1917 Bath Riots
Okay kiddo, so back in 1917, there were some people who needed to take baths in a place called East St. Louis. But unfortunately, there were not enough public bathhouses for everyone to use. So some people got really really mad because they couldn't take a bath and keep clean.
Then, a black man named Eugene Williams was swimming in a white-only section of a river and some white people threw stones at him. He drowned and the police didn't help him.
This made even more people very angry, and they started rioting, which means they were throwing things and breaking stuff. The rioters were mostly black and they thought the police were not treating them fairly.
During the riot, some of the rioters were trying to break into a factory that made rifles and ammunition. The factory guards didn't want them to get in and they started shooting at the rioters. Some people even got killed.
Eventually, the National Guard, which is a group of soldiers who help the police, came in to stop the riot. That's pretty much what the 1917 bath riots were all about. It was a really sad and scary time for the people who lived in East St. Louis.
Then, a black man named Eugene Williams was swimming in a white-only section of a river and some white people threw stones at him. He drowned and the police didn't help him.
This made even more people very angry, and they started rioting, which means they were throwing things and breaking stuff. The rioters were mostly black and they thought the police were not treating them fairly.
During the riot, some of the rioters were trying to break into a factory that made rifles and ammunition. The factory guards didn't want them to get in and they started shooting at the rioters. Some people even got killed.
Eventually, the National Guard, which is a group of soldiers who help the police, came in to stop the riot. That's pretty much what the 1917 bath riots were all about. It was a really sad and scary time for the people who lived in East St. Louis.