Tulsa Lynching Of 1921 A Thesis

PAGES
3
WORDS
1053
Cite

This led to a situation where large numbers of racist and rightwing members of the community were given the authority and the legal right to carry arms and continue the violence. The results of the horrendous violence that ensued were that between one-hundred and three hundred Black people were killed. Damage to the community was devastating. The Entire 35-block Greenwood District was basically destroyed. More than ten-thousand people were left homeless after the incident. Furthermore, the Tulsa Star and the Oklahoma Sun, two Black newspapers were totally destroyed, as well as the library and six churches. Many private properties, including the offices of professionals such as lawyers and doctors, were also destroyed in the day of violence.

Another appalling fact that emerges from the documentary is the way in which the Blacks residents of Tulsa were treated even after the violence. They were all forced to seek refuge and those who were vouched for by whites in the town had to wear ribbons to identify themselves. This fact brings to mind the way that the Nazis treated the Jews during the Second World War.

Another aspect that adds to the impression of racial motivation and planning is the fact that that the newspapers in Tulsa reported the incident as if it had been the fault of the black residents of the town. The papers also reported that only thirty black people had been killed, a fact that we now know to be false. Furthermore, the Tulsa city council subsequently...

...

They were force to live in tents. The film provides the overall impression of a concerted effort to drive away the black community. The interviews in the film provide an excellent and disturbing insight into the time and the reactions of the people of Tulsa; for example, the story of a young girl handing out sweets that had clearly been taken from a Black store.
What makes this documentary so shocking is that through the lens and via the well-integrated interviews, the impression is created of the pure racism of the time and the way that right-wing organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan operated. It is suggested that the Tulsa riots were essentially about trying to eradicate the black population of the town. What is perhaps even more appalling is that this incident should be so relatively unknown for so many years. Therefore this documentary is important in that it brings to light an incident that should be a part of the history curriculum in our country in order to remind us of the horror of racism.

Sources Used in Documents:

References

OXMAN S. The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story. Retrieved from http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117786589.html?categoryid=32&cs=1

Musser C. Tulsa Race Riot. The Worse Racial Divide in United States History.

Retrieved from http://americanhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/tulsa_race_riot


Cite this Document:

"Tulsa Lynching Of 1921 A" (2009, December 11) Retrieved April 19, 2024, from
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/tulsa-lynching-of-1921-a-16409

"Tulsa Lynching Of 1921 A" 11 December 2009. Web.19 April. 2024. <
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/tulsa-lynching-of-1921-a-16409>

"Tulsa Lynching Of 1921 A", 11 December 2009, Accessed.19 April. 2024,
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/tulsa-lynching-of-1921-a-16409

Related Documents
Tulsa Riots "The Next Day
PAGES 5 WORDS 1639

The Greenwood neighborhood was literally, an ash heap. But rebuild they did. The tightness of the community returned -- most say it never left -- and their religious faith kept them going. They returned as well to all of the values, traditions, and morals they held before the riot. With the support of each for their neighbor, slowly, it happened. Today It became the "New Orleans" of Oklahoma during the 1920's

Black Wall Street
PAGES 3 WORDS 925

Tulsa Race Riot: What Happened and Why In 1921, Tulsa, Oklahoma, like many other American cities, was a hotbed of racial tension and the Ku Klux Klan was large, accepted and active in "keeping blacks in their place." Although Jews and Catholics were also targeted, African-Americans were far and away their primary targets. Blaming these minorities for the mainstream society's problems was a simple answer to a complex problem. The

reparation being paid to descendants of African America slaves is certainly not a new argument, either for or against. The world is full of people who in black and white see the need for reparations, be they financial or otherwise. To many, the ideals or affirmative action and other civil rights reforms are a form of reparations. Yet, the question is often raised as to why the rest of