Not Unprecedented: Race Riots and Attempted Coups

The events at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021 were wild to see, but not unprecedented in American history. White mob violence in city and state capitals when White people become dissatisfied with politics is a part of American history. It also parallels America's present in many ways.

This episode focuses on two cases of coups in America, one in New Orleans (and Colfax), Louisiana in 1873-1874, and one in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1898.

Federal troops stopped the New Orleans attempted-coup, which centered around a gubernatorial race, but the Wilmington coup ended in successfully replacing the city government. Both had the long-term effect of Black disenfranchisement and used newspapers to bolster their cause.

Hopefully, some answers and solutions to 1/6/21 lie in the past.

Sources & Further Reading

New Orleans:

https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/new-orleans-riots

https://thereconstructionera.com/when-the-white-league-militia-took-over-new-orleans-in-1874-it-pledged-to-end-the-stupid-africanization-of-governme/

The article that includes news articles surrounding the riot:

https://thereconstructionera.com/the-battle-of-liberty-place-white-league-uprising-sept-14-1874/

Colfax:

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/colfax-massacre-1873/

The White League's Platform: https://www.facinghistory.org/reconstruction-era/louisiana-white-league-platform-1874

Wilmington:

https://www.britannica.com/event/Wilmington-coup-and-massacre