National Guardsmen questioning an African American during the riots that traumatized the city in late July. The City Council briefly considered a proposal to avoid future confrontations by creating legally segregated residential districts in the city. Chicago was hardly unique: 26 American cities experienced race riots during the summer of 1919. Chicago's riots killed and injured more people than the others, but even its death toll scarcely compared to the 78 African-Americans lynched that year in the South.

Photographer: Jun Fujita
Source: Chicago Historical Society (ICHi-25571)