HIS 100 3-3
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HIS 100 Module Three Activity [Blank line]
Shaquon L. T. Forbes
Southern New Hampshire University
HIS-100-H7398: Perspectives in History
Nick
January 28, 2024
Module Three Activity
The Tulsa race riot of 1921 was one of the most destructive riots in American history (Messer, 2018). On May 30, 1921, a young teenager by the name of Dick Rowland stepped into
an elevator with a young elevator operator by the name of Sara Page. At some point after that, the young elevator operator screamed, and Rowland fled the scene (History. Com Editors, 2023).
This resulted in a white mob gathering at the courthouse wanting to lynch Rowland without giving him a right to due process (Mohn, 2023). The police would not hand Rowland over to the
mob and even barricaded the courthouse to protect Rowland by preventing the mob from entering the courthouse. Altercations between a white man and a black man near the courthouse resulted in a white mob following black residents back to Greenwood (Mohn,2023). What followed next was a rash of fires, looting, Robbery, Stealing, and mass murders of African American residents in the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma. There were even bombs dropped from airplanes. The mob prevented the Fire Department from putting out fires consequently, most buildings burnt to the ground (Figure 3). Mother Viola Fletcher stated, “I will never forget the violence of the white mob when we left our house. I still see Black men being shot, and Black bodies lying in the street. I still smell smoke and see fire. I still see Black businesses being burned. I still hear airplanes flying overhead. I hear the screams. I live through the Massacre every day” (Fletcher, 2021). The Tulsa massacre caused a major setback in the economy of the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa and presently African American residents and store owners of the Greenwood district are still trying to recover. Dick Rowland and Sarah Page are what triggered the Tulsa Massacre. However, it is important to understand that Rowland and Page lived in a time were Jim Crow law and White supremacy were normal (Pietrusza,2024). The Ku Klux Klan had over 3 million members at the 2
time, and their influence was everywhere (Figure 1). This information combined with jealousy because Tulsa was home to 400 petroleum companies, making Tulsa the oil capital of the world at the time. This may have created a lot of hostility for the African American residents of Tulsa from their fellow white neighbors in the surrounding areas. There was a lot of hatred amongst some white residents of Tulsa and surrounding areas due to African Americans of the Greenwood District benefitting from the blossoming economy. Another key historical event that added to the Tulsa race massacre was the falsified article printed in the Tulsa Tribune entitled, “Nab Negro for Attacking Girl in Elevator” (Figure 2). These were some of the historical figures
and groups that participated in the events leading up to the destruction and loss of life that happened on the night of the Tulsa Massacre.
The key historical figures in the Tulsa race massacre were Dick Rowland, the black boy who bumped into Sarah Page, the elevator operator who screamed. Police Chief John Gustafson,
at the time his department was under investigation by the state attorney general office, due to issues unrelated to the Tulsa massacre (Krehbiel,2020). This means that the police department was already under investigation at the time of the Tulsa race massacre. The Tulsa Tribune played a major role by publishing a falsified article about Rowland and Page, triggering the Tulsa Race Massacre (Figure 2). These are the main key historical figures that triggered the Tulsa Race massacre. Broader things that were going on in society at the time that may have impacted the Tulsa
Race Riot were the Jim Crow Laws. Jim Crow laws were a collection of state and local statutes that legalized racial
segregation
,
named after a
Black minstrel show
character, the laws which existed for about 100 years, for African Americans denying them the right to vote or hold jobs in
the post-
Civil War
era, until 1968 African Americans could not get an education or other 3
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opportunities, those who attempted to defy Jim Crow laws often faced arrest, fines, jail sentences, violence and death (History.com Editors, 2024). The African Americans of Greenwood were considered second-class citizens and therefore had no rights. These laws made it illegal for any of the white residents or other residents to help the African Americans during the massacre. The mob even prevented the fire department from putting out fires. Another influence of the Tulsa massacre could have been the prosperous self-sufficient economy. The Greenwood District was called the “Black Wall Street”, a name given to it by Booker T Washington, it was
one of the wealthiest Black communities in the United States
(Weinstein, 2021). Greenwood was so popular that it gained national attention. There were many known African American millionaires, medical doctors, and businessmen residing in the Greenwood district of Tulsa. This could have caused a lot of jealousy and envy amongst the white community in surrounding areas. It is very important to remember that these were different times, most of the white residents felt that African Americans didn’t have a right to own businesses and property. These emotions along with biases concerning African American people
