Students at the Wilmington Heritage ‘N Color Tour where they learned about the history of the African American community in Wilmington. Photo Credit: Freeman Long.
On November 10, 1898, the city of Wilmington, North Carolina, witnessed one of the most egregious episodes of racial violence in American history. The Wilmington Massacre, as it came to be known, was a brutal and premeditated attack on the city’s African American population, orchestrated by white supremacists determined to overthrow the biracial government that had been elected two years earlier. The painful lessons of that event are incorporated into the curriculum of Operation Understanding DC’s Social Justice Fellowship Program.
In 1897, a coalition of Republicans and Populists, including African American politicians, had been elected to office in Wilmington, sparking outrage among white Democrats who saw their power and influence threatened. Alfred Moore Waddell, a former Confederate officer and U.S. Congressman, called for the removal of all black Republicans and Populists that ran Wilmington and propositioned that the white citizens, “choke the Cape Fear with carcasses.”
Consequently, in 1898 the Democratic Party – which at the time was the conservative party with white supremacy leanings – fixed the election to overthrow the majority Black municipal government of Wilmington, North Carolina, replacing it with a new regime of white supremacist Democrats. Some consider this the only coup-d’etat in the history of the United States.
Students at Kendall Chapel, where descendant community engagement takes place. Photo Credit: Linda Mann.
Tensions had already been escalating with white supremacists spreading racist propaganda and intimidating African American voters. On November 9, 1898, a group of white men stormed the offices of the Wilmington Daily Record, the Black-owned newspaper owned by Alexander Manly, a prominent African American leader, and destroyed its printing presses, marking the beginning of the end of the biracial government’s hold on power.
The following day, November 10, 1898, a mob of approximately 500 white men, many of whom were armed, marched through the streets of Wilmington, targeting African American homes, businesses, and individuals. They set fire to buildings, beat men and women, and killed anyone who dared to resist. The violence continued unabated until the city’s government was forced to surrender, marking a return to power for white Democrats.
Estimates vary, but between 60 and 300 African Americans were killed during the Wilmington Massacre, while many more were injured or forced to flee the city. The violence was so intense that it led to a significant decline in Wilmington’s African American population, as many survivors left the city in search of safer living conditions.
The Wilmington Massacre Monument. Photo Credit: Zain Kaul.
The Wilmington Massacre had far-reaching consequences for the city and its residents. Many African American businesses were destroyed, leaving owners without livelihoods. Homes were burned down, leaving families without shelter. The trauma inflicted upon survivors lasted for generations, shaping the social, economic, and cultural landscape of Wilmington.
The aftermath of the Wilmington Massacre saw the implementation of Jim Crow laws in North Carolina, further entrenching racial segregation and disfranchisement. These laws effectively stripped African Americans of their voting rights, limiting their access to education, employment, and other basic rights. The Wilmington Massacre stands as a painful reminder of the darkest aspects of American history, where racial violence and intimidation were used to maintain power and control.
OUDC’s Fellows traveled to Wilmington on last year’s Summer Journey, and this year’s class will return this June. On their visits, the students receive an education in the events of 1898 as they toured the site of the massacre and confront the ongoing struggle for racial justice and equality. Those wishing to learn more about this important event can read about it in Wilmington’s Lie by David Zucchino, winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.
