Monday, May 4, 2009

The Wilmington Race Riot of 1898

The Wilmington Race Riot began on Novemeber 10, 1898 in Wilmington, N.C., which at the time was the largest city in N.C.

Democrats had taken over most of the towns in N.C , but no Wilmington. This city was still run by republicans because there were so many African Americans who lived in Wilmigton and voted republican.

This did not sit well for a white confederate soldier named Alfred Moore Waddell. He became very upset when an article was published in the Wilmington newspaper called "The Daily Record". The article was published by an African American man named Alex Manly. He said in the article that "white men were careless in protecting their women".

This outraged Waddell and he and 500 white men burned and seized the headquarters of the Daily Record.

Many African Americans escaped and hid from Waddell, but at least 14 African Americans were killed that day.

After the tragedy, Waddell forced the republican mayor out of office and Waddell became the new mayor of Wilmington. One of Waddell's first laws he passed as a mayor was to limit the voting rihts of African Americans. This was known as the "Grandfather Clause".

By: Katie G.

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