the neighborhoods and “arrest every Italian you come across.”

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