The only coup d'tat ever to take place on American soil

[Sunriser13]

It's strange to me that there are so many that had never heard of the Tulsa Massacre, which leads me to believe that even fewer people, even North Carolinians, have knowledge of the Wilmington Massacre of 1898. It was an organized effort to erase a majority Black city, one of the most successful in the South.

This history was again brought to mind for me as some of the monuments in downtown Raleigh were targeted and toppled by protestors, who even hung one in effigy from a lamp post after dragging it down the main street of the city. Governor Cooper had been trying to have these Confederate monuments moved from the Capitol grounds for years, but was denied by our Republican legislature actually passing a law preventing it. He is defying them and the law in having the rest removed, ostensibly citing public safety as the reason. (Don’t point at the governor for NC monuments falling. Republicans are to blame.) Republicans are having conniption fits about it, of course, but I'm proud of my Governor.

One monument in particular, a 75 foot high behemoth that stood on the west side of the grounds, has a connection to the supremacists involved in the Wilmington Massacre, as does a statue of Josephus Daniels, the founder of our local newspaper, which the family voluntarily removed this week from the public park across the street from the current building. Daniels has an extremely interesting story as well, seeming to redeem himself in some ways in later years, but I believe he always remained a racist SOB, no matter his attempts at good.

I found some good links to information about Wilmington that I believe folks here will find to be fascinating history of an abomination that has been whitewashed, even to the debate about what to call it. Some prefer to simply call it "race riots", which was certainly not the case; few are willing to call it what it was, an organized coup to get rid of a successful and vibrant elected Black government.

The Lost History of an American Coup D’État

Revising the Revisionists

This last link leads to a book review of WILMINGTON’S LIE:
The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy by David Zucchino:

When White Supremacists Overthrew an Elected Government

My heart still breaks at what white supremacists have done, and continue to do, to wonderful advances only to be snuffed out by hatred and prejudice.

Thank you for your indulgence - I just had to get this out to some people who care... and have probably never heard of this...