The Wilmington Race Riot of 1898 involved what actions?

• A. A peaceful march for civil rights
• B. A court-ordered integration
• C. A violent labor dispute
• D. White supremacists murdered African Americans and deposed the Reconstruction era government

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is that the Wilmington Race Riot was a violent white supremacist action that murdered African Americans and overthrew the Reconstruction-era government in Wilmington, North Carolina. In late 1898, after elections that shifted political power toward white supremacists, a mob attacked Black residents, killed several men, burned Black-owned property and institutions, and forced Black leaders and supporters from office. They then seized city hall and established white control, effectively ending Black political power in Wilmington for many years.

This was not a peaceful protest or march, nor a court-ordered move toward integration. It wasn’t a labor dispute. It was a targeted act of racial terrorism aimed at destroying Black political influence and reinstalling white supremacy, a violent coup against the elected government.