AR SCR6

The Elaine Massacre began on September 30, 1919, near Elaine, Arkansas, resulting in an estimated 100 to 237 African American deaths and 5 white deaths, making it the deadliest race riot in Arkansas history.

Twelve African American men (the Elaine 12) were sentenced to death for the murder or accessory to murder of white man Clinton Lee following the massacre.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People filed two lawsuits, one resulting in the February 19, 1923, United States Supreme Court decision in Moore v. Dempsey, which allowed state rulings to be challenged in federal court to determine if criminal defendants were denied federal constitutional rights.

Moore v. Dempsey was the first in a series of Supreme Court rulings that expanded the meaning of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment throughout the twentieth century.

The 91st General Assembly recognizes the historical importance of the Elaine Massacre and the Moore v. Dempsey ruling, with the Senate Secretary to transmit a copy of this resolution to the Legacy Center in Elaine, Arkansas.