Tulsa Race Riots

1921 Tulsa Massacre of Black Wall Street
Isaiah Oliver
American Government
Mr. George
5 May 2016

The Tulsa race riots also known as the Massacre of Black Wall Street, was a large scale, racially motivated conflict that took place on May 31st through June 1st, 1921. Over the course of 16 hours over 800 people were admitted to white hospitals with significant injuries, the city’s two black hospitals were burned to the ground, as well as the Greenwood District which was one of the wealthiest black community in the United States. Local and state histories failed to mention many of the events that took place during the massacre.
The location of the massacre took place in the racially and politically tense region of northeastern Oklahoma. …show more content…
Social tension and anti-black sentiment increased drastically during this time because white veterans were competing mostly with the black population for jobs. At the same time, black veterans were pushing to have their civil rights enforced, believing they had earned full citizenship for their military service. In what became known as the “Red Summer” of 1919 industrial cities across the Midwest and North experienced severe race riots, often led by whites who were competing with the black community for employment. In Northern cities like Chicago and Cleveland, blacks for the first time defended themselves with force but were quickly overwhelmed by the number of white rioters. Blacks were terrorized and ran from their properties. During this time Northeastern Oklahoma was in an economic downturn which increased unemployment in the region. The Ku Klux Klan grew significantly as a result, with over 3.200 Tulsa residents in the klan by the end of …show more content…
Rowland was employed at a Main Street shine parlor and frequently rode the elevator that Sarah Page worked on as an elevator operator. A clerk in the building heard what sounded like a woman screaming then saw Dick Rowland running from the elevator. The clerk went to the elevator and found Page in what he said was a distraught state. Dick Rowland fearing for his life, fled to his mother’s home in Greenwood, where he was arrested by the Tulsa Police Department. The Tulsa Tribune which was one of the two local white owned newspapers, contributed to the riots that took place soon after when they posted a headline telling white residents to “Nab Negro for Attacking Girl In an Elevator”. Immediately after the headline hit the streets, a lynch mob began to form in front of the courthouse where Dick Rowland was being held. The newly elected sheriff of Tulsa County Willard M. McCullough was determined to prevent a lynching from taking place. After realizing the gravity of the situation, the sheriff took steps to ensure the safety of Dick Rowland by disabling the buildings elevator that led to the top floor where Rowland was being held. Sheriff McCullough ordered his men into a defensive formation placing six of his deputies armed with rifles and

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