1898: The Violent Taking of a Southern City

In 1898, Wilmington, N.C. was a shining example of what a Southern city could be, with a thriving majority-Black population made up of not justlaborers, but also a strong professional and middle class. But when the Fusion movement of the 1890s delivered big wins for Republican candidatesacross the state, Democrats began plotting to retake power - even if it meant violence to do it. It all came to a head in an insurrection on November 10, 1898, when armed white supremacists took to the streets. When it was over, hundreds of Blacks had been disposessed and run out of town, a legally elected government had been overthrown in the only successful coup d'etat in U.S. history, and African Americans had been killed in the streets in untold numbers. This is that story.