About This Project
The Wilmington Coup D'état of 1898, also known as the Wilmington Massacre of 1898, was the only successful coup d'état in the history of the United States and also a story of racial terror that took place on the ill-fated day of November 10, 1898, an event unbeknown to many Americans. The primary purpose of this endeavor is to highlight the horrible political and racially motivated crimes that took place during 1898 through the use of historical, archival, and current data. This project is essential because it displays crucial information needed in today's society and showcases a detailed variety of information. This project brings about awareness of the historical events lacking in today's textbooks and the groups of citizens who were harmed in the process.
"We cannot change the past, but we can change our attitude towards it. Uproot guilt and plant forgiveness. Tear out arrogance and seed humility. Exchange love for hate - thereby, making the present comfortable and the future promising."
-Maya Angelou
The Wilmington Massacre of 1898
November 10th, 1898 was a somber day in Wilmington, North Carolina’s history, following the election, the Democratic party was not happy to say the least with the rise of African American’s involved in politics, with the republican party and populists leading the polls for Wilmington and North Carolina as a whole. The biracial unity of the city in politics, businesses, and families became unacceptable and enraging to the white supremacists of Wilmington.
Over 60 confirmed lives were taken that day, some say as many as 205, while the true number will never be known, what can be said is that it was a massacre; one that took the progressive nature of the city’s utopia back to pre-civil war days. There were no criminal justice proceedings that took place, there were no hearings, no uses or enforcement of the fifth Amendment (Rights of Persons); just anger, death, and sorrow. The effects of the Coup lasted over 100 years, not only affecting the black population, but the registered black voters in the city, public office seat holders, and business owners.
Prior to history’s only successful coup, Wilmington was an ever growing, successful, integrated city. In fact, by the year 1896 there was an abundance of Black male registered voters. The town's population included around 65 African American middle-class citizens who held prestige positions in the community such as Doctors, Lawyers, Educators, public Health workers, Police and Firefighters, and many other business owners. The city of Wilmington’s government also had seats held by African American including city councilmen, magistrates, and other elected officials. Mind you, all of this occurred not even three decades after the emancipation from slavery.
Alongside of the ongoing battle of politics, was the newspaper battle between the Daily Record owned by Alex Manly and The Wilmington Star News. Between the conflicting stories being published was the outrageously racist cartoons that closely resembled those of Nazi, Germany publications. As if the jokes and the cartoons encouraging that the “Negros” were out to get our fair city were not enough, there was a letter published in the star news by one Ms. Rebecca Felton, who proudly voiced her opinion and support for “lynching one black man a day if it meant protecting white women." Manly, however, did not let this publication slide by unnoticed, he published in his own newspaper rebutting the statements made by Rebecca Felton and assured the city that these biracial relations, if happening, were consensual. Manly continued by kindly suggesting to Ms. Felton, that if she wanted to purify the stream that one must do so starting at the head of the stream, Manly stated that ‘Teach your men purity... Tell your men that it is no worse for a black man to be intimate with a white woman than for the white man to be intimate with a colored woman.” Manly’s statement about his agreement with biracial relations spread like wildfire across North Carolina.
This feud ended with the unfortunate arson of Manly’s property and business, this was only the beginning of the bloody day that would be falsely be labeled as a race riot, November 10th, 1898 was far from a race riot, but a massacre; one that was planned and executed publicly by the democratic party and their militants the “red shirts” . The angry mob moved on to the town hall next, the mob of white supremist grew to 2,000 men by the time they begin to wreak Havok all over the city, including gunning down unarmed as few as 60 African Americans and disposing their bodies into the Cape Fear River or just leaving them lying dead in the streets. Others were forced to flee in fear either to other surrounding areas if they were well off enough to take the train, while others had to hide out in the swamp behind the colored cemetery without protection from the weather or nourishment to avoid being slaughtered.
Over 60 confirmed lives were taken that day, some say as many as 205, while the true number will never be known, what can be said is that it was a massacre; one that took the progressive nature of the city’s utopia back to pre-civil war days. There were no criminal justice proceedings that took place, there were no hearings, no uses or enforcement of the fifth Amendment (Rights of Persons); just anger, death, and sorrow. The effects of the Coup lasted over 100 years, not only affecting the black population, but the registered black voters in the city, public office seat holders, and business owners.
Prior to history’s only successful coup, Wilmington was an ever growing, successful, integrated city. In fact, by the year 1896 there was an abundance of Black male registered voters. The town's population included around 65 African American middle-class citizens who held prestige positions in the community such as Doctors, Lawyers, Educators, public Health workers, Police and Firefighters, and many other business owners. The city of Wilmington’s government also had seats held by African American including city councilmen, magistrates, and other elected officials. Mind you, all of this occurred not even three decades after the emancipation from slavery.
Alongside of the ongoing battle of politics, was the newspaper battle between the Daily Record owned by Alex Manly and The Wilmington Star News. Between the conflicting stories being published was the outrageously racist cartoons that closely resembled those of Nazi, Germany publications. As if the jokes and the cartoons encouraging that the “Negros” were out to get our fair city were not enough, there was a letter published in the star news by one Ms. Rebecca Felton, who proudly voiced her opinion and support for “lynching one black man a day if it meant protecting white women." Manly, however, did not let this publication slide by unnoticed, he published in his own newspaper rebutting the statements made by Rebecca Felton and assured the city that these biracial relations, if happening, were consensual. Manly continued by kindly suggesting to Ms. Felton, that if she wanted to purify the stream that one must do so starting at the head of the stream, Manly stated that ‘Teach your men purity... Tell your men that it is no worse for a black man to be intimate with a white woman than for the white man to be intimate with a colored woman.” Manly’s statement about his agreement with biracial relations spread like wildfire across North Carolina.
This feud ended with the unfortunate arson of Manly’s property and business, this was only the beginning of the bloody day that would be falsely be labeled as a race riot, November 10th, 1898 was far from a race riot, but a massacre; one that was planned and executed publicly by the democratic party and their militants the “red shirts” . The angry mob moved on to the town hall next, the mob of white supremist grew to 2,000 men by the time they begin to wreak Havok all over the city, including gunning down unarmed as few as 60 African Americans and disposing their bodies into the Cape Fear River or just leaving them lying dead in the streets. Others were forced to flee in fear either to other surrounding areas if they were well off enough to take the train, while others had to hide out in the swamp behind the colored cemetery without protection from the weather or nourishment to avoid being slaughtered.
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Here is an interactive map, created by the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science and the Public Library and Information Technology Department, detailing the events from November 8-November 10, 1898. This article begins by stating that White Supremacist used campaign tactics such as speeches, propaganda cartoons, threats, and violence to deter Black voters from voting. A story map depicts the known/recorded lynching sites, the burning of the Daily Record, the Saint Stephen AME Church where many Black citizens attended, and locations of white supremacy meetings. You can click through to follow along to where the events occurred and read more information detailing the brutal massacre.
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The Daily RecordDuring the 1890s the Wilmington Daily Record served as the only Black newspaper in Wilmington, North Carolina. The Daily Record was successfully ran by editor African American, Alex Manly. In August of 1898, Manly denounced whites for claiming that black men were raping white women and said, instead, that white women were attracted to black men in many cases.
There were already racial tensions due to the upcoming election, and this article threw fuel on the fire. Forced by the white citizenry to vacate the Daily Record’s original downtown location, Manly relocated his press to Love and Charity Hall. Though the paper was still being published, Manly received many threats and was forced to flee Wilmington for his safety. On November 10, 1898, a mob of white men marched to the Daily Record office and burned it to the ground. |
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