as a race, are what influenced the Tulsa massacre. The Tulsa Tribune’s falsified article about Rowland assaulting Page was just the icing on the cake. Learning the history of any situation or circumstance can greatly help a person understand current events. Connecting the Tulsa massacre to current events like the economic issues of the Greenwood district today along with the testimony of Mother Viola Fletcher improves the understanding of the economic effects of the Tulsa massacre. The Greenwood district of Tulsa had a thriving community before the Tulsa massacre. According to the testimony of Mother Viola Fletcher and her brother Van Ellis the Greenwood district of Tulsa had schools, churches, movie theaters, hospitals, automobile shops, and clothing stores all 4
black owned. They speak of a thriving self-sufficient community. This was largely due to the oil boom in Tulsa in the early 1900s. The oil boom in Tulsa in the early 1900s led to a significant increase in population, wealth, and opportunity, and Black Americans saw it as a significant opportunity (Campbell, 2021). Most of the newly rich white families hired black staff
for domestic employment like housekeeping, gardening, maintenance, and a host of other things. Because Tulsa was segregated, African American residents shopped in areas designated for black
people. That is how Black Wall Street came into existence. They worked for rich white families
then reinvested their money back into their community. Many black families became millionaires using this technique. Many of the newly wealthy Tulsans hired Black employees from Greenwood for housekeeping and other service-based jobs because of the limited ability to shop in Tulsa’s white-owned stores, plus the desire to support their community, employees would purchase from the Black businesses in Greenwood, these businesses in turn made purchases from other businesses and hired residents of Black Wall Street, supporting the community’s economic growth and prosperity (Campbell, 2021). This great prosperity stopped on the night of the Tulsa massacre. Unfortunately, due to the Tulsa massacre, economic difficulties continue to be a trend in the Greenwood area even today. Just as recently as May of 2021 Mother Viola Fletcher gave a testimony at the United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. She spoke of how rich the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa was, not just in wealth but in culture, community, and heritage (Fletcher, 2021). Without understanding the history of the Tulsa massacre, we would not be able to connect it to today’s current events, like Mother Viola Fetchers’ testimony, and the
current economic state of Greenwood. Unemployment in Greenwood and broader north Tulsa, both of which are over 75% Black, was over twice as high as in greater Tulsa, then in the state of
5
Oklahoma and the United States (Campbell, 2021). This informs us that Tulsa is still facing economic hardships today. In conclusion, we need to understand the history of Tulsa to connect it to today’s current events. Figure 1
Figure 2
6
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Figure 3
Mother Viola Fletcher
7
Greenwood Today
8
References
Library of Congress, (2024), Black Wall Street in Tulsa, OK Destroyed on 6/1/2921,
https://guides.loc.gov/this-month-in-business-history/black-wall-street-destroyed
Fletcher, V., (May 19, 2021
), Written Testimony of Mother Viola Fletcher, United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties
, HHRG-117-JU10-Wstate-FletcherV-20210519.pdf (house.gov)
Sullivan, M., (July 26, 2023
), Black Wall Street Before, During and After the Tulsa Race Massacre: Photos,
History.com, 'Black Wall Street' Before, During and After the Tulsa Race Massacre: PHOTOS | HISTORY
History. Com Editors, (May 31, 2023), Tulsa Race Massacre-Facts, Photos, Coverup
, Tulsa Race Massacre - Facts, Photos, Coverup (history.com)
Mohn, E., Tulsa Race Massacre, Tulsa race massacre: Multi-Search (snhu.edu)
D., Pietrusza, (2024), The Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s, Bill of Rights Institute, https://billofrightsinstitute.org/essays/the-ku-klux-klan-in-the-1920s
Campell, P., (May 26, 2021), Black Wall Street’s Economy: Past, Present and Future – Second Quarter Oklahoma Economist Released,
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, https://www.kansascityfed.org/newsroom/2021-news-releases/black-wall-streets-economy-past-
present-and-future/
History.com Editors, (January 22, 2024), Jim Crow Laws
, https://www.history.com/topics/early-
20th-century-us/jim-crow-laws
Petroleum Pioneers,(2023), Making Tulsa Oil Capital of the World
, https://aoghs.org/petroleum-
pioneers/glen-pool-tulsa-oil-capital/
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Last Name, D. E., Last Name, F. G., Last Name, H. I. (Year). Report Title (report number). Publisher. URL
.
Last Name, J. K. (Year, Month Day). Article Title/Headline
. Periodical. URL
.
Organization Name. (Year, Month Day). Webpage Title
. URL
.
For additional information on APA Style formatting, please consult the APA Style Manual, 7th Edition
.
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