The Wilmington Massacre of 1898 was not an accident of mob violence or a moment of spontaneous fury. It was a plan, a deliberate and coordinated seizure of power, carried out in the clear light of day by men who believed that their race, and their race alone, had the right to rule. On November 10, 1898, in Wilmington, North Carolina, those men took up rifles and machine guns and overthrew a lawful, elected government of their own city. They murdered their fellow citizens, drove thousands from their homes, and installed themselves in power. It was the only successful coup d’état in the history of the United States, and for more than a century, the truth of what happened that day was buried beneath lies, fear, and the polite silence of those who benefited from it.

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