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Primary document

Wilmington, N.C. race riot, 1898 montage

Library of Congress

Where this source supports the record

Each entry separates the article’s editorial relevance note from its exact, section-level claims. A bibliography link without a direct claim is labeled plainly.

  1. Political unrest · 10 November 1898

    The Wilmington Massacre and Coup of 1898

    Daily Record site and Wilmington coup landscape · United States

    Open article references →
    Why editors use it here

    Contemporary montage locating coup leaders, shooting sites, the installed police chief, and the burned Record building.

    1. Quick read

      On 10 November 1898, armed white supremacists in Wilmington burned the office of the Black-owned Daily Record, killed Black residents, expelled political and business leaders, and forced the elected biracial city government to resign.

      Reviewed 26 July 2026
    2. Trigger and conditions

      Democrats won the 8 November state election amid threats and ballot manipulation, but Wilmington's city officials were not up for election.

      Reviewed 26 July 2026
    3. Uncertainty

      The coroner recorded fourteen deaths, while contemporary and later accounts described many more bodies and missing residents.

      Reviewed 26 July 2026
    4. Why it matters

      Wilmington was a successful violent overthrow of an elected American government.

      Reviewed 26 July 2026