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This episode explores the Wilmington massacre of 1898 in North Carolina, detailing how an organized white supremacist mob staged a violent coup against a thriving, democratically elected multiracial local government. The hosts explain how wealthy elites and newspapers used fear-mongering rhetoric to dismantle the Fusionist political coalition of Populists and Republicans, culminating in a deadly riot that overthrew the city's leaders, displaced hundreds of black residents, and suppressed black political power for nearly a century. The discussion highlights the uncanny parallels to the Tulsa massacre, the lasting historical whitewashing of the events, and why uncovering these buried histories remains critical.
Hosts Chuck, Josh, and Jerry introduce the episode and set the stage for the historical discussion.
Alfred Waddell and the White Supremacy Campaign mobilize to suppress black political influence through propaganda and intimidation.
Discussion of the Fusionist coalition between Populists and Republicans that empowered black politicians in Wilmington.
White supremacists use violence, voter suppression, and media manipulation to overturn the Fusionist victory.
The massacre leads to long-term disenfranchisement, legal changes, and a delayed acknowledgment of the event as a massacre.
A mob of white men attacks black residents, burning the Daily Record, killing hundreds, and seizing city offices.
Hosts reflect on the impact of the massacre and share a heartfelt listener email before concluding the episode.
The Only Successful American Coupinsight
The hosts discuss how a white supremacist group staged a violent coup in late 19th-century Wilmington, North Carolina, which is considered the only successful coup in American history.
A Rare Multiracial Political Alliancestrategy
The hosts explain the formation of the Fusionist movement, a strategic coalition between the Populist Party and Republicans that successfully swept elections and advanced progressive reforms in North Carolina.
Decades of Political Exclusiondata
The hosts note that following the 1898 coup and the departure of Representative George H. White in 1901, North Carolina experienced a drought of black congressmen lasting until 1992.
The Daily Record Responsestory
The guest explains how black newspaper editor Alex Manley published an editorial responding to false claims of criminality by pointing out consensual relationships and the double standards of the Jim Crow South.
Arriving At The Newspaper Officestory
The host describes a 2,000-strong armed white mob marching through the narrow streets of Wilmington to burn down the office of the Daily Record after the editor fled.
Catastrophic Drop In Votersdata
The hosts share stark statistics showing that registered black voters in North Carolina plummeted from 125,000 in 1896 down to just 6,000 by 1902 due to systemic disenfranchisement.
Whitewashing The Historical Recordinsight
The hosts explain how the perpetrators actively denied the violence or reframed it as a righteous Anglo-Saxon uprising, a false narrative that persisted for over a century until official commissions investigated.
In the late 1800s, white supremacists in Wilmington, NC staged a coup and bloody massacre of its black citizens in order to stem the tide of black progress and stifle the vote. This is that story. See omnystudio.com/listener https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
8,558 words · 5 speakers
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