Attacking the Dream: 7 major race massacres in US history

By Michael Gryboski, Editor Saturday, February 01, 2025

3. Wilmington – 1898

Armed rioters in front of a burned-down press building amid an event commonly called the 'Wilmington Coup' or 'Wilmington Massacre,' which occurred in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1898. — Armed rioters in front of a burned-down press building amid an event commonly called the "Wilmington Coup" or "Wilmington Massacre," which occurred in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1898. | Wikimedia Commons

Alfred Moore Waddell, a former Confederate officer and member of Congress, led hundreds of white men in an effort to overthrow black and Republican office holders in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Many joined the mob in response to a controversial column on interracial relationships published in a local African American-owned newspaper known as the Daily Record.

On the morning of Nov. 10, the protesters stormed the building of the Record, with a fire caused by the chaos destroying much of the building. As the protest spread, many white and black Republicans, including the major, fled the city.

“What traditionally has been termed a ‘race riot’ has also been called a massacre, rebellion, revolt, race war, and coup d’etat,” noted the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

“The event marked the climax of the white supremacy campaign of 1898 and a turning point in the state’s history. Restriction on black voting followed soon thereon marking the onset of the Jim Crow era of segregation.